History Commons^™

“Alas Poor Ireland!”: British Prejudice, “The Irish Precedent, ” And The Origins Of The American Revolution, David Arthur Salzillo, Jr.

History & Classics Undergraduate Theses

Of all the claims in the Declaration of Independence, its surety about the existence of an intentional British “design to reduce” the colonists “under absolute Despotism” is perhaps the most questionable one to modern ears. Contemporary historians have largely dismissed such language, and the accompanying concerns about an alleged British plot to “enslave” its Atlantic possessions. However, this paper argues that such a view fails to properly consider the role of “the Irish precedent” of English imperial exploitation in sparking American resistance and rebellion. Namely, through a careful study of what American colonists read and wrote about in the …

Georgia’S Deportation Of The Creeks And Cherokees: A Prelude To The Trail Of Tears, Sean Michael Ahearn Ii

History & Classics Undergraduate Theses

This thesis follows the story of the forced deportation of two Native American groups, the Creeks and the Cherokees, from the state of Georgia. The Creeks were completely removed from Georgia by January of 1828, two years before Andrew Jackson’s 1830 Indian Removal Act, effectively commencing the removal of all Native Americans to lands west of the Mississippi River, now known as the Trail of Tears. William McIntosh, a Lower Creek chief, worked alongside his cousin, George Troup, the governor of Georgia from 1823 to 1827. McIntosh worked alongside Troup and negotiated land sale deals, known as the Treaties of …

“An American Versailles:” Cold War Diplomacy And The Branding Of The American National Image Through The Fashion Of First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, Holly Carew

History & Classics Undergraduate Theses

HIS 490 History Honors Thesis

Rethinking Resistance: The Gaspee Incident In The Context Of Rhode Island’S Slave Economy, Hayley Lonergan

History & Classics Student Scholarship

Major: History

Makeup During World War Ii: How Consumer Cosmetics Became An Essential Product, Georgina Lau

History & Classics Student Scholarship

Major: History
Minors: Marketing and Dance

Feigned Compliance: The Japanese American Response To Incarceration During Wwii In Light Of Issei And Nisei Conflict, Mary Rose Comerford

History & Classics Student Scholarship

Major: History

The formation of exclusively Nisei organizations in the 1930s contributed to their rise in community leadership. When WWII began, these Nisei-led groups collaborated with the War Relocation Authority (WRA), which created a narrative of Japanese American compliance. This is evidenced in internment camp newspapers.

Break The Silence, Isabelle Clarkin

The Civil Rights Movement (HIS/BLS 347) Zine Project

No abstract provided.

Student Protests During The Civil Rights Movement, Joseph M. Lawler

The Civil Rights Movement (HIS/BLS 347) Zine Project

No abstract provided.

You Say We Are, We Say We Aren't, Rashida Etienne

The Civil Rights Movement (HIS/BLS 347) Zine Project

No abstract provided.

Voter Registration

The Civil Rights Movement (HIS/BLS 347) Zine Project

No abstract provided.

A Look Into Providence College, Magdalena Smith

The Civil Rights Movement (HIS/BLS 347) Zine Project

No abstract provided.

The History Of Labor Movements: Fred Hampton's Legacy

The Civil Rights Movement (HIS/BLS 347) Zine Project

No abstract provided.

Misunderstanding Malcom X, Yaw Asante

The Civil Rights Movement (HIS/BLS 347) Zine Project

No abstract provided.

Black Women In Magazines, Jillian Brissette

The Civil Rights Movement (HIS/BLS 347) Zine Project

No abstract provided.

Black Women White Standards, Carrie Selwood

The Civil Rights Movement (HIS/BLS 347) Zine Project

No abstract provided.

Voter Registration Efforts During The Civil Rights Movement: Nationally & Locally

The Civil Rights Movement (HIS/BLS 347) Zine Project

No abstract provided.

Segregated Public Education, Lily Roy

The Civil Rights Movement (HIS/BLS 347) Zine Project

No abstract provided.

An Artistic Rendition Of The Black Panther Party's 10 Point Program

The Civil Rights Movement (HIS/BLS 347) Zine Project

No abstract provided.

A 13 Hour Sit In, Diane Polanco

The Civil Rights Movement (HIS/BLS 347) Zine Project

No abstract provided.

