History Commons^™

The Art And Mystery Of Pragmatic History, David Hardin

History Theses

This thesis considers how we make meaning in our individual lives and in practice as historians. From an initializing question —Why do people believe things that have either been proven false or shown improbable?— born out of historical discourse in the liminal space between mythology and history, this thesis embarks on a inquiry into meaning that is both deeply philosophical and practical. The work develops a historical method that falls within the tradition of Pragmatism, and then turns this method toward two case studies (Pedro Huízar and Señora Candelaria) from San Antonio, Texas. The aim is to explore two myths …

A Select Examination Of The Historiography Of The Causes Of The War Of 1812, Shiva Czuba

History Theses

This thesis examines a selection of literature concerning the causes of the War of 1812. While named America’s “forgotten” war, many historians have attempted to examine the political landscape that led to the newly formed United States to declare war on England in 1812. While maritime concerns have primarily been seen as the cause, this thesis will examine how that historiography has changed throughout the past two hundred years.

Chapter one, entitled “Early Interpretations: Maritime Grievances” examines the works of Alexander James Dallas, Henry Marie Brackenridge, Richard Hildreth, Gilbert Auchinleck, and Henry Adams. Chapter two, entitled “Changing Interpretations” looks at …