History Commons^™

How “Interested” Criticism Fueled The Formulation Of Nineteen Eighty-Four’S Cultural Afterlife, John Cameron Bosch

All Theses

George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four carries a “cultural afterlife” as a result of “interested” criticism, which has a set political/practical barometer or motive. While everyone agrees that the novel presents a frightening dystopia, many also consider it a prophetic piece that illuminates the possible corruption of executive power of a nation thanks to this cultural afterlife; the modern and popular term “Orwellian” resulted from these sorts of analyses and have only escalated in the years since its inception. As a result, within the past decade, multiple scholars, analysts, and journalists have referenced Orwell’s novel as a factual representation of this executive …

Thanksgiving / Giving Thanks, Jonathan Beecher Field

Publications

No abstract provided.

"Enthusiastic Jew And Lover Of Humanity": August Bondi And The Roots Of Transnational Freedom During The Long Nineteenth Century, Matthew Christopher Long

All Theses

Migration is a decidedly human condition that has influenced the development of all nations. Yet the cultural and demographic impacts upon the United States during the long nineteenth century brought about by the mass movements of peoples from Africa, Europe, and beyond were especially pronounced. Immigrants to North America brought with them more than linguistic and cultural artifacts, however; propelled by intellectual currents in their countries of origin, they often carried with them a sensibility of revolution, radical republican politics, and a moral suasion that they employed as they navigated the political and social realities in their new countries. Many …

Book Review: 101 Women Who Shaped South Carolina, Maggie Albro

Publications

No abstract provided.

Relict: Widows And Their Expressions Of Agency Through Personal Piety And Religious Devotion In Fifteenth-Century England, Mikkaela Beth Bailey

All Theses

Widows who lived in fifteenth-century England present an interesting case study for their exercises of agency through personal piety because they are underrepresented in the historiographical discussion on this topic. This thesis focuses largely on widowed laywomen and the different ways in which they could access agency through personal piety and the legal system. The examination of their choices in donations, bequests, and other pious actions reveals widows’ ability to express themselves. The chief focus of this thesis are the ways in which widows’ actions of personal piety provided them with access points to agency, authority, and power. While there …

Sons Of Dear Old Clemson: An Examination Of Clemson University's Most Influential Founding Fathers, Sally Mauldin

All Theses

This thesis is designed to determine the roles played by three different men in the founding of the Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina: Thomas Green Clemson, Richard Wright Simpson, and Benjamin Ryan Tillman. It examines primary sources generated by each man and attempts to reconstruct the events of the fall of 1886 through 1918 to validate the claims of Simpson and Tillman of their roles in realizing Clemson’s dream of founding an agricultural and mechanical college following Clemson’s death in 1888. Each played a vital role in the founding and establishment of Clemson College and derived much personal satisfaction …

They Used To Make Bricks Here: Brick Manufacturing At The Grove Plantation And The Rise Of The Cooper River Gray Brick, Frances Pinto

All Theses

Surviving brick clamps at Grove Creek Plantation provide exceptional information about the brick industry that flourished in the antebellum era along the Cooper River. Both the topography and natural resources necessary for brick making supported the industrial production of brick along the Cooper River and its tributaries from the colonial period into the post-bellum era. At the Grove Plantation, the arrangement of clay and sand pits, work yards, wells, and clamps are still intact provide a unique opportunity to explore the brick production process as it evolved to met growing demand for building materials from nearby Charleston. Most brick clamps …

Prisoners In War: Zoos And Zoo Animals During Human Conflict 1870-1947, Clelly Johnson

All Theses

Animals are sentient beings capable of many of the same feelings experienced by humans. They mourn a loss, they feel love and loyalty, and they experience fear. During wars and conflicts, fear is a prevailing emotion among humans, who worry for their well-being. Animals, too, feel fear during human conflicts, and that fear is magnified when those animals are caged. History has shown the victimization of zoo animals during military conflicts. Zoo animals already lack agency over their own lives, and in times of war, they are seen as a liability. From the Siege of Paris to recent Israel-Hamas conflicts …

Eclipsing Competition: Presidential Policy And Nasa 1955-1979, Ryan Conway

All Theses

The aim of this thesis is to analyze presidential decisions in formulating NASA programs in the first twenty years of the space administration. NASA programs varied greatly: from a “hands-off” approach taken by Eisenhower to a reactive role taken by the Kennedy and Johnson presidencies, as different presidents viewed Cold War competition in different lights. It also analyzes how competition and cooperation shaped NASA policy making. The thesis shows that NASA programs were extensions of the sitting president’s foreign policy goals. Despite presidential rhetoric of cooperation with the Soviet Union, the programs of NASA from 1958-1969 relied upon competition to …

