History Commons^™

Preface, Emily Brann West

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

For only the second time, this year's Thetean has been solely produced by our staff It has proven to be an interesting and occasionally difficult journey, but we are satisfied with the outcome, and we hope you will be as well. We received over 70 submissions this year, a record-breaking number, and so we decided to indulge ourselves by including eight, rather than the customary five, papers in this edition. We found these papers to be interesting, thought-provoking, and enlightening; they cover a broad range of topics, and the authors worked diligently on them. We thank them for their efforts.

Front Matter

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

No abstract provided.

Full Issue

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

No abstract provided.

Guilty By Association: Race And Religion In George Romney's 1968 Presidential Campaign, Matthew K. Steen Iii

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

In 1966, Republican Governor George W. Romney of Michigan was considered by many in his party, and among Democrats, to be a front runner for the 1968 presidential election. By March 1968, however, Romney dropped out of the race due to a lack of popular support. Several factors contributed to his unsuccessful campaign. Foremost was his wavering position on U.S. involvement in Vietnam coupled with his general lack of knowledge of foreign affairs. To a lesser degree, Romney's membership in The Church ofJesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gave him a negative image in the press. Because the Church denied its …

Revolutionary Creations: Memory And Political Sentiment In Rural Zanzibar, Mark Troger

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

On the northeast coast of the tiny island of Zanzibar lies a small village called Matemwe. About six thousand inhabitants are scattered among palm trees in dwellings that stretch across five miles of coastline. There is no electricity in the village and the road leading to town was paved just a few years ago. No one is sure about the origins of the local people, but there are accounts carried down by elders who remember the stories told by their ancestors. One story tells of Africans who came from the mainland and settled in Matemwe, originally calling it Mumni. They …

The Rites Of Women: The Continuity Of Gender Roles In Roman Religion, Ariel E. Bybee

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

The second-centrury B.C. historian Aulus Gellius recounts the ceremony by which a girl was inducted into the cult of the Roman goddess Vesta in his Attic Nights. A maiden between six and ten years of age and of aristocratic birth was selected from among her peers by the drawing of lots. The chief pontiff took her by the hand and declared, "I take thee, Amata, as one who has fulfilled all the legal requirements, to be priestess of Vesta, to perform the rites which it is lawful for a Vestal to perform for the Roman people, the Quirites." She was …

Participants' Observations Of American Intervention In Siberia, 1918-1920, Daniel R. Smith

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

By early 1918, the United States was deeply involved in the international politics of Europe's Great War. As the country's attention turned to Europe, Charles Love Flake left his pregnant wife in Arizona to go to Fort McDowell in California for military training. On May 13, he wrote to his wife about the difficulties of boot camp, "If it takes this grind to stop the Huns, I'm the boy that can do it cheerfully."1 On 22 June 1919, Charles Love Flake died from wounds received in active duty. His death happened long after the November Armistice, when most fighting had …

"Are They Our Enemies?" Delta Interaction With The Japanese-American Internment Camp At Topaz, Heather Pabst

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

In the small town of Delta, in the barren desert valley of central Utah, a rare phenomenon occurred during World War II. For the first time, fresh seafood was available in chis land-locked town. The entrepreneurs were the Hoshiyama brothers, internees of the Japanese-American internment camp located just sixteen miles outside of Delca. The wartime internment brought more than just fresh fish co Delea. le provided an economic boom, a new rival for high school sports, a venue for incerculcural exchange, and much more. Sadly, it also unearthed some of the intolerance of the town. In many aspects, the reaction …

Reclaiming A Rich Heritage: "Because They Don't Make Wood Like They Used To!", Mary Alice Cannon

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

Railroad fans, history enthusiasts, or those who just like old things, sit back and relax! One no longer needs to search for musty old buildings to feel a part of the past. It is now possible to enjoy one's heritage while sitting in the comfort of one's home. In fact, one's own home might be made out of history. Such is the case in hundreds of homes and buildings throughout the United States that have been built from the millions of board feet of salvaged wood coming from a large part of railroad and United States history-the Lucin Cutoff trestle. …

Preface, Joni Poppitz Stimpson

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

A few years ago, at the beginning of my career as a history major, I first noticed The Thetean. While passing through the department lounge its cover caught my eye-its contents then surprised me even more. I still remember my amazement that a journal existed to publish the work of history students. I picked up a copy, took it home to read, and from chat moment on I have been hooked.

