Arts and Humanities Commons^™

The Truth And Tale Of Lady Jane Grey: An Honest Demeanor In The Midst Of Ruthless Ambition, Sarah Kim

Young Historians Conference

In the midst of the political bloodbath of Tudor England, one individual remains steadfast. Known as the “Nine-Days Queen,” Lady Jane Grey is infamous for her short nine-day reign before she was promptly executed by Queen Mary. Because of Grey’s stance in her unfortunate circumstances as the object of the royal family’s political ambitions, Grey remains a distinguished figure in English history despite her minimal role and influence.

"If Only I Could Get A Job Somewhere:" The Emergence Of British Punk, Nina Fletcher

Young Historians Conference

In the seventies, Great Britain was crippled by a widespread recession during which more than a million people were out of work and the inflation rate rose to above 18 percent, a stark contrast with the generally prosperous economy of the sixties. The conditions of this difficult decade would result in lasting social and cultural developments — including, of course, punk rock in all its loud, cynical, and spiky-haired glory. This paper examines the economic origins of the punk movement and argues that it was, at heart, the unique product of a generation raised in times of hardship and scarce …

The Influence Of The Stonewall Riots, Leah K. Rosenbaum

Young Historians Conference

For decades, the rights of the members of the LGBTQ community were oppressed without major objections from the American public, until June 28, 1969. The Stonewall Riots in Greenwich Village, New York marked the beginning of a radicalized movement for equal rights within the LGBTQ community. Newspapers nationwide, printed articles about the riots, some condemning the participants, and others praising the men and women for standing up against the police. On the one year anniversary of the riots, the first gay pride march happened in various cities across the country.

Women Of The West: Prostitutes And Madams, Emma R. Marek

Young Historians Conference

During the late 1800s, the institution of prostitution flourished unlike ever before as America fulfilled its “Manifest Destiny.” Amidst predominantly male industries, women found prostitution a unique opportunity to survive in the developing and wild western society. The topic of this paper addresses these women, this under celebrated group, and their contribution to the development of the American West. This paper will argue that during the 19^th century, prostitutes and madams contributed immensely to the economic, social, and legal developments of the Western Frontier. Brothels became integral for the economic discourse of businessmen. Their dually criminal and civil position …

The History Of British Art And The Burkean Sublime, Natalie Ware

Young Historians Conference

A Philosophical Enquiry into the Beautiful and the Sublime by British philosopher Edmund Burke, published in 1757, proposed a concrete definition of the aesthetics concept of the sublime. This definition solidified the place of the sublime in the minds of British artists and philosophers from the Baroque period onward into the current contemporary art culture. The sublime has periodically been embraced, redefined, or even claimed as fatal to art itself. As British artists have struggled to grapple with the sublime throughout the centuries, the works that they’ve created out of this discourse have become emblems of the sublime controversy and …

The Influence Of Spanish Mines On Roman Victory In The Second Punic War, Fisher W. Ng

Young Historians Conference

The idea that one factor can win a war seems preposterous, yet Rome’s acquisition of the Spanish mines turned the tides of the Second Punic War in their favor. While most scholars agree Rome’s conquest of the Spanish mines was a step in defeating Carthage, there is no consensus that the mines directly influenced the war. The accounts of ancient Roman historians Titus Livius and Pliny the Elder, as well as Greek historian Diodorus, attest to the unparalleled amount of precious metals the Spanish mines produced--treasure capable of stimulating Roman economy. Modern scholarship agrees controlling precious metals sources allowed Rome …

Visions Of Indecency: The Intersection Between The Church And Prostitution In Augsburg, Rome, And Southwark From The Twelfth To Seventeenth Century Ce, Samantha Leahy

Young Historians Conference

The following research paper endeavors to present and enhance knowledge on the relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and prostitution across Italy, England, and Germany from the 12th to the 17th century CE. The paper traces the Church’s opinion of reluctant tolerance prostitution to openly condemning it and argues that this ecclesiastical shift can be traced to various syphilitic breakouts that occurred in association with the Columbian Exchange and the growing popularity of Prostitute Reform Houses. The paper argues that these aspects of European history, in conjunction with the increased influence of Protestant Reformers in the 16th century, expedited the …

Feminism During The Russian Revolution: A Failure On Multiple Fronts, Helen R. Rossmiller

Young Historians Conference

Although not always acknowledged for their contributions, women were not only a significant force in the Russian Revolution, they were the impetus behind it. Following the revolution however, feminist ideals were neglected by the new Soviet government and whatever feminist policies or ideals existed were reduced to mere illusion. Female liberation was a central goal for most female revolutionaries; yet, they were unable to accomplish it in a lasting and universal way. Nevertheless, an understanding of the Russian revolution without an acknowledgment of the influence of both aristocratic and working-class women who joined the Revolution would be incomplete. Women such …