The Nature Of Guerilla Warfare In The Heart Of 'Mosby's Confederacy': Reconstruction In Fauquier County, Virginia, Brett D. Zeggil

All Theses

During the American Civil War, Colonel John S. Mosby launched one of the most successful guerilla campaigns for the Confederate war effort. 'Mosby's Confederacy,' a section of northern Virginia that encompassed four counties, came under the control of Mosby, and what would eventually become the Forty-third Battalion Virginia Cavalry, from 1863 through the end of the war. One county in particular, Fauquier, Virginia, served as the base of Mosby's operations. The partisan style of warfare, that Mosby employed, demanded a significant amount of participation and collaboration from the local citizenry. The majority of Fauquier's white community embraced Mosby's Rangers and …

Making The South New, Keeping The South "Southern": Bob Jones, Fundamentalism, And The New South, Anderson R. Rouse

All Theses

The New South, the period of southern history, lasting from the end of Reconstruction to the end of World War II was defined by urbanization and industrialization. Protestantism influenced the development of the New South by instilling working discipline in the southern labor force. Protestantism encouraged workers to embrace earthly vocations as divine callings, sanctifying even the most mundane activities. Protestant ministers became allies with industrialists and boosters in the process of creating the New South.

The career of Bob Jones, a fundamentalist Methodist evangelist from Alabama, demonstrates the close connection between industrialization and religion. Jones believed that success was …

Jean-Luc Godard And Francois Truffaut: The Influence Of Hollywood, Modernization And Radical Politics On Their Films And Friendship, Caroline Glenn

All Theses

During the late 1950's the French film industry's hard-won financial stability during the Occupation and liberation years had all but disappeared. Combined with the dwindling, unpredictable nature of French audiences, the multi-star, literary adaptation dramas French studios produced were no longer reliable. In response to these dilemmas a transformation took place in French cinema. Known as the nouvelle vague (or French New Wave), the movement was largely, but not completely, a reaction to France's declining film industry. The nation as a whole was undergoing significant change and growth during the 1950s. From the Algerian conflict, the Fourth Republic's collapse and …

'There Is A School We Love In Dixie Land': The History Of Greenville High, Boyd Johnson

All Theses

The history of Greenville High School began in the Progressive Era and was built largely upon the progressive education ideas of that period. The entire history reflects much of the same philosophical underpinnings that brought about the genesis of the school. The ideals of the progressives and especially those of John Dewey, one of the premier progressives, are evident in the community activities, the sports program, the academic curricula, outstanding alumni and faculty, and the struggle for desegregation at GHS. Through an examination of yearbooks, syllabi, newspapers, the Wall of Fame at Greenville High School, and textbooks used at the …

A Memento Of Complexity: The Rhetorics Of Memory, Ambience, And Emergence, Glen Southergill

All Dissertations

Drawing from complexity theory, this dissertation develops a schema of rhetorical memory that exhibits extended characteristics. Scholars traditionally conceptualize memory, the fourth canon in classical rhetoric, as place (loci) or image (phantasm). However, memory rhetoric resists the traditional loci-phantasm framework and instead emerges from enmeshments of interiority, collectivity, and technology. Emergence considers the dynamics of fundamental parts that generate complex systems and offers a methodological lens to theorizing memory. The resulting construct informs everyday life, which includes interfacing with pervasive computing or sensing familiarity. Further, congruently with a neurological turn that contradicts simplification, this dissertation resituates rhetorical memory as generative …

After Thirty Years: The Falklands War Of 1982, Katelyn Tietzen

All Theses

By law, the British government seals all cabinet and other important government documents until after thirty years passes. In 2012, the 'thirty-year rule' expired for all documents pertaining to the Falklands War of 1982. There is already an enormous amount of material written about the war but these released documents provide new insight. Lasting only one hundred days, the war was kicked off when Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, or known in Argentina as las Malvinas, on 2 April 1982. Located in the very South Atlantic and four hundred miles east of Argentina, the British launched their largest naval task …

Through Crimson Tides: Tarawa's Effect On Military Tactics And Public Perception Of War, Josh Hudak