Front Matter

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

No abstract provided.

Full Issue

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

No abstract provided.

American Censorship And The Cartoon During World War Ii, D. Mark Davis

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

WORLD WAR II was indeed a war of global proportions. It involved fifty-six countries, saw armed conflict on every continent except Antarctica, caused over three billion dollars in physical damage, and cost the lives of over fifty-five million people. However, in spite of the tremendous size and costs of World War II, this era is often remembered in America as a time when men felt honor in fighting and dying for their liberty, women went to work in a patriotic effort to support their nation, and freedom, liberty, and democracy overcame the evil and oppressive forces of fascism. Ironically, during …

The Mutation Of The Model Man: 1936-1945, Andrea Rassmussen

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

Masculinity, or the ideal male model, differed significantly in the war years from the late 1930s. This evolution can be seen through articles in Coronet, in which the majority of stories had male heroes whose physical characteristics, personalities, and social graces all changed as the war started and progressed. The ideal man shifted from the Successful Businessman of the 30s to the Individualistic Team Player of the 40s. I chose these names because they encapsulate the contradiction that made up the model man of the war years. No more was the ideal a cutthroat businessman concerned with nothing except succeeding, …

"To Disenfranchise Them Is To Stab Us": Wells's 1879 Visit To Washington And The Nwsa's Support Of Utah Suffrage, Marci Haskell

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

In 1879 Emmeline B. Wells stood before the National Woman's Suffrage Association (NWSA) and stated that "the right of franchise held by the women of her Territory should not be wrested from them." Wells, a polygamist wife, spoke at the NWSA conference in Washington, D.C., during a time of intense antipolygamy sentiment in America. Polygamy in Utah was viewed by many-including national suffragists-as an evil that degraded women. Paradoxically, national suffragists of the NWSA, who sought to further women's rights, supported a polygamist wife and the cause of woman suffrage in Utah.

Crimea And The Civil War: The Medical Connection Between Great Britain And The Union Army, Adam Green

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

One decade before the Civil War began, a modest and relatively obscure war was fought halfway around the world. The Crimean War was an eye-opener for the British as a whole. The inadequate supplies, wretched living conditions, and poor sanitation that the British army suffered resulted in tremendous losses during the war. The reports of these circumstances launched one of the most profound and widespread medical reform campaigns that the British army had experienced up to that point. The instigation of proper sanitary care, the introduction of Florence Nightingale onto the international stage, and the revamping of the British medical …

Creating St. Dominic: A Demonstrative Case Of High Medieval Canonization Procedure, John D. Young

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

Saints constituted an important part of medieval religion-both in the central, clerical church organization and in the popular religious elements of society. Medieval Christians, both lay and clerical, looked to saints as divine mediators between God and man by virtue of the deeds they had accomplished during their mortal lives (or that their remains had accomplished post mortem). To be labeled a saint and to be considered worthy of such adoration, one had to be shown to have fulfilled certain requirements, which varied from period to period and from place to place. During the High Middle Ages, this saint-making process …

Preface, Scott Ashton

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

Last year Phi Alpha Theta, the national honor society for history students, awarded the Best Chapter Award in our division to the Beta Iota Chapter at Brigham Young University. Such a distinction is a tribute to the active participation of the chapter's members and to the quality of students and professors in the History Department at BYU. The Thetean, the official journal of the Beta Iota Chapter, showcases the scholarly research of some of these students.

Front Matter

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

No abstract provided.

Full Issue

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

No abstract provided.

