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Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities

"The Last King Of America" By Andrew Roberts- A Review, Michael A. Smith Nov 2023

"The Last King Of America" By Andrew Roberts- A Review, Michael A. Smith

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

"The Last King of America" by Andrew Roberts is a meticulously researched and engaging account of King George III's reign over the American colonies. Roberts dispels myths surrounding George III and explores his efforts to maintain control over the colonies, the tensions that led to the Revolutionary War, and the eventual loss of American territories. This thought-provoking book delves into the more significant themes of monarchy, colonialism, and revolution while offering fresh insights into a pivotal historical moment. Roberts' narrative skill and thorough research make "The Last King of America" an essential read for history enthusiasts and general readers.


The Enemy Of My Enemy Is My Friend: George Washington And France, Brent Kyle Meyers Jan 2023

The Enemy Of My Enemy Is My Friend: George Washington And France, Brent Kyle Meyers

Masters Theses

This thesis looks at how George Washington was able to overcome his personal animosity towards France and ally himself with them during the American Revolution. This animosity originates with Washington’s early interactions with the French during the French and Indian War. It examines how the events during Washington first miliary mission and journey to Fort Le Boeuf, his first military conflict and surrender at Jumonville Glenn, and his service under General Braddock all helped develop that animosity. However, the overcoming of these early negative feelings for Washington was the culmination of three key factors. The first major guiding force was …


“The Mount Atlas Of Independence”: Forgotten Founder Roger Sherman, Kaitlyn Kenney May 2022

“The Mount Atlas Of Independence”: Forgotten Founder Roger Sherman, Kaitlyn Kenney

Masters Theses

Roger Sherman is perhaps the most important forgotten founder of the United States. Best known for creating the Connecticut compromise which reconciled the VA and NJ plans by having the House of Representatives be based on population and having each state have one vote in the Senate, he also was instrumental throughout the founding. He was the only man to sign and help draft every major founding document of the United States, one of a select group of self-taught founders and a man who served in practically every civil service position imaginable. Born in Massachusetts, Sherman would move to Connecticut …


The Foundation Of Freedom: Natural Rights And State Power In Revolutionary Massachusetts, Joshua Paul Dunkelberger Apr 2022

The Foundation Of Freedom: Natural Rights And State Power In Revolutionary Massachusetts, Joshua Paul Dunkelberger

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research project is an attempt to explain the political mindset which drove the actions of the Massachusetts Patriots during the American Revolution. The British government’s attempts to assert increased control over the American colonies, beginning with the Sugar and Stamp Acts in 1764-1765, initiated a decade-long political struggle between Britain and America. During that struggle, all politically active Americans had to wrestle with questions of where their rights came from, the role of government in relation to those rights, and the constitutional limits of a government’s power over the governed. The question of the origin of rights was thus …


Loyalist Preachers During The American Revolution (1765-1783), Christena Renea Leaverton Jun 2021

Loyalist Preachers During The American Revolution (1765-1783), Christena Renea Leaverton

Masters Theses

“Loyalists were those who remained loyal to the British Crown and did not support America’s fight for independence leading up to, and during, the American Revolution. Being loyal to the crown was the normal practice for all Americans prior to the increasing call for independence.” In the time leading up to and during the American Revolution (1765-1783), Loyalist preachers defended their stance on remaining loyal to Great Britain utilizing Bible themes and specific verses. Oftentimes, as with the Patriots, these Loyalist preachers took these themes and verses out of context or misquoted them. They also used Bible themes and verses …


Mightier Than The Sword: Benjamin Franklin’S Satirical Rebuke Of British Policy, Bethany L. Fontenot-Miller Jan 2019

Mightier Than The Sword: Benjamin Franklin’S Satirical Rebuke Of British Policy, Bethany L. Fontenot-Miller

Masters Theses

The genius of Benjamin Franklin resides not in his unique personality or worldly manner but in his distinct ability to eloquently express his ideas in written form. One of his most notable and peculiar scripted expressions emanated from his desire to assert American authority in peace negotiations with Great Britain in the final stages of the American Revolution. Franklin’s “Supplement” to the Boston Independent Chronicle, printed in 1782 at his press at Passy, satirized British political and economic procedure in an effort to illuminate British hypocrisy and defend American interests in the peace process. Though the “Supplement” has only recently …


The New England Narrative, Cynnamon C. Mathis Sep 2018

The New England Narrative, Cynnamon C. Mathis

Masters Theses

Though equally successful, noteworthy, inspiring, and crucial as the contributions to American Independence made by New England women patriots, the contributions made by North Carolinian women patriots are excluded from the history of America’s founding as a direct result of sectional nationalism.


The Ideologies And Outcomes Of The French And American Revolutions, Donald D. Palmer Jun 2018

The Ideologies And Outcomes Of The French And American Revolutions, Donald D. Palmer

Masters Theses

One effective way to compare the fruits of biblical Christianity with modernism is to contrast the ideologies and outcomes of the American and French Revolutions. Pre-revolutionary America was rich with biblical influence. Adherents of both Protestantism and Deism sought a “Christian society,” and while revolutionaries drew from both biblical Reformation and secular Enlightenment thought, much of the latter was biblical thought in secular form. Ministers employed the Bible extensively to support the Revolution. This relative theological consensus encouraged religious practice and a political system that accommodated dispute. Human rights were secure thanks to man’s subordinate position under God. Even after …


