American Studies Commons^™

Pirates And An Acadian Huguenot, Elizabeth Starkey

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

A discussion of a piracy trial in 1726 Boston and an Acadian merchant.

The Imagined Histories And Futures Of The Past: Wwi And The Cultural Imagination, Kelly Aliano

Far West Popular Culture Association Annual Conference

In this paper, I look at various modes of imagining the futures incarnated by the First World War, beginning with artists and writers, like Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Erich Maria Remarque, who experienced and depicted the war from a firsthand point of view. From here, I expand that framework to include J.R.R. Tolkien, whose masterpiece Lord of the Rings may owe no small debt to his wartime experiences. I consider the Doctor Who episodes, “Human Nature” and “Family of Blood,” as contemporary attempts to reinsert WWI into the cultural consciousness. Finally, I look at the two versions of War Horse …

“Madam” Elizabeth: Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley’S Sisyphean Attempt To Join The “Cult Of True Womanhood”, Bella Biancone

Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium

Nineteenth century notions of femininity and etiquette were governed by strict societal standards. “True Womanhood” was defined by four fundamental virtues– piety, purity, submissiveness, and domesticity. However, there was another pre-requisite for joining this revered cult¬: whiteness. No matter how pious or domestic a woman of color was, she could never hope to be considered a proper lady by Victorian standards. In discerning what it meant to be a member of that “cult of True Womanhood,” Black women were used to determine the boundaries of white womanhood; a “True Woman” was to be the antithesis of the stereotypical sexual and …

2022 Mlk Keynote Address: Eddie Glaude Jr. Presentation, Center For Social Equity & Inclusion, Eddie Glaude Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Series

One of the nation’s most prominent scholars, Eddie Glaude, Jr. is an author, political commentator, public intellectual and passionate educator who examines the complex dynamics of the American experience. His writings, including his most recent—the New York Times bestseller Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for our Own—take a wide look at Black communities, the difficulties of race in the United States and the challenges we face as a democracy.

In his writing and speaking, Glaude is an American critic in the tradition of James Baldwin and Ralph Waldo Emerson, confronting history and bringing our nation’s …

2022 Mlk Keynote Address: Eddie Glaude Jr. Pre-Event Presentation, Center For Social Equity & Inclusion, Eddie Glaude Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Series

One of the nation’s most prominent scholars, Eddie Glaude, Jr. is an author, political commentator, public intellectual and passionate educator who examines the complex dynamics of the American experience. His writings, including his most recent—the New York Times bestseller Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for our Own—take a wide look at Black communities, the difficulties of race in the United States and the challenges we face as a democracy.

In his writing and speaking, Glaude is an American critic in the tradition of James Baldwin and Ralph Waldo Emerson, confronting history and bringing our nation’s …

Researching The Occupations And Lives Of Women In 19th Century Baltimore, Michaela N. Yarmol-Matusiak

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

This blog post focuses on the process and output of the 3 research projects I completed this summer; 2 of which focused on compiling historical data on the occupations and lives of women in 19th century Baltimore. In the document, I walk through the multi-faceted process of sorting an 1858 scanned archival document into an organized Excel spreadsheet that solely represents women. As well, I describe the process of using, compiling, and presenting historic American census data from the 1800s from the Social Explorer Database. In both of these cases, I show how the forces of race, class, and gender …

The “Age Of Rock” Versus The “Rock Of Ages”: Naturalism, Social Darwinism, And Fundamentalism In The Scopes Monkey Trial, Bessie Blackburn

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

Greek mythology once predominated the highest forms of culture known to man. Myths of how fire came to be in the hands of humans, or how the peacock got its spotted feathers were beloved cultural tales of origins.[1] With the decline of the ancient cultures, new ones blossomed in their place. However, the question of origin has remained a pertinent, central question of each culture, no matter how modern. The question of origin dictates who a person believes himself to be, where he believes himself to be going, and what he believes himself to be doing. The question of …

Interracial Relations: History And Cultural Identity In The Invention Of Wings, Taylor Hopkins

Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium

The historical fiction novel The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd displays a notable relationship between feminist and racial ideals during the nineteenth century. The story is based on the historical figure, Sarah Grimké, an American abolitionist and advocate for women’s rights. Over the course of thirty-five years, the narration alternates between the two main characters: Sarah Grimké and Hetty Handful Grimké, a young slave on the Grimké plantation. The interactions between the two begin when Hetty is presented to Sarah as a personal waiting maid for Sarah’s eleventh birthday. As the story continues, the dynamics between the two …

Over The Edge: Suburban Planned Communities, The Second Frontier, And The Rise Of 80s High School Films, Daniel Mcclure