Truth, Fiction, And Image: Napoleon Bonaparte And The Changing Tides Of Political Imagination, Isabel K. Williams

Young Historians Conference

Despite nearly two centuries having passed since his death, Napoleon Bonaparte still looms large in western political imagery. Napoleon utilized state sponsored art and propagandists like Jacques-Louis David, Antoine-Jean Gros, and Jean Auguste-Dominique Ingres to enhance his public image and promote him as a calm and talented military leader, a dedicated public servant, and even a saint. However, after his defeat at Waterloo, his exile, and death, Bonaparte’s artistic representation shifted to one of a dejected, almost tragic ruler. This shift to a negative and reflective portrayal of the Emperor can be most clearly seen in the works of Paul …

The Saint Of Orléans: Her Legacy, Riona K. O'Donnell

Young Historians Conference

Often referred to as Joan of Arc in the anglophone tradition, Jeanne d’Arc – the saint who fought to liberate France during the Hundred-Years War, the convicted heretic who was burned at the stake – never existed outside of history books. These images only superficially resemble the historical figure of Jeanne. Still, Jeanne’s image as an ancient warrior hero, an example of Divine will, or a symbol of French nationalism permeates today’s culture across the western world. How did this historical dynamism manifest in a young woman who was in the public eye for a short two years? This paper …

Impure Blood: The Menstrual Taboo In The Christian Church During The Thirteenth Century, Madeleine F. Ott

Young Historians Conference

The Curse of Eve—or the menstrual process—was a topic widely stigmatized and perpetuated in the thirteenth century. With the publication and translation of classic Greek and Roman texts, the misconceptions and stereotypes were influenced by not only the publications of historical texts, but also the authoritarian rule of the Roman Catholic Church. The social position of European women in the thirteenth century dictated that women were physically and emotionally handicapped by the menstrual cycle. The discrimination against women in the medieval church was largely dictated by the perception of female menstrual blood compared to the “purity” and cleanliness of the …

The Pivotal Role That Race Plays In Medical Research: The Tuskegee Syphilis Study, Kristin X. Wong

Young Historians Conference

This research attempts to answer the question, "To what extent was race or racial bias a factor in the conception and execution of the Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male?" The goal is to reevaluate the degree to which the Tuskegee Syphilis Study (TSS) was driven by the racial bias in the face of modern counter-narratives. This has been done by examining events such as the Oslo Study and the Rosenwald Demonstration Project, organizations such as the Public Health Service and Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, and primary and secondary sources including interviews, a collection of …

Galen: The Philosophical Physician, Chloe Sellers

Young Historians Conference

Analyzing the works of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, this paper reveals the specific influences each of the three had upon Galen’s medical practice, asserting that the influence of philosophy was ultimately responsible for distinguishing Galen from his contemporaries. Drawing from various primary sources, including Plato’s “The Apology,” Timaeus and The Republic, as well as Aristotle’s Physics, and comparing them to Galen’s works, “The Art of Medicine” and “A Method of Medicine to Glaucon,” numerous similarities are revealed between the works of Galen and those of the philosophical trio. By evaluating these many connections among the works, as well as using …

Aristotle's Politics And Slavery In Ancient Athens, Krystyna D. Klucznik

Young Historians Conference

The relationship between Aristotle’s theoretical discussion of slavery in Politics and the reality of slavery in ancient Athens is complex and multifaceted. In tandem with Politics, which was my main primary source, I also drew on multiple pieces of secondary scholarship on both Politics and slavery in Athens to compare the two presentations of slavery. Additionally, I drew on the works of Euripides and Solon. In particular, my paper focuses on the process of manumission, the lack of social mobility afforded to freed slaves, and how slaves were viewed generally. A comparison of these sources reveals that there are significant …

Marie De France's Courtly Love: The Liberation Of Women Through Romance, Tiffany K. Ong

Young Historians Conference

In the era of ladies and lords, French troubadours sang the tales of the late twelfth-century medieval court. One such poet, Marie de France, documented her stories in her work, Lais, a collection of adulterous romantic feats and failures of chivalrous knights. Within her writing, she incorporated aspects of the knight’s code of honor into the personalities of her characters. While the knightly code of honor is often perceived as an example of the restrictions placed on medieval women, Marie de France’s writing gives an example of women reconstructing their position in medieval life. This paper explores the tales of …

The Supreme And Fiery Force Of A Poor Little Form Of A Woman: The Development Of The Prophetic Voice Of Hildegard Of Bingen, Maeve Nagel-Frazel

