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Full-Text Articles in History

God And Reason: An Intellectual Religious Journey Through The Mind Of Thomas Paine, Jason R. Patterson May 2022

God And Reason: An Intellectual Religious Journey Through The Mind Of Thomas Paine, Jason R. Patterson

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Thomas Paine was one of the most prolific writers in the Age of Revolutions. His writings can be analyzed from a political, philosophical, humanitarian, or religious point of view. However, it was Paine's use of religious rhetoric that ultimately led to the demise of his character and reputation as a popular actor in the American Revolution. Most historiography on Paine focuses in on one of the mentioned perspectives, leaving out a much larger narrative or arch of Paine's life. This thesis will cover a series of Paine's writings beginning with his first, The Case of the Officers of Excise (1772) …


Badger State Nationalism: World War I, The Ku Klux Klan, And The Politics Of 'Americanism' In 1915-1930 Wisconsin, William Levi May 2022

Badger State Nationalism: World War I, The Ku Klux Klan, And The Politics Of 'Americanism' In 1915-1930 Wisconsin, William Levi

Masters Theses, 2020-current

The Ku Klux Klan is most synonymous with racism and religious bigotry, especially during the revival period of the 1920s. What is often less understood is the aggressively nationalist nature of the Klan, which in some locales proved to be its most potent symbol and recruiting tool, epitomized by the use of the American flag and the ‘100% Americanism’ slogan. In Wisconsin, where entry into World War I was least popular in 1917, the following months saw a series of ‘loyalty struggles’ develop; many Wisconsinites regretted their early lack of support and sought to prove their loyalty and patriotism to …


The Presbyterian Enlightenment: The Confluence Of Evangelical And Enlightenment Thought