A Soldier And A Statesman: The Evolution Of George Washington’S Political And Military Career During The Encampment At Valley Forge, Dean Costalas

History & Classics Undergraduate Theses

Toward the end of 1777, George Washington was burdened with major obstacles on his path to becoming not only a victorious general, but a political figurehead for the budding United States Government. Mounting losses, men in disarray, and a lack of resources all led him into dire straits as his army huddled together for a long, solemn winter at Valley Forge. The result was a contentious relationship between Washington and the Continental Congress, an already strained dynamic thanks to Congress’ lack of efficiency in getting Washington the necessary supplies to equip and care for his men. And while he is …

I-195 In Providence, Rhode Island: Urban Development Or Dislocation?, Alec Fraggos

History & Classics Undergraduate Theses

In 1939, as the effects of the 1938 New England Hurricane that devastated much of Rhode Island, it became painfully evident to Providence city officials that it needed a better system of highways and bridges. More than this, because several Rhode Islanders had died while evacuating, the state made a concerted effort to build more and better highways. As the U.S. joined the war effort, the possibility of another failed evacuation caused a panic among city officials that continued to drive the placement of urban highways in Providence. With changes in the city’s landscape and major shifts in demographics, Providence …

James Madison And The Supreme Court The Evolution Of The Madisonian First Amendment In Early America, Thomas Mcsweeney

History & Classics Undergraduate Theses

No abstract provided.

May We Remember How The Great War Changed The Practice And Ceremony Of American Memorialization In Norfolk County, Massachusetts, 1868-1939, Grace Heffernan

History & Classics Undergraduate Theses

The emotional and psychological damage wrought by the Great War has long been rendered exceptional. The sheer numbers of dead and wounded coupled with new kinds of wounds – physical, emotional, psychological – perhaps justify this view. Yet in declaring that the Great War was a shock, a watershed, a tragedy, there is an implicit presupposition that some kind of precedent existed. As long as war had existed, so too did loss, grief, and mourning. The Great War did not introduce human sorrow to the world, though perhaps it altered human remembrance. When American families grieved their loved one, was …

We Can Do It, Or Can We?: Women’S Domestic And Workplace Roles In Advertising During Wwii And Postwar America, Jillian Brissette

History & Classics Undergraduate Theses

This thesis examines the dramatic change from the empowering image of women workers that appeared in World War II advertisements and the domestic picture of women’s lives as depicted in the Cold War era. In examining this transformation, I seek to understand why there was such a drastic shift and how it affected real women. I examined hundreds of advertisements from the 1940s and 1950s that featured women in domestic or workplace roles. Contrary to the popular image of Rosie the Riveter, World War II era advertisements did not truly empower women. Instead, the emphasized women’s war work as a …

“A Scepter Of Terror Or A Sword Of Freedom”: Elaine Brown’S Time In The Black Panther Party, Maeve Plassche

History & Classics Undergraduate Theses

This project highlights the activism of Elaine Brown, who was the only female chairperson of the Black Panther Party. It looks to enhance the way in which the Black Panther Party is remembered, by placing gender and gender relations in the center of the conversation. Even though women were crucial participants in the Party, they often did not receive the respect that their male counterparts did, and the historical scholarship, using male-centered sources, reiterates this point. While conducting research in the Dr. Huey P. Newton records, located the Stanford Libraries, I delved into the newspapers, internal Black Panther Party documents, …

Twentieth Century Education Reform: Centralization And The Integration Of Providence Public School, Emily Cavanaugh

History & Classics Undergraduate Theses

No abstract provided.

Gag Rule Bibliography, Erik J. Chaput, Russell J. Desimone

Dorr Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Gag Rule And The Politics Of Slavery: A Brief Overview For Students And Teachers, Erik J. Chaput, Russell J. Desimone

Dorr Scholarship

A Note for Students and Teachers: This overview essay should be read before embarking on projects dealing with primary source material on Rhode Island in the Gag Rule. The essay, which includes digital primary and secondary source material in the footnotes for students and teachers, details the national debate over the abolitionist mailings and petitions in the mid-1830s in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. The essay also sets up the debate in Rhode Island over the abolitionist agenda, especially in the final pages. The essay is designed to provide students and teachers with detail not found …

Rebranding The Native: Selling The ‘Ideal’ Indigenous Worker At The Carlisle Indian Industrial School, 1879-1918, Luke Prior

History & Classics Student Scholarship

Luke Prior ’22
Major: History/Secondary Education
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Alexander Orquiza, History and Classics

The Carlisle Indian Industrial School sought to recreate the image of the Native American from the savage brute of the past and the lazy free-loader who lived off the government ration to an ‘ideal’ worker who was a productive member of the American economy. In doing so, the school stripped students of their cultures and replaced them with American ideals. A very small minority of those at Carlisle used what they learned to fight against the assimilationist mission of the school.

An Unread Colonial Diary, Brigid Mcevoy

History & Classics Student Scholarship

Brigid McEvoy ’23
Majors: History and Spanish
Minors: Business and Innovation and Latin American Studies
Mentor: Dr. Adrian Weimer, History and Classics

Through funding from a Veritas Research Grant, I deciphered the Shelton shorthand writing of the second volume of Michael Wigglesworth's diary, digitized through the New England Hidden Histories project. Wigglesworth was a famous poet and preacher in early New England. One of the chief purposes of deciphering this second volume was to create a more nuanced perspective on Wigglesworth's life and artistic career.

This diary, written from March 1658 through November 1687, includes both longhand and shorthand writing. …