Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Preserving Imperial Sovereignty In The Changing Political Order Of Prewar Japan, Shane Vrabel

History Theses

During the nineteenth century, several Western powers began to establish a presence in East Asia through the use of gunboat diplomacy. In 1853, United States Commodore Matthew C. Perry arrived on Japanese shores intent on forcing the ruling Tokugawa Shogunate to end its policy of sakoku (seclusion) and interact with the West through trade. Angered over the policies of the Tokugawa Shogunate, the han (domains) of Chōshū and Satsuma decided to launch the Boshin Civil War by instigating rebellion against the shogun. The military forces of Chōshū and Satsuma eventually captured the imperial capital of Kyoto and the young Prince …

Indira Gandhi: India’S Destined Leader, Josclyn C. Green

History Theses

This thesis explores the life and political career of Indira Nehru Gandhi and analyzes how the historical circumstances of her era shaped her character in a manner that made her uniquely prepared to confront the numerous political challenges that she faced during her tenure as India’s Prime Minister. Indira Nehru Gandhi was Prime Minister of India from 1966 until 1977, and again in 1980 up until her assassination in 1984. Indira Gandhi was seemingly destined to rule over India. She was born into a prominent family who led the way to Indian independence from Great Britain. She was also born …

The Auxiliary Units: Britain's Last Line Of Defense During World War Ii, Cassy Rice

History Theses

The Auxiliary Unit was a secret highly trained group of men especially designed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill to be last line of defense for Britain if Hitler were to invade. Hitler was growing in power and strength at what seemed to be a daily rate, and he had just taken hold of France. Churchill and the rest of the United Kingdom not only felt threatened by an invasion, but they were also exceedingly concerned that the only thing separating Britain from Nazi Europe was the English Channel. If he were to successfully invade Britain, Hitler would have to overcome …

The War Of 1812: The End Of An Uncommon Alliance, Ryan Barrett

History Theses

The War of 1812 was a struggle between three groups: Americans, British, and Native Americans. The British and the Native Americans were brought together in their necessity to fight the Americans. The alliance began during the French and Indian War while defeating the French. Throughout the rest of the eighteenth century and early nineteenth century the British and Natives would support each other in a mutually beneficial alliance. The end of the War of 1812 would also be the end of the once great alliance.

Rethinking And Relearning Modern Warfare: The Influence Of Geography And The Environment On The Process Of Fighting World War Ii In The Pacific, Peter K. Vleck

History Theses

Study of the geographic and environmental conditions which complicated fighting in the Pacific Theater of World War II, as pursuant of a B.A. in History at the University of Puget Sound.

Issues considered include logistics, geography, geology, grand strategy, applied tactics, tropical diseases, psychological issues, science and technology.

Robert Nathaniel Dett And The Music Of The Harlem Renaissance, Daniel Weaver

History Theses

While the contributions of writers and poets to the period of American cultural history known as the Harlem Renaissance are relatively well defined and understood, assessing the contributions of musicians has been more problematic. The topic has been covered indirectly through works of American music history and African American history, but there have been comparatively few works linking music directly to the goals of the movement. Much of the insight into music’s place during this period derives from contemporary writers such as Alain Locke and James Weldon Johnson, both of whom featured discussions of music in their writings. Relatively unknown …

Wartime Art: A Study Of Political Propaganda And Individual Expression In American Commercial And Combat Art During World War Ii, Jennifer M. Wilcott

History Theses

This thesis will explore the mediums and functions of American art during World War II. The purpose of exploring art during World War II is not simply to provide an overview of the multiple media of art produced during the war, but to investigate the role that commercial artwork and combat soldiers’ artwork had on the lasting interpretation of the war. Themes addressed are propaganda, the role of posters, comic books, and cartoons along with their influence on American society at the time. Further analysis examines the role of three artists: Howard Brodie, Edward Reep, and Robert N. Blair. Their …

Conservative Revolutionary Intellectuals In The Weimar Republic And National Socialist Germany: Carl Schmitt, Martin Heidegger, And Ernst Jϋnger, Vincent S. Betts

History Theses

This thesis will examine the writings and career/life paths of three conservative revolutionary intellectuals during the Weimar Republic and National Socialist Germany. The purpose of this examination is not only to provide an overview of the development of conservative revolutionary thought in Germany after World War I, but also to investigate the influence these intellectuals had on the National Socialists' seizure and consolidation of power. The works and lives of three important intellectuals will be examined: Carl Schmitt, Martin Heidegger, and Ernst Jünger. In combination with scholarly secondary literature, this thesis will be based mostly on translated primary writings.

Fraunces Tavern Museum: Revolutionizing Collections Care In A Small Museum Environment, Suzanne Prabucki

History Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to present a comprehensive history of the Fraunces Tavern Museum and its collection along with an official catalogue comprising approximately 5,000 artifacts. It documents the Museum’s own experience with the collections care remediation process so that other institutions may use this Museum’s success story as a model for their own collections care issues.

