Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Linus Babcock, Oral History Interview, 2022, Cellach Allen

COVID-19 Oral Histories

In October and November of 2022, You Li's Journalism 313 students conducted oral history interviews with one another to document the student experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this interview, EMU undergraduate Linus Babcock describes the early days of COVID, the initial shutdown of the university and the experience of moving back home with family and siblings.

The Contributions Of Edward A. Pollard's The Lost Cause To The Myth Of The Lost Cause, Justin F. Krasnoff

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Edward A. Pollard’s The Lost Cause first appeared in 1866. Although it established the Myth of the Lost Cause, it was widely read, not as myth, but as history, especially in the South. Then, after 1900, it was largely forgotten. However, starting in the early 1970s, historians began to investigate the Myth of the Lost Cause as a myth. Pollard’s name and the title of his book finally came up again, but usually just in passing. Except for occasionally getting credit for coining the term “the Lost Cause,” his contributions and popularity remained largely ignored. The purpose of this thesis …

Student Activism At Eastern Michigan University 1961-1970, Philip J. Kotwick

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Charles Horton Cooley And The Social Gospel Influence, Taylor Emerson Styes

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Charles Horton Cooley was one of the fundamental American intellectuals of the early twentieth century, primarily due to his social theories that involved the connection between individuals and society. This thesis demonstrates this connection with the influence of the Social Gospel movement as a basis for Cooley’s evolving social organization theories that remained important for the next generation of sociologists. The last stage of this thesis examines the transition away from the Social Gospel influence through Cooley’s organic social process, while Cooley retained parallels with the Social Gospel.

Volunteering To Lead: Combat Affairs That Shaped The Command Philosophy Of Major Rufus R. Dawes, U.S.A. And Captain James Cooper Nisbet, C.S.A. (1861-1862), Trace Brusco

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The frequently disorganized command structure which dictated American Civil War battles often resulted in direction of military strategy being passed over into the junior officer ranks. These volunteer leaders fought directly with the regular volunteer soldier that filled the ranks of both Union and Confederate armies. In exchange for their position amongst the common volunteer, the junior officers shared the same dangers in combat as their subordinates. In this study, junior officers Rufus Dawes and James Cooper Nisbet serve as the focus of a study that reveals what attributes contributed to the success and failures of command. Dawes, who served …

A Look Into Union And Confederate Cavalry: A Comparative Study Of The Michigan Cavalry Brigade And Ector’S Brigade, James Middleditch

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This comparative study explores the use of cavalry by the Union armed forces and Confederate armed forces during the American Civil War. This study examines the Michigan Cavalry Brigade and Ector’s Brigade of dismounted cavalry. The examination took a look at factors including weapons and equipment, leadership, tactics and strategy, casualties, and campaign performances. This study argues that, the Michigan Cavalry Brigade was able to demonstrate the Union’s superiority over the Confederacy when compared to Ector’s Brigade. Results of the comparative study showed that the Michigan Cavalry Brigade was able to display the Union’s dominance by acquiring small arms that …

Fear And (Non) Fiction: Agrarian Anxiety In “The Colour Out Of Space”, Antonio Barroso

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This literary and sociological study examines H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Colour Out of Space” alongside New England agricultural societies in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as their members faced socio-political change. Anxieties expressed in the short story reflect fears of communities facing erasure at the hands of a reservoir project. Patterns of historical American rural communities facing destruction in the name of progress as well as modern communities facing similar threats show the endurance of Lovecraft’s specific brand of fear.

Refinement And Architecture In Early Ypsilanti, Lynda Mccarron

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The objective of this work is to examine refinement and architecture in nineteenth-century America with a focus on rural areas and Ypsilanti, Michigan in particular. The research utilized consists of an analysis of primary and secondary sources. Included among the primary sources are architectural style books such as those by Andrew Jackson Downing, pioneer writings such as those of Caroline Kirkland and Solon Robinson, historical buildings, and probate record inventories of Washtenaw County. Ypsilantians did not assume the genteel refinement that developed in the nineteenth century. They instead modified gentility to become a form of respectability that suited their needs. …

As Far As The Laws Of Great Britain Permit: The Effect Of British Imperialism On French Canada, And Its Effect On The American Revolution, Aaron Luedtke

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

Political Shifts In The Eastern Upper Peninsula Of Michigan During The Great Depression, Kristina Schwab

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Regarded as one of the greatest struggles in American history, the Great Depression was a catalyst not only for economic change but also political change. The defeat of Hoover in 1,932 was one of the largest margins of victory by a Democratic presidential candidate ever seen. The victory of Franklin D. Roosevelt brought change to a nation struggling with unemployment. The efforts of the Works Progress Administration, Civilian Conservation Corps, Public Works Administration, along with numerous other employment programs, helped put people back to work. More importantly, though, these public works projects ranged from the improvement of roads and preservation …

The War Within: The Soldiers’ Resistance Movement During The Vietnam Era, Marcus K. Adams

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The Soldiers’ Resistance Movement (SRM) during the Vietnam Era is arguably the most important social movement in the history of the American military. Responding to a highly unpopular war, the soldiers of Vietnam began to question their role in what many considered to be a conflict built on lies. While the government expected some resistance, the soldiers’ unity of purpose eventually forced the military to respond. This paper examines the soldiers’ revolt as it grew throughout the decades of the 1960s and 1970s, culminating in a protest movement that helped to end the war.

While providing a chronicle of the …

The Union Army Had Something To Do With It: General Lee's Plan At Gettysburg And Why It Failed, Paul Mengel

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The question considered is what General Robert E. Lee’s plan for the battle of Gettysburg actually was, and why he fought the battle the way he did, based on a reexamination of extensive commentaries left by the participants in the battle.

General Lee believed that the Confederacy could not outlast the Union but had to win battles to cause the Union to abandon the war. This was one purpose of the invasion of the North. An initially favorable opportunity arose at Gettysburg. Despite some setbacks, Lee was encouraged and kept attacking. His plans failed because the Union Army had so …

Murder At The Dexter Michigan, Peninsula Mills Dam, Danielle Roth

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Crime Pays: The Role Of Prohibition And Rum Running Along Us 112 In The Transformation Of The Michigan State Police, Timothy Weber

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

The Michigan State Police were first organized to protect the state’s infrastructure and quell labor disputes during World War I. Structured along the lines of a paramilitary organization, the State Police quickly developed a reputation for Nativism and anti-radical agendas. By the 1930s, the force had transformed into a state wide investigation and policing agency with broad support in the population and state government. Here, archival records and police publications are used to ascertain the role of Prohibition and rum running in the force’s transformation.

Examination begins with an overview of the national movement to establish state policing agencies, and …

Croatian Immigrants In The Keweenaw, Jennifer Lynn-Franks Stajdl

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

In the years between 1890 and 1920, there was an influx of immigration to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Due to the copper mines, towns and villages, such as Red Jacket (now known as Calumet) flourished. Surrounding the mines were smaller villages, such as Ahmeek, located five miles northwest of Calumet. Among those that came for a new and “better” life were the Croatians. Most of the Croatians who made their way over were from the same area in Croatia, Ravna Gora. This immigration pattern is an example of chain-migration, people helping those from their country, from the area of the country …