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Articles 1 - 30 of 99
Full-Text Articles in History
Who Tells Your Story? Microhistory And Historical Biography, Stellarose B. Emery
Who Tells Your Story? Microhistory And Historical Biography, Stellarose B. Emery
Student Publications
The historical method of microhistory is a small discipline that is often disputed on whether autobiography and biography are forms of microhistory; using the life of Father Richard T. McSorley as a reference, this paper seeks to address how both forms of narrative are microhistories and how they influence legacy.
The American Soldier: The Contested Existence Of The Continental Army, Alexander M. Remington
The American Soldier: The Contested Existence Of The Continental Army, Alexander M. Remington
Student Publications
In the modern United States, the military is respected and honored by the public and military leaders alike. However, during the American Revolution, society was not yet convinced that having a standing army was necessary or beneficial to the Republic. The Continental Army was heavily contested during the war and conflicted with the civilians and its commanders alike. This paper follows the trend of other social histories by investigating just how these conflicts played out and how the common soldier navigated them.
"The Bottom Would Drop Out Of Everything": A Brief History Of The Battle For Blair Mountain, Brandon Neely
"The Bottom Would Drop Out Of Everything": A Brief History Of The Battle For Blair Mountain, Brandon Neely
Student Publications
In the summer of 1921, thousands of Appalachian miners took up arms and marched in southwest West Virginia. Fighting back against attacks on miners' unions like the United Mine Workers of America, the conflict quickly turned violent. The Battle for Blair Mountain, as it came to be known, was one of the largest labor strikes in American history and impacted the history of the Coal Wars and the United States for decades to come. This analysis uses interviews with people who experienced the battle as well as the speeches of labor leaders Samuel Gompers and John Lewis to discuss the …
Redefining Gender Roles In Higher Education: Women At Gettysburg College During World War Ii, Addison E. Lomax
Redefining Gender Roles In Higher Education: Women At Gettysburg College During World War Ii, Addison E. Lomax
Student Publications
Throughout the early 20th century, the role of American women began to change. The U.S. entrance into World War II and resulting draft provided women at institutions of higher education the opportunity to develop their place on college campuses. Through analyzing yearbooks, student publications, and personal testimonies, the case of Gettysburg College provides a lens to better understand the changing dynamics on college campuses during the war years. Although men remained on the campus of Gettysburg College during the war years, the changing dynamics of the College, both academically and socially, allowed women the opportunity to increase not only their …
Covert Imperialism: The Eisenhower Administration And Cuba, Patrick R. Sullivan
Covert Imperialism: The Eisenhower Administration And Cuba, Patrick R. Sullivan
Student Publications
This paper tracks the Eisenhower Administration’s shifting policy towards Cuba and its use of covert imperialism to obtain its objectives. The policy considerations of the United States centered around a convenience for American interests. The support for the Batista regime, despite its oppression, exacerbated anti-American sentiments in the Cuban Revolution and put it on a collision course with American interests. As engagement failed, Cuba nationalized, and tensions escalated, the Eisenhower Administration initiated a campaign of covert imperialism that sought a government more in line with its interests. The covert operations implemented included economic and political sabotage, assassination attempts, and the …
Eisenhower And The Interstate, Brian H. Berry
Eisenhower And The Interstate, Brian H. Berry
Student Publications
By passing the Federal Highway Act of 1956, 34th U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower would go down in history as the father of the American Interstate Highway System. It was Ike’s determination to execute his ‘Grand Plan’ for a modernized road network that initiated the monumental effort to produce the roads we as Americans use every day. However, today’s highway network is a far cry from what Ike had in mind when he first envisioned the plan. Congressional dissent and special interests did much to undermine the success of Ike’s ‘Grand Plan,’ forcing him to compromise significantly on the issue. …
For Just Business, It’S Pretty Personal: The Impact Of Money On The Early Republic’S Economically Elite Families, Abigail L. Adam
For Just Business, It’S Pretty Personal: The Impact Of Money On The Early Republic’S Economically Elite Families, Abigail L. Adam
Student Publications
This essay examines the Adam Family Papers as a case study representing the Early American Republic’s economic elite. It argues that individual business practices affected the relationships between relatives—sometimes positively, other times negatively. The first section concerns other historians’ work on the family and on the Salisbury Iron District. The second section discusses women’s roles within their male relatives’ businesses. The third section relates to gift exchanges, while the fourth concerns business transactions between family members. The fifth section regards the economic hierarchy that emerged within the Forbes & Adam family. Letters concerning Samuel Forbes, John Adam Jr., Abigail Adam, …
Evaluation Of The Federal Writers' Project, Brenna M. Hadley
Evaluation Of The Federal Writers' Project, Brenna M. Hadley
Student Publications
This essay examines an interview with a former slave, Sarah Graves. The interview is a product of the Federal Writers' Project, a government funded program created during the Great Depression. I address the possible problems that arise when working with this type of memory source (an interview), and how to work around them. This essay also ponders the reasoning why certain bits of information were included in the interview, and why others were excluded.