Young Historians Conference

The first women granted Papal permission to teach and preach on theological matters, Hildegard of Bingen (AD 1098-1179) was a revered spiritual teacher who accumulated a sphere of influence far beyond most medieval women. However, Hildegard’s power derived from a paradox: the only way in which Hildegard was able to gain power was by deliberately diminishing herself as a paupercula femina forma (a poor little form of a woman). This paper explores the paradoxical cultivation of Hildegard's self-image, of a weak woman unwillingly receiving the word of God through debilitating visions, as a means to authenticate Hildegard's work and gain …

African Americans In Portland, A History Of Displacement And Exclusion, Brock Gjesdal

Young Historians Conference

Throughout the history of Portland, African Americans living within the city have been subject to discrimination and hardship by the hand of whites living among them, but not willing to live beside them. For this reason, whites enforced housing regulations to concentrate most of the African Americans living in Portland into the Northeast reaches of the city, more specifically the Albina District. However, as African American inequality in Portland gathered more and more recognition, the blunt racism embodied by the restrictive housing covenants that had been imposed upon African Americans for decades became less and less acceptable by the 1950s. …

The Rise Of Gay Culture And Why Portland Is Different, Lucas Y. Morimoto

Young Historians Conference

This paper serves as a short history of the gay movement in Portland, as well as the reasons why Portland’s movement was inherently dissimilar to the movements of other major cities. It begins by providing historical context on the movements of some of Americas biggest cities, focusing primarily on the 1969 events of the Stonewall Riots in New York, the election and assassination of Harvey Milk in San Francisco, and Seattle’s movement for the purpose of comparison. A brief history on homosexuality in Portland’s recent past follows, going on then to the influence of “Darcelle’s” for the growing gay movement …

The United States ‘Civil’ War: The Forgotten Nation Of Cherokee People And Their Dynamic Wartime Experience, Lauren E. Monkewicz

Young Historians Conference

This paper explores the Cherokee Nation’s experience in the American Civil War. It delves into the impact of the Civil War on the Cherokee Nation and vice versa. Beginning with Relocation and traditional customs and ending with Reconstruction, the paper investigates cultural, social, and political changes brought on by the war in the Cherokee Nation.

THEMES:

1. The paper beings by exploring the social and racial customs of the Cherokee Nation in order to add context to the narrative of the war. It similarly sets the stage for the damaged relationship between the Federal Government and the Cherokee Nation by investigating …

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An Examination Of American Isolationism Through Public Opinion, 1935-1939, Maggie S. Wu

Young Historians Conference

The 1930’s saw the widespread use of public opinion polling as a way to inform lawmakers and the general public alike of where the masses stood on issues. These polls, paired with newspapers and magazines from the time period, offer a rich glimpse into 1930’s United States. This paper will pull on this extensive pool of primary sources to illustrate the story of the United States’ shift from isolationism to interventionism in the era of Nazi Germany, appeasement, and World War II.

The Pawn Of Rome: The Roman Infantryman, Nanyi R. Yang

Young Historians Conference

Even to this day, the Roman army stands out as one of the most successful military forces in human history. The widespread success of the Roman Empire was in large part due to its armies, who were able to meet challenges with flexible and effective troops. These armies faced all kinds of attacks, from the swift hit-and-run attacks of the Germanic tribes to the crushing cavalry charges of the Parthian Empire. Rome’s military might, however, was unrelenting. This paper focuses on the Roman soldier and how he was trained to be adaptable to the variety of enemies and obstacles he …

To What Extent Does Aristophanes’ Knights Reflect Greek Opinion Of Cleon And The Peloponnesian War?, Samuel M. Hinerfeld

Young Historians Conference

This paper analyzes the similarities between the works of Greek Intellectuals like Thucydides and Plutarch, and Aristophanes’ representation of Cleon and the Peloponnesian War in his early comedy, Knights. Aristophanes satires of the Peloponnesian War were extremely popular among Athenian elite– despite this status, his early comedies failed to dissuade the Athenian Assembly from ushering the downfall of Greek power. While Aristophanes’ Knights was largely ineffective in swaying support for the conflict, it notably provides an accurate representation of the irrational nature of Athen’s demos under Cleon. Through this play, he portrays the Demos as dysfunctional and fickle–supporting policies in …

The Veiled Exploitation Of The Vestal Virgins, Lara Mclain

Young Historians Conference

This paper discusses the political dynamics of the Roman religious systems, specifically the Vestal Virgins. This work seeks to refute the commonly accepted understanding of the Vestal Virgins as an empowering, religious cult and build an understanding of the cult of Vesta as a political tool that was used by the Roman state to maintain power and traditional values. The location of the Temple of Vesta in the Forum, the political epicenter of the Roman Empire, serves as the foundation for this paper’s assertion that the Vestals were an essentially political tool. Livy’s description of Hannibal’s advance towards Rome and …

28th Annual Young Historians Conference, Portland State University History Department, Portland State University Challenge Program

Young Historians Conference

This is the 2018 Young Historians Conference schedule and abstracts.