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United States History

James Madison University

Conference

2016

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Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities

The Land Of Steady Habits: Anti-Abolition And The Preservation Of Slavery In Connecticut, Griffin R. Watson Mar 2016

The Land Of Steady Habits: Anti-Abolition And The Preservation Of Slavery In Connecticut, Griffin R. Watson

MAD-RUSH Undergraduate Research Conference

This paper explores the history of slavery in Connecticut from its inception during the Pequot War in the 1630s to its abolishment in 1848. The research pays particular attention to the reasons for the persistence of slavery as a formal institution in Connecticut while so many other northern states had abolished it. What was uncovered is that slavery was not supported as much in Connecticut as abolition was opposed. The people of Connecticut saw immediate abolition as a threat to the preexisting social order, despite their view of slavery as immoral. Slavery persisted as a means of preventing social upheaval.


The Death Knell For Jim Crow: How African-American Soldiers’ Experiences Abroad Impacted The Modern Civil Rights Movement, Richard J. Sipe Mar 2016

The Death Knell For Jim Crow: How African-American Soldiers’ Experiences Abroad Impacted The Modern Civil Rights Movement, Richard J. Sipe

MAD-RUSH Undergraduate Research Conference

This paper examines African-American soldiers’ experiences abroad in Europe during the Second World War and the occupation of Germany, and how these experiences affected their fight for Civil Rights on their return to the United States. The paper argues that the experiences of African-American soldiers in Europe, where they were free from Jim Crow Laws and treated with respect and equality by Europeans, created a new consciousness of equality that led to the demand for equal rights at home. The paper challenges traditional historical interpretations of the Civil Rights Movement by emphasizing the Movement’s international aspect. It accomplishes this by …