The Sarah Gudger Interview: An Analysis, Mckenna C. White
The Sarah Gudger Interview: An Analysis, Mckenna C. White
Student Publications
During the Great Depression, a New Deal project intended to create jobs was the Federal Writer's Project. One aspect of this project, the Slave Narrative Project, involved the interviews of over 2,000 former slaves and culminated in a federal collection of information on the lives of enslaved people. This paper focuses on the interview of Sarah Gudger, a 121 year-old former slave from North Carolina. It includes an overview of the content included and excluded from the interview in addition to an analysis of the interview including factors that may have positively or negatively impacted the interview's content, as well …
No Tolerance For Cowards Or “Yankees:” The Letters Of Reuben Allen Pierson, A Confederate Officer, Erica L. Uszak
No Tolerance For Cowards Or “Yankees:” The Letters Of Reuben Allen Pierson, A Confederate Officer, Erica L. Uszak
Student Publications
Confederate officer Reuben Allen Pierson was a single well-to-do Louisiana slaveholder. He enlisted early in the Ninth Louisiana Infantry, insisting that he joined the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia to defend his freedom, family, and new country. He turned his back on the United States, convinced that his Northern counterparts were subhuman and dishonorable. This paper argues that Reuben Allen Pierson remained steadfast in his convictions about Southern duty and honor, arguing in the Confederacy’s favor even in bleak times. The writer will examine why he clung desperately to the Confederacy and how he was influenced by ideas of honor, …
Dr. Seuss And Uncle Sam, Ziv R. Carmi
Dr. Seuss And Uncle Sam, Ziv R. Carmi
Student Publications
This is an examination of the WWII era political cartoons of Theodor Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss), which covered a variety of topics ranging from isolationism to anti-Axis propaganda to racism and bigotry at home. The project further investigates the attitudes of German-Americans towards Hitler, using Geisel's very vocal hatred of the Nazi leader to compare his sentiments with many of his contemporary peers.
The Contradictions Of Freedom: Depictions Of Freedwomen In Illustrated Newspapers, 1865-1867, Carolyn Hauk
The Contradictions Of Freedom: Depictions Of Freedwomen In Illustrated Newspapers, 1865-1867, Carolyn Hauk
Student Publications
Between 1865 and 1867, artists working for Northern illustrated newspapers travelled throughout the South to document its transition from slavery to a wage labor society. Perceiving themselves as the rightful reporters of Southern Reconstruction, these illustrators observed communities of newly freed African American men and women defining their vision of freedom. Northern artists often viewed the lives of African Americans through the cultural lens of free labor ideology in their efforts to provide documentary coverage of the South as objective observers. This paper will examine how illustrations of Harper’s Weekly and Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper reveal the contradictions between free …
Girl Talk: How Friendships Between Moravian And Native Women Sustained The Moravian Mission At Shamokin Pennsylvania, 1742–1749, Lindsay R. Richwine
Girl Talk: How Friendships Between Moravian And Native Women Sustained The Moravian Mission At Shamokin Pennsylvania, 1742–1749, Lindsay R. Richwine
Student Publications
From 1742 to 1755, Moravian missionaries attempted to establish a mission at the Indian town of Shamokin. While the Moravians failed to convert any native peoples, they succeeded where other missionaries failed by maintaining a continued presence. By using evidence from sources such as the Shamokin mission diary, this project asserts that it was the friendships forged between Native and Moravian women in the early years of the mission that integrated the Moravians into the community at Shamokin. Through an examination of the lives of the women present at Shamokin in this period, this project situates itself within existing research …
Close, But No Cigar: Tobacco Usage During The Civil War Era, Benjamin M. Roy
Close, But No Cigar: Tobacco Usage During The Civil War Era, Benjamin M. Roy
Student Publications
Tobacco carried a range of gendered, social, regional, and racial meanings in America during the nineteenth century, and these disparate meanings were symbolized through different forms of consumption. The cultural meaning inherent within chewing tobacco, cigars, pipes, and cigarettes, are the object of this research. I will examine the class associations linked to chewing tobacco, the manly identities symbolized through cigars and pipes, and explore cultural movement and racial meaning through the cigarette. Through tobacco, I will explain how nineteenth century Americans comprehended addiction, and establish the organic agency of consumable commodities to influence the consciousness of their users.