The Fraunces Tavern Museum, located in New York City, is best known as the site where George Washington bade farewell to his officers at the end of the American Revolutionary War. The lineage group, the Sons of the Revolution in the …

"God Help Us, We Are The Press!": Public Perception Of The Branch Davidian Conflict, Janet Rogers

History Theses

Public perception of the 1993 Branch Davidian conflict, particularly as it developed well after the event, helped to alter government policy toward New Religious Movements. Prior to the investigations following the conflict, public expectations of government involvement in New Religious Movements had been shaped most dramatically by the mass suicide in Jonestown, Guyana, in 1978. That event had convinced scholars and the public at large that New Religious movements had a propensity for violence, and government intervention was necessary on occasion. Thus following Jonestown, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) became involved in several standoffs with New Religious …

Catchin' Babies: African American Midwives, Maternity Care, And Public Health Debates In The Jim Crow South, 1920-1970, Jenny Melissa Luke

History Theses

Much of the scholarly research on African American midwifery in the Jim Crow South has been focused on the traditionally prestigious role of lay midwives, and the way in which these women were forced into obsolescence by the politically powerful medical profession. However, little has been written about the type of care they provided, or how midwifery and maternity care evolved under the increasing presence of local and federal health care structures. Using evidence from the nursing, medical, and public health journals of the era, as well as the personal memoirs of lay midwives, this study provides a new perspective …

Investing In England: The Designation Of Heirs To The Crown Throughout English History, Sarah Stevenson Sadullaeva

History Theses

It was not until the late eighteenth century that rules for succession to the English throne were written. Succession to the throne has never been random. As such, the heir to the throne plays an important part in the history of England. The heir was the personification of the future of England and signified stability, dynastic continuity and power. This study examines the designation of the heirs from the oath received by William of Normandy, which justified the conquest of 1066, to the current Prince of Wales, Charles, investiture in 1969. In reviewing the methods and reasons for designating an …

The Walloon Immigrants Of Northeast Wisconsin: An Examination Of Ethnic Retention, Jacqueline Lee Tinkler

History Theses

This thesis examines the unusually enduring retention of ethnic culture by the Walloon Belgian immigrants who settled in northeastern Wisconsin between 1853 and 1857, as well as the combination of circumstances which enabled this ethnic island to form and continue, well into the twenty-first century. A review of the historiography focusing on European immigrants to the United States from the post-revolutionary period to the present reveals an emphasis on urban settlement and the assumed inevitability of the weakening of ethnic identity. Less attention has been given those immigrants settling in rural areas and even less to those few rural immigrant …

In The Shade Of The Mushroom Clouds: How Christian Fudamentalists Sabotaged Atomic Scientists' Visions Of Utopia, Robert Edward Fuller

History Theses

Prior to August 6, 1945, the end of the world had been an abstract concept left to the gods to enact via supernatural means. Yet on that day, humanity saw for the first time the actual mechanism whereby it might end the world. So it was that in the aftermath of Hiroshima, two diametrically opposed messages emerged to give Americans a framework in which to assimilate the advent of nuclear weaponry. The first, articulated by atomic scientists and other intellectuals, reasoned that the threat of nuclear annihilation meant that war must be abolished through the formation of a One World …

Viewing The Champ-Elysses As A Transitional Space, Staci L. Swiney

History Theses

Today the Champs-Élysées serves as one of the most iconic boulevards in the world; however, in the eighteenth century the area functioned similar to a modern day park. The transitional space provided fresh air and entertainment to the citizens of Paris.Contemporary documents illustrate both the many uses of the Champs-Élysées and the Comte d'Angiviller's determination to conserve the area as a transitional space. Although ultimately Angiviller failed to preserve the Champs-Élysées, he deserves recognition, as his efforts predate the park movement by nearly sixty years.

Mexico's Break Up: Mexico City's Misconceptions And Mismanagement Of Its Peripheries: Central America And Texas, 1821-1836, Kyle Carpenter

History Theses

In 1822, Mexico's boundaries held the territories of what is now Central America and Texas. Just after independence from Spain, it seemed Mexico would emerge as a powerful nation to challenge the United States in North America due to Mexico's vast lands and mineral wealth. That did not transpire. Political struggle in Mexico City and challenges from its peripheries undermined Mexico's political and economic stability. Central Americans chose to detach from Mexico in 1823 due to ideological differences based on colonial traditions, differences in the ethnic makeup of the populations of Central America and the Mexican plateau, and a shift …

Missed Identity: Collective Memory, Adina De Zavala, And The Tejana Heroine Who Wasn't, Suzanne Seifert Cottraux

History Theses

As greater attention is paid to Hispanic and Tejano contributions to Southwest history, many journalists, Tejano activists, and even historians have commandeered Adina De Zavala's life and legacy as an example of Tejano leadership and accomplishment. The grand-daughter of Texas's first interim vice president, Lorenzo de Zavala, Adina dedicated her ninety-three-year life to ensuring Texas's early history would not be forgotten amidst the state's explosive commercial growth. A reverent Catholic, she devoted her efforts to the preservation of the Spanish missions and corresponding histories in and around San Antonio that pre-dated Texas independence from Mexico, with a special concentration on …

The Heir And The Spare: Education And Preparation Among England's "Sudden Monarchs", Lindsay Ridlehuber

History Theses

The English royal family is experiencing a recent surge of popularity. Though they no longer personally govern England, their role is still crucial within the country. The current heir to the throne, Prince Charles, is expected to inherit peacefully upon the death of Elizabeth II. However, there has been speculation that he could be passed over for his far more popular son Prince William. If this does occur, it will not be the first time that a monarch who was not the primary heir inherited the English throne. Eight times in the period between 1100 and 1701 the primary heir …

A New System Of Power: The Franks And The Catholic Church In Post-Roman Gaul, James David Haun

History Theses

The Franks developed a new system of power in post-Roman Gaul with the help of the Catholic Church. From the sixth through the ninth century three Frankish kings played crucial roles in the development of this new system, and in the process of implementing their shared system of governance, they established the necessary conditions for the Church to make the arguments of the Investiture Controversy centuries before the actual conflict. The Investiture Controversy has been discussed and analyzed at great length by an enormous number of scholars over the decades and most argue that the proximate cause of this dispute …