Early Russian-Chinese Relations, Dean William Bennett

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

In February. 1654, Tsar Aleksei Mikhailovich Romanov dispatched a friendly, if rather pompous, letter on its way across the vast steppes of Siberia and Mongolia to the emperor of China, Shun-chih. In this letter he lamented that the rulers of the two realms had never before established any official contact between themselves, and he expressed a fond hope that the tsar and the emperor might live thenceforth "in friendship, love, and communication." The prospects should have been alluring, promising trade and wealth for both states, and also frequent exchanges of embassies. But less than three years later, the leader of …

The Partisan Press Of Illinois: Motivation, Rhetoric, And Aggression In Hancock County Newspapers, 1839-1844, Elizabeth Prete Bryner

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

Much has been written about the pohtical origins of the Mormon conflicts in Nauvoo, Illinois, between 1839 and 1844, but relatively little scholarship has analyzed the role of the partisan press in that conflict. George Gayler and other historians claim that· Mormon political activity ... must be singled out as the chief source of irritation between [ the Mormons] and the Illinois citizens." However, Gayler limits his investigation of the press mostly to the anti-Mormon newspapers, the Nauvoo Expositor and the Warsaw Signal. Governor Thomas Fords History cf Illinois describes the sordid political battle between the Whigs and the …

Statistical Profile Of Southern States Missionaries, 1867-1898, Heather M. Seferovich

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

issionary activity has been a staple feature of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since its organization over 160 years ago. From its inception, Church members have felt themselves obligated and have been exhorted to proclaim the restored gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. As Joseph Smith recorded, "The voice of Warning shall be unto all people, by the mouths of my disciples," because· the field is white already to harvest." Between 1830 and 1995, Latter-day Saints have served approximately 668,000 missions, and the Church has invested an enormous amount of resources and energy in the …

Children On The Mormon Trail, Jill Jacobsen Andros

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

While reflecting on her experience crossing the plains in a Mormon handcart company at age nine, Agnes Caldwell, recalled:

"Although only tender years of age, I can yet close my eyes and see everything in panoramic precision before me-the ceaseless walking, walking, ever to remain in my memory. Many times I would become so tired and, childlike, would hang on the cart, only to be gently pushed away. Then I would throw myself by the side of the road and cry. Then realizing they were all passing me by, I would jump to my feet and make an extra run …

The Transformation Of Utah From A Colony Of Wall Street To A Colony Of Washington, Thomas G. Alexander

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

Ordinarily. American historians divide the years from 1929 through 1945 into two periods. The time from 1929 to about 1939 they generally label· The Great Depression." In most cases, the chapter on the depression tells the story of American domestic affairs during the 1930s with a slight bow to the severity of worldwide economic conditions. In the next chapter, covering the years 1939 to 1945, historians discuss World War II; to do chis, however, they have to return to the 1920s to deal with the foreign affurs they neglected in the previous chapter. In discussing World War II, historians say …

The Russel B. Swensen Lecture

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

After graduating from Brigham Young University in 1926, Russel B. Swensen (1902-1987) taught seminary in Mesa, Arizona, and later in Kamas and Hurricane, Utah. In 1930, Joseph F Merrill. then LDS Church commissioner of education, invited Swensen, along with two others, co attend the University of Chicago Divinity School. There, he received an MA and Ph.D. in New Testament Studies.

Preface, Christopher Oscarson

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

Every year, the reading staff of The Thetean has the formidable task of selecting just four or five interesting, well-written, insightful essays that appropriately illustrate the finest work done by history students at Brigham Young University. This year, perhaps because of the statewide Centennial statehood celebration, we received what seemed to be an unusually large number of papers dealing with Utah history in addition to the regularly large number of Mormon history papers. Our first impulse was to shy away from some of these essays simply co force diversity into the pages of The Thetean, but we ultimately felt char …

Front Matter

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

No abstract provided.

Full Issue

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

No abstract provided.

The Religious Significance Of Bees And Beehives In Egyptian, Israelite, And Latter-Day Saint Traditions, Anita Cramer

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

The bee and beehive have been pervasive symbols in many ancient societies and religions. This iconography continues in the modern world, as Latter-day Saint beehives clearly testify. From Brigham Young University letterhead, to Utah highway signs, to the Salt Lake Temple doors, the state of Deseret continues to flaunt its mascot Yet few realize the profound symbolism, such as royalty and rebirth, associated with the bee. Examining the ancient Egyptian and Israelite usage of bees in a religious context, therefore, is intriguing, and provides insight into why Latter-day Saint pioneers chose to identify with the beehive and its inhabitants. Pharaonic …