Military Occupation, Sexual Violence, And The Struggle Over Masculinity In The Early Reconstruction South, Cameron T. Sauers
Military Occupation, Sexual Violence, And The Struggle Over Masculinity In The Early Reconstruction South, Cameron T. Sauers
Student Publications
This inquiry centers on the way that sexual violence became the terrain upon which the struggles of the postemancipation and early Reconstruction South were waged. At the start of the Civil War, Confederate discourse played upon the fears of sexual violence engulfing the South with the invasion of Union armies. The nightmare never came to Southern households; rape was infrequently reported. However, Southern women, especially if they were African American, were subjected to sexual violence, which likely increased as the war dragged on. Sexual violence includes, but is not limited to, rape. Destruction of clothing, invasion of domestic spaces, and …
John B. Bachelder’S Artistic Vision For The Gettysburg Battlefield, Shannon R. Zeltmann
John B. Bachelder’S Artistic Vision For The Gettysburg Battlefield, Shannon R. Zeltmann
Student Publications
John Bachelder was an important artist and historian to Gettysburg, shaping the early interpretation of the battle during the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association period (1863-1895). While he is mainly discussed as the first park historian, it is important to look at his career as an artist and how it influenced his career at Gettysburg. Looking at Bachelder’s entire career, one can see how Bachelder’s vision for the battlefield changed over time. Bachelder wanted to create a grand history painting of the battle, which ultimately became his Isometric Map of Gettysburg. He corresponded with veterans to get their accounts, leading Bachelder …
"I Am Not A Prisoner Of War": Agency, Adaptability, And Fulfillment Of Expectations Among American Prisoners Of War Held In Nazi Germany, Jessica N. Greenman
"I Am Not A Prisoner Of War": Agency, Adaptability, And Fulfillment Of Expectations Among American Prisoners Of War Held In Nazi Germany, Jessica N. Greenman
Student Publications
In war memory, the typical prisoner of war narrative is one of either passive survival or heroic resistance. However, captured service members did not necessarily lose their agency when they lost their freedom. This study of Americans held in Germany during the Second World War shows that prisoners generally grounded themselves in their personal and national identities, while compromising ideas of heroism, sometimes passing up opportunities for resistance in order to survive.