All Theses

This study is on the battle of Tarawa, and how the battle altered military doctrine in amphibious warfare tactics and public perception of war. Tarawa was the first battle of its kind being the first amphibious assault against a fortified objective utilizing joint land, sea, and aerial attacks. It was also the first battle that was filmed from its beginning to its end and shown uncensored to the American public. This study will examine the historiography of the Battle for Tarawa, an overview of the fighting, and the aftermath of the battle. It will also examine the public's reaction to …

South Carolina Press Opinions Toward The Spanish-American War And Territorial Annexation Of 1898, Maria Cinquemani

All Theses

Historians have contested the origins and aftermath of the Spanish-American War of 1898 for over a century. Whether in pursuit of political, economic, or humanitarian goals, the nation entered the war with Spain enthusiastically and emerged victorious, with several new annexed territories in its possession. One of the most important factors to the success of the war was the overwhelming public support, driven largely by the popular press and the famous 'yellow journalists' of the time. Despite being a brief war, historians have praised it as the event that united the North and South following the tensions of the Civil …

The Impact Of The American Invasion Of Grenada On Anglo-American Relations And The Deployment Of Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces In Britain, Timothy Anglea

All Theses

This thesis studies the impact the American invasion of Grenada in 1983 had on Anglo-American relations and the deployment of cruise missiles in Britain. Anglo-American nuclear relations were dependent on a strong level of trust between the two governments. The deception employed by President Reagan's government in concealing American intentions concerning Grenada from the British government broke that trust. The American invasion also furthered doubts held by the general British population concerning the placement of American owned and operated cruise missiles on British soil. The deployment of Intermediate-Range Nuclear forces in Britain and Western Europe was crucial to Prime Minister …

Representations Of Rebellion: Slavery In Jamaica, 1823-1831, Paul Brown

All Theses

This thesis examines slavery in Jamaica between 1824 and 1831, primarily through the lens of rebellion and rebellious conspiracy. This study is largely based on legal documents, namely the criminal trials of slaves produced after the discovery of conspiracy plots to rebel in 1824 and the outbreak of a large-scale slave insurrection in 1831. While previous historians have provided rich analyses of the origins and causes of slave rebellions, this study attempts to disentangle the various representations and ideas of rebellion among slaves and slaveholders in Jamaica, and their larger implications for slavery in the British West Indies. I suggest …

Tigers In The Trenches: The Clemson College Class Of 1917 In The First World War, Alan C. Grubb, Brock M. Lusk

Publications

Clemson University proudly proclaims that the Class of 1917 volunteered en-masse for service during the First World War, after President Woodrow Wilson sought a declaration of war from Congress in April 1917. A bullet stating the claim is the first on the Clemson Corps’ “Stories & Highlights inside the Scroll of Honor” web page,1 and the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) on campus trumpets this to incoming cadets. I personally remember hearing this as a young Cadet 4th Class from my ROTC instructor in 1998 and imaging the men who graduated sailing to Europe to serve beside one another in …

God’S Dominion: Omar Ibn Said Use Of Arabic Literacy As Opposition To Slavery, Akel Kahera

Publications

Omar ibn Said’s Th e Life of Omar Ibn Said, Written by Himself (1831) occupies a unique position within the slave narrative tradition. As the only surviving Arabic autobiography written by a slave from the United States, the Life juxtaposes a religious exegesis based on the textual authority of the Qur’an with a first-person account of Omar’s life. Only recently rediscovered, having been found in a trunk in a Virginia at-tic in 1995 and sold to a private collector after being lost since 1920, the manuscript has sparked renewed interest in writings by enslaved Muslims in America, and in particular …

Rendez Donc A Cesar, Problemes Avec Les Mots De Dieu: Land And The Civil Constitution Of The Clergy Of 1790-1791, Jonathan Monroe

All Theses

This study investigates the state's sale of Church lands and the Civil Constitution of the Clergy during the French Revolution. The Civil Constitution has been seen as a turning point in the era's progression; it created very sharp divisions in revolutionary ideals by forcing clergy members to take an oath to the state that was condemned by the pope. These divisions helped feed Jacobin extremism and an era of Christian suppression and the Terror eventually ensued. Despite these problems, the struggling country under the Old Regime was desperate for Church reform that the Civil Constitution provided. The prohibition of the …

Jackson Unchained: Reclaiming A Fugitive Landscape, Susanna Ashton, Jonathan Hepworth