Scriptural Justification For The American Revolution, Samuel Ewing Oct 2017

Scriptural Justification For The American Revolution, Samuel Ewing

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis will seek to examine the intention of the Founding Fathers regarding their decision to break from England in what became the American Revolution. On July 4th, 1776, fifty-five men gathered to sign the defining document of their cause – the Declaration of Independence. As the document presents the climactic argument against the English crown, this thesis will seek to analyze its writers’ intentions, presuppositions, and rationalizations. Ultimately, this thesis will demonstrate that the Founders not only sought biblical justification for their actions and opinions, but followed the letter of biblical and common law in order to …


Silver Breathed Upon The Stage: The American Revolution As Drama And Mythology, Nathan Stone May 2017

Silver Breathed Upon The Stage: The American Revolution As Drama And Mythology, Nathan Stone

Masters Theses

At the time of the American Revolution, several different intellectual influences were present within the American colonies: the classical tradition, taken from ancient Greece and Rome; Christianity, taken from the Bible and the Reformed, Calvinist tradition; and, Whig theory. The question that must be asked is: Were these different intellectual traditions brought together at the time of the American Revolution and, if so, by what means? By analyzing how the different traditions were present in the colonies as well as how the past was utilized through the eighteenth century understanding of time and history—particularly through the use of pseudonyms and …


The First Great Awakening: Revival And The Birth Of A Nation, Kory Ray Thomas Quirion Jul 2016

The First Great Awakening: Revival And The Birth Of A Nation, Kory Ray Thomas Quirion

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

The First Great Awakening left an indelible mark on the development of America. With roots stretching back to the Christian Reformation of the 1500’s, the Great Awakening swept the young colonies with the fires of evangelical fervor. The revival shook the very foundations of colonial society. Following in its wake was a rebirth of reformed philosophy and theology that planted the seeds of self-government and political autonomy in the fertile soil of the Americas. By 1776, that seed had blossomed into a vibrant revolutionary movement that questioned the very fabric of Old World society. This article explores the rich Christian …


Radicals In The Revolution: The Persecution Of Christians During The Revolutionary War, Kevan D. Keane Jan 2016

Radicals In The Revolution: The Persecution Of Christians During The Revolutionary War, Kevan D. Keane

Fidei et Veritatis: The Liberty University Journal of Graduate Research

This paper explores the plight of radical Christians in Pennsylvania during the American Revolution. Pennsylvania, up until the American Revolution, was governed by Quakers, and home to people of many denominational backgrounds, including various Anabaptist sects, such as the Amish, Mennonites, and Brethren. Both Quakers and Anabaptists adhered to the most conservative interpretation of Jesus’s teachings on not resisting an evil person (Matthew 5:38-42) and the swearing of oaths (Matthew 5:33-37). When Protestant revolutionaries took over the Pennsylvania government during the War, they required all residents of Pennsylvania to take an oath of allegiance to the Colony. The Quakers and …


Common Sense Theology: An Analysis Of T. L. Carter's Interpretation Of Romans 13:1-7, Joshua Alley Nov 2014

Common Sense Theology: An Analysis Of T. L. Carter's Interpretation Of Romans 13:1-7, Joshua Alley

Senior Honors Theses

Common sense theology has been a part of American theology since the time of the Revolution when Evangelicals incorporated ideals from the Scottish didactic Enlightenment into their thought. This paper deals with the work of one particular author, T. L. Carter, and his interpretation and exegetical work on Romans 13:1-7. It deals with the two major presuppositions of his common sense theology, namely that interpretations of any passage of Scripture will adhere to common sense and will result in a value-based ethic. Following this is an analysis of both the strengths and weaknesses of Carter's methodology.


Religious Ideas In The Declaration Of Independence: Thomas Jefferson, John Locke, And The American Mind, Kristina Benham Nov 2013

Religious Ideas In The Declaration Of Independence: Thomas Jefferson, John Locke, And The American Mind, Kristina Benham

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis is an analysis of the religious statements of the Declaration of Independence. It examines contemporary uses of Locke’s ideas on natural rights and created equality in newspapers, town meetings, colonial governments, speeches, and sermons. It also identifies uses of Locke’s works in religious sources in the decades before the Revolution. Locke’s ideas became especially important to arguments in favor of religious liberty for dissenters during and after the First Great Awakening. These analyses connect to both his Two Treatises of Government and his A Letter Concerning Toleration. These works parallel to the writings and protests of colonial …


Revolutionary Betrayal: The Fall Of King George Iii In The Experience Of Politicians, Planters, And Preachers, Benjamin J. Barlowe Apr 2013

Revolutionary Betrayal: The Fall Of King George Iii In The Experience Of Politicians, Planters, And Preachers, Benjamin J. Barlowe

Masters Theses

When describing the imperial crisis of 1763-1776 between the British government and the American colonists, historians often refer to Great Britain as a united entity unto itself, a single character in the imperial conflict. While this offers rhetorical benefits, it oversimplifies the complex constitutional relationship between the American periphery and the British center. Instead, the path to independence is a story of how Americans rejected the authority of each part of the central British government in turn. Americans drew a clear distinction between protesting the authority of the British Parliament and that of King George III himself. Rather than recalling …


Daniel Hannan, Thomas Paine, And The Rhetoric Of Outrage, Danae Brack Aug 2012

Daniel Hannan, Thomas Paine, And The Rhetoric Of Outrage, Danae Brack

Masters Theses

The purpose of this rhetorical study is to examine the textual charisma of Thomas Paine's Common Sense and Daniel Hannan's speech "The Devalued Prime Minister of a Devalued Government" and how that charisma made these artifacts successful in spreading outrage surrounding the historical and political events of their respective eras. The author uses Weber's theory of charisma filtered through Rosenberg and Hirschberg's expanded theory identifying lexical charisma, or the charisma of messages. The author analyzes Paine's and Hannan's use of persuasiveness, believability, and powerfulness, translating each of these characteristics into specific cues that can be identified in the individual texts. …