Far West Popular Culture Association Annual Conference

While many 1980s youth-oriented films often sold various images of consumption, Over the Edge was one of the early prototypes of the genre, offering a more sober—a more 70s—outlook on youth attempting to find meaning and identity in a corporate-driven, materialistic space called American suburbia. Both a setting for paradise as well as an existential hell for the youth growing up amidst it, the film mobilizes the West and its frontier-like majesty haunting the characters’ space in the planned development of New Granada—a place where families are safe and entrepreneurs can thrive. Specters of the West haunt the film—from the …

The Columbus Monument: A Hermeneutical Analysis, Basil Ugorji

Peace and Conflict Studies Journal Conference

Christopher Columbus, a historically revered European hero to whom the dominant European narrative attributes the discovery of America, but whose image and legacy symbolize silenced genocide of the Indigenous Peoples of America and the Caribbean, has become a controversial figure. This paper explores the symbolic representation of the statue of Christopher Columbus for both sides of the conflict – the Italian Americans who erected it at the Columbus Circle in New York City and in other places on the one hand, and the Indigenous Peoples of America and the Caribbean whose ancestors were slaughtered by the European invaders, on the …

African American Women In The Domestic Service Industry During Reconstruction. An Intersectional Analysis, Kathryn Small

MAD-RUSH Undergraduate Research Conference

African American Women in the Domestic Service Industry during Reconstruction. An Intersectional Analysis.

My paper focuses on the experiences of African American women, within the workplace, during Reconstruction. Whilst the Civil War resulted in the emancipation of the African American population, the day-to-day attainment of freedom posed a very different reality, most notably in respect of limited opportunities for economic advancement. All working women of this time were subjected to discrimination. However, black women were especially discriminated against due to their race. Most markedly, this can be seen in the fact that work opportunities available to black women were restricted …

Red Hill Cemetery Project: Creating A Cultural Heritage Database, Franciso Mendoz, Laura Bullard, Andrew Pemberton, David Sheffler

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

This age of booming technological advancement has brought a breadth of new opportunities for understanding and documenting history, from digital mapping to database-building capabilities unrivaled in past historical efforts, opportunities which the research team behind the Red Hill Cemetery Project are utilizing in the effort to develop a virtual cemetery. The research team, in cooperation with the Okefenokee Heritage Center and the community of Waycross, seek to develop a scholarly understanding, grounded in consideration of the community and its history, of the oldest African-American cemetery in Waycross, Georgia. The physical cemetery, now overgrown and suffering from decades-long neglect and vandalism, …

World War I And The People Of The Purchase, Caroline Mikez, David Pizzo

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Title: World War I and The People of the Purchase

Author: Cari Mikez

Faculty Mentor: Dr. David Pizzo

Department: Murray State History Department

ABSTRACT

The extensive impacts of World War I pervaded society on a global scale during the early twentieth century. The United States officially joined the international conflict in April of 1917 by aligning with the Triple Entente composed of Britain, France and Russia in the fight against the central European powers of Germany, Austro-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire. In a similar fashion as the other warring nations, the American war effort depended on the development of a …

From Swing King To Swing Kids: The Jazz Era Of ‘Big Band Orchestras’ In World War Ii, Katie Victoria Burnopp

Student Scholar Showcase

Known as the ‘King of Swing’, clarinetist and band leader Benny Goodman (1909-1986) threatened the Nazi cause during WWII. With intent of improving music pedagogy, the purpose of this research was to investigate swing music during World War II. The particular problems of this study were to: (1) identify how the swing music of Benny Goodman (1909-1986) influenced adolescents in the United States of America, United Kingdom, and Germany; (2) explore the Nazi party view on ‘swing’ music of the era; (3) examine how the music of Charlie and his Orchestra became used as a tool for Nazi propaganda; and …

Haiti: Black Leadership, Art, And Life, Danielle Legros Georges, Helen Jospeh, Anaëlle Séïde, Rocky Cotard, Mosheh Tucker

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

Join Lesley students and faculty in a discussion of the leading role Haiti has played in struggles against slavery and colonialism in the Americas and globally; its historic and consistent rejections of white supremacist values and dangerous stereotypes in the contemporary moment; and the lived experiences of Haitians working as artists, therapists, learners, teachers, here at Lesley who draw on pioneering Haitian models of epistemology and ontology—on Haitian sources of strength, community, resilience, and vision. Images will also be projected.

Alien Lands, Carissa Mosley

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Alien Lands has been an academic year-long study and cross-media art endeavor, researching the history of palm trees in Los Angeles and documenting their current presence. I photographed and made videos of the palm trees in Los Angeles and ended the project with a ceremonial installation/performance, grieving the colonial history and unsustainability of palm trees by ironically commemorating them. This body of work is meant to provoke discussion of palm trees' iconicization, their ubiquitous invisibility in our environment, their colonial history, and their likely nonexistent future.