“Reds Driven Off”: The Us Media’S Propaganda During The Gulf Of Tonkin Incident, Steven M. Landry
“Reds Driven Off”: The Us Media’S Propaganda During The Gulf Of Tonkin Incident, Steven M. Landry
Student Publications
In 2008, the Annenburg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania conducted a poll to determine just how informed voters were following that year’s presidential election. One of the most shocking things they found was that 46.4% of those polled still believed that Saddam Hussein played a role in the terrorist attacks on the US on September 11th, 2001. No evidence had ever emerged linking him to it after 5 years of war in Iraq, but that did not matter, as “voters, once deceived, tend to stay that way despite all evidence.” Botched initial reporting can permanently entrench false …
Be Good: Hatred And Hope In The Letters Of Gerald Koster, Steven M. Landry
Be Good: Hatred And Hope In The Letters Of Gerald Koster, Steven M. Landry
Student Publications
To tell an informative story about someone’s life is difficult at the best of times. Gerald “Gerry” Koster’s correspondence during his last year of service in the US Navy towards the end of the Pacific War can thus only paint an incomplete portrait of who he was and what exactly the war meant to him. Nevertheless, there are things that his letters can teach readers, not only about Koster’s role and daily activities in the military, but about his personal character and how that manifested in his interactions with the defeated Japanese and his family. And perhaps, through his personal …
Illusions Of Grandeurs: Washingtonian Architecture As Seen By White And Black People Of The Early Nineteenth Century, Lillian D. Shea
Illusions Of Grandeurs: Washingtonian Architecture As Seen By White And Black People Of The Early Nineteenth Century, Lillian D. Shea
Student Publications
In the early nineteenth century, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson built a classically inspired capital designed to legitimize American republican ideals. White interpretations of the architecture gradually aligned more with the founders’ intentions, especially following its reconstruction after the 1814 conflagration. Enslaved and free black observers recognized their exclusion from the message of freedom and equality. Rather than finding their identity through federal buildings, they established their communities within churches, houses, and businesses owned by black people. The varied reactions to Washington’s and Jefferson’s designs demonstrated how the aesthetic idealization of republicanism revealed incongruities in the new capital.
"Here All Seems Security And Peace!": How Brookeville, Maryland Became United States Capital For A Day, Lindsay R. Richwine
"Here All Seems Security And Peace!": How Brookeville, Maryland Became United States Capital For A Day, Lindsay R. Richwine
Student Publications
When the British burned Washington D.C. during the War of 1812, the city’s civilians and officials fled to the surrounding countryside to escape the carnage. Fearful that the attack on the Capital could eventually spell defeat and worried for their city, these refugees took shelter in the homes and fields of Brookeville, Maryland, a small, Quaker mill town on the outskirts of Washington. These pacifist residents of Brookeville hosted what could have been thousands of Washingtonians in the days following the attack, ensuring the safety of not only the people of Washington, but of President Madison himself. As hosts to …
Manly Mud: Portrayal Of Masculinity In Infantry Units In World War Two As Seen In The Comics Of Bill Mauldin, Aren G. Heitmann
Manly Mud: Portrayal Of Masculinity In Infantry Units In World War Two As Seen In The Comics Of Bill Mauldin, Aren G. Heitmann
Student Publications
This essay will explore the comics of Bill Mauldin published during World War Two and how masculinity in the infantry was portrayed. Current studies on masculinity in World War Two have focused on soldier’s accounts of the war as well as depictions of soldiers in propaganda. Some work on the effects of comics during the war has also been done but nothing as of yet has combined the two. This paper aims to look at how the comics of Bill Mauldin supported or rejected the model masculine archetype that was developed through propaganda and became a privileged figure in conceptualization …
Cives Arma Ferant: Reconstructing Infantry Combat And Training In The European Theater Of Operations, Phil R. Kaspriskie
Cives Arma Ferant: Reconstructing Infantry Combat And Training In The European Theater Of Operations, Phil R. Kaspriskie
Student Publications
A common theme in memoirs, oral histories, and other sources dealing with servicemen in World War II seems to be a focus on the experience of combat. Training, particularly individual training, is rarely discussed beyond a cursory mention, and if it is discussed at all, the overwhelming tendency is to paint a picture of half-trained cannon fodder, at best.
This paper’s goal is twofold: First, explore methods of instruction at the individual and unit levels, and explain the reasoning behind the evolution of training as the Army Ground Forces’ understanding of contemporary warfare changed; second, provide a case study at …
Thinking Of Home: The World War Two Letters Of Gerald Koster, Erica L. Uszak
Thinking Of Home: The World War Two Letters Of Gerald Koster, Erica L. Uszak
Student Publications
This paper covers the letters of Gerald Koster, who served aboard the USS New Jersey during World War Two. This paper covers his letters from the time of his enlistment in January 1943 through November 1943, and shows how his attitude towards the Navy, his parents, and his home changed over that period, as Koster became homesick and lost enthusiasm for Navy life.