Publications

Slaves were allowed three day's holiday at Christmas time, and so it was over Christmas that John Andrew Jackson decided to escape. The first day I devoted to bidding a sad, though silent farewell to my people; for I did not even dare to tell my father or mother that I was going, lest for joy they should tell some one else. Early next morning, I left them playing their "fandango" play. I wept as I looked at them enjoying their innocent pay, and thought it was the last time I should ever see them, for I was determined never …

For Such A Time As This: The Impact Of Christian Missionaries On The Birth Of Reform Judaism In Charleston, South Carolina, 1824-1846, Ashley Goldberg

All Theses

The first generation of Americans born after the Revolution found themselves in uncharted territory, defining what it meant to be an American in a country that did not yet know itself. The impact was far reaching, as old institutions struggled to adapt to changing mores. In the first decades of the nineteenth century, the city of Charleston, South Carolina was home to the largest Jewish population in America; it too found itself in the midst of the struggle between the old ways and the new. How should Judaism adopt or adapt to the customs of a new country, one dominated …

A Contested Policy: Irish And American Perspectives On Eire's Neutrality, Leah Egofske

All Theses

Although the Irish Free State had close relations and connections to the United Kingdom from its inception in 1922, Eire pursued a policy of neutrality throughout the Second World War. Although the majority of the Irish population supported neutrality, it attracted much criticism in Britain and America. The aim of this study is to explore Irish men and women's experience with neutrality alongside how American newspapers as well as American war correspondents based in Britain addressed and viewed Ireland's neutrality. In many ways, the Irish benefited from the policy of neutrality and the small nation was united on a level …

Eugene Genovese And Elizabeth Fox-Genovese: Partners In Life And History, Emily Chandler

All Theses

This study examines both the personal and professional relationships of historians Eugene D. Genovese and Elizabeth Fox-Genovese. Considered by many to be a `power couple' in the historical academy, they were pioneers in the field of southern history and offered a number of contributions to a Marxist interpretation of the antebellum South. They also wielded a considerable amount of influence within their discipline. Previous studies have largely focused on the Genoveses' professional collaboration and scholarship, but have neglected to explore their marriage. This study takes a closer look at their personal lives and marriage and seeks to determine the influence …

Propositions For Reform, Brett Vigil

All Theses

In the decades immediately following the Civil War, the impetus for
industrialization and technological development which had helped propel the Union
to victory began to dramatically pick up speed, engendering staggering changes in
almost every facet of American economic and social. Indeed, by the end of the
century, such changes had helped precipitate the closing of the frontier, the United
States' emergence onto the international scene as a major imperialist power, and the
rise of the populist movement, which climaxed in the great realigning Presidential
election of 1896. The last of these was particularly significant in that it was arguably …

Bill Lowe And The Music Of Eastern Appalachia, Heidi Mckee

All Theses

As the twentieth century progressed with radio and communications technology, the culture of the Appalachian mountains became an unexplored resource of vast cultural proportions. The Old Regular Baptist faith of the mountains had influenced creative thinkers in the area for generations, and the coming of settlement schools brought secular evaluation from outside the culture. As the people living in the mountains began to understand the uniqueness of their musical heritage, radio technology was becoming available on a much larger scale than ever before. Singers and songwriters from the mountains found eager audiences on a national level.
One of these musicians …

The Historic Collapse Of Patriarchal Power: Investigating The Aristocracy's Crisis Of Masculinity At Mid-Century, Laura Mogel

All Theses

Although most scholars locate the crisis of masculinity in the 1880s and 90s, with the emergence of the New Woman and the fin de sicle, through the presentation of narratives, journals, letters, newspaper articles, satirical cartoons, and novels that focus on the aristocracy's role in the Crimean War, interaction with divorce proceedings, and the fallen aristocratic man in sensation fiction, I suggest that the aristocracy's crisis of masculinity happened long before the end of the nineteenth century. Since scholars do not often make a designation between the aristocracy and the middle-class crisis of masculinity, this work seeks to interrogate these …

The Creation And Evolution Of The Acholi Ethnic Identity, Leslie Whitmire

All Theses

Abstract
On March 5th, 2012, the Kony 2012 video was released by the authors and director of Invisible Children, and Uganda instantaneously became the center of young America's focus. This graphic video contained disturbing images of child soldiers and dead children, aiming to draw sympathy and awareness to the ongoing problem the Lord's Resistance Army's violent attacks on the Acholi of Northern Uganda and recruitment measures. While many Americans responded to the video's urgent request for support by encouraging the government to act, others adhered to the popular belief that this conflict was nothing more than another tribal conflict among …