Connections Between The Niagara Movement, The N.A.A.C.P., And Alonzo Herndon’S Atlanta Life Insurance Company For The Purpose Of The Long Civil Rights Movement, Andrea Desantis

Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Typology And Analysis Of Ceramic Vessels And Pottery Shards Found At The Long Swamp Site: Lamar And Mary Folwer Holcomb Collection, Maxwell Mackenzie

Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Standing Up For Standing Rock: Environmental Racism In Modern America, Lizzy Lebleu

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

In this essay, I explore the implications of environmental racism among our national and global neighbors.

Content Matters--Teaching "The Case For Reparations," 9-12, Tamara Jaffe-Notier, Carol Friedman

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

We offer specific materials and plans for teaching the structure and content of Ta-Nehisi Coates' persuasive essay, "The Case for Reparations," and building trustworthy relationships with and among students. By participating in this interactive session, you will practice teaching five specific high school appropriate lessons addressing requisite knowledge and skills for studying this essay, from real estate redlining to building academic vocabulary for rhetorical analysis.

Session B-4: Why Study War? The Importance Of Teaching Military History, Justin Riskus

Professional Learning Day

This session will provide educators with the means and methods of incorporating American military history into the classroom, and how its study fosters critical thinking skills. A global perspective of American military power {Civil War, Cold War, War on Terror), and ideas on how to teach such perspectives, will be explored.

The Life Of The Factory? Or The Life Of The Farm? That Is The Question., Adam C. Mcelwain, Bethany Lutwin

Migration in Global Context Symposium

Abstract: The focus of this lesson on Global Migration is the emotion behind young women’s decision to leave for the city and work in the factory, or stay in their hometown. Both have an opportunity cost for a life that may be better. The essential question is “Is it better to be a factory girl who has emigrated to the city or a country girl living and working on a farm?” Students will examine the motivation behind leaving the country for a factory job in the city or staying behind and working in a rural setting like a farm. They …

Session C-4: Mary Lincoln’S Journey, Mary Kerr

Professional Learning Day

Lincoln's Journey will detail in an interesting and objective manner the pivotal points in her life: early feelings about slavery, the decision to leave Lexington and settle in Springfield, IL, being a single mother while her husband was "riding the circuit", her continued support of Lincoln as a national politician, restoration of the White House, and her inability to make positive decisions after Lincoln's assassination. In the end she was able to live on a budget and died with dignity. The presentation follows the book Mary Lincoln's Journey by Kerr and Kerr in which primary sources are emphasized.

You Throw Like A Girl, Alison Dees

Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.

The Aftermath Of The Temple Bombing: A Catalyst For Social Change During The Civil Rights Movement In The Deep South, Alaina D'Anzi, Sara Maxi Howel

Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Session A-1: Interpreting Cold War Origins: Past, Present, Future, Lee Eysturlid

Professional Learning Day

This session will enable attendees to teach the origins of the Cold War for the United States (and world) along with the evolution of American opinion on the topic. This fragmentation of historical opinion (left, right, center) will help attendees see the many possibilities of the topic. Teachers will leave ready to teach the topic.

Salvaging Print: Letterhead In Post-Industrial Urban America, Nancy Sharon Collins

The Mid-America Print Council Conference

This panel will explore the link between today’s small press movement and the formal aspects of commercial printing during the American 20th century. Panelists include Christine Medley , Philip Gattuso, and Nancy Bernardo.

Using as its primary example letterhead from defunct companies in Detroit, and secondarily, specimens of business and legal letterhead from other urban centers of the industrial United States, this panel will examine and discuss: What did letterhead represent to 20th century printers in local markets such as Detroit? What is the significance of printed letterhead, and stationery, to the art of small press printing in post-industrial cities …

From Pants To Pearls: Rodgers And Hammerstein’S Affect On Post Wwii Women, Alison Dees

Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Bennington Opera House: Early 20th Century Entertainment In Rural Vermont, Karyn Norwood

UVM Libraries Conference Day

There's a lot you can do with the rich content that historic newspapers provide! Karyn Norwood, Vermont Digital Newspaper Project/VTDNP Digital Support Specialist, presented a research project on the Bennington (Vt) Opera House, using Chronicling America to find interesting newspaper advertisements and articles that illustrated the transitions in the entertainment industry in rural Vermont in the early 20th century.

Session A-3: Across The Wide Missouri: Illinois & Early Exploration Of The Trans-Mississippi West, Claiborne A. Skinner Jr.

Professional Learning Day

Illinois History is often perceived as a contradiction in terms. Until the arrival of Abraham Lincoln, most folks think that nothing of any note happened here. This presentation will address the French traders and explorers from the Illinois Country who pushed west up the Missouri and Arkansas Rivers in the century preceding Lewis and Clark's more famous jaunt. The two knew of these French travelers only too well and recruited a half dozen Illinois French at Fort Massac and Kaskaskia to show them how to get to the "unknown". The effect these men had on the Plains was profound.