Night Falls, Fighters Fly: The Development And Evolution Of Navy Night Fighters In World War Ii, Mark A. Urbon
Night Falls, Fighters Fly: The Development And Evolution Of Navy Night Fighters In World War Ii, Mark A. Urbon
Student Publications
It is nearly impossible to overestimate the importance of radar in the Second World War. This piece of Allied technology was one which the Axis were never able to truly overcome. This paper will comprehensively explore how radar was used in the development of U.S. Navy carrier-borne night fighters in World War II. It seeks not just to demonstrate the effectiveness with which night fighters to use, but also the understudied and under-appreciated technological accomplishment that was night fighting. Whereas other works on the subject serve largely as roadmaps or timelines detailing the key moments in night fighter history, this …
The National Intelligencer Validating Cowardice: How A Washington D.C. Newspaper Redefined Defeat Into Republican Victory, Wesley C. Cline
The National Intelligencer Validating Cowardice: How A Washington D.C. Newspaper Redefined Defeat Into Republican Victory, Wesley C. Cline
Student Publications
The fall and burning of Washington D.C. without substantial resistance by the American army and militia was initially an obvious disgrace, however the widely read Washington based newspaper, The National Intelligencer, sought to rewrite this story of defeat into a narrative highlighting republican virtue. Utilizing preexisting stereotypes perpetuated in their paper of British soldiers acting immoral, the staff of The National Intelligencer articulated that the men defending Washington had to return to their individual homes on account of the impending barbarism and savagery of the British invaders, therefore vindicating the militiamen of their lack of resistance and praising their virtuous …
Elmer Mckee: A Window Into The Past, Erin H. Keener
Elmer Mckee: A Window Into The Past, Erin H. Keener
Student Publications
Elmer McKee was a Gettysburg College graduate, decorated World War II soldier, successful in his career, and a humble family man. This paper examines his correspondence with his then girlfriend "Diz," from February 25, 1945 to April 5, 1945, it is in this time that he is awarded the Bronze Star Medal. This work attempts to piece together his experiences overseas and how he coped with the experience at such a young age, examining as well what image he wanted to project outwards to his friends and family.
Neighborhood Change Within New Jersey: The Evolutionary History That Led To The New Newark, David Medina
Neighborhood Change Within New Jersey: The Evolutionary History That Led To The New Newark, David Medina
Student Publications
As Newark lies 10 miles west of Manhattan, there is an increased encroachment from investors and gentrifies as surrounding cities such as Hoboken and Jersey City become too expensive and overcrowded. Known as the “Brick City”, Newark has history dating back to 1666. Leading up to World War II Newark was thriving, until an increase in suburban development and white flight that altered the race demographic. After years of racial stigma, the history of Newark is at risk as gentrification and neighborhood change looms over the city and its 282,862 residents, many of which are minorities.
Social Egalitarianism: How Does Marginalization Affect An Individual’S Support For Welfare Recipients?, Brodie W. Edgerton
Social Egalitarianism: How Does Marginalization Affect An Individual’S Support For Welfare Recipients?, Brodie W. Edgerton
Student Publications
This work examines how identification in a historically marginalized group in the United States affects individuals' opinions towards welfare recipients. Using three marginalized groups: African Americans, Hispanic/Latinos, and Women, this study compares how each group views welfare recipients while discussing how people in general view welfare recipients. This study finds that there are some statistical differences between the opinions of welfare recipients between certain groups, but not amongst other groups, indicating the importance of society on American politics in the present day.
Vietnam: A War With Two Fronts, Justin D. Winkel
Vietnam: A War With Two Fronts, Justin D. Winkel
Student Publications
The Vietnam War is viewed by many historians as a turning point in American war memory. Never before had there been such an outstanding opposition to a military endeavor by the United States' own citizens, government officials, soldiers, and veterans. Drawing from the first hand accounts of PFC Steven Warner and the work of numerous historians, this paper offers an examination into the ways in which some high profile events of the Vietnam War (such as the Cambodia Campaign and the Kent State Shootings) created an environment that negatively impacted United States soldiers and veterans of the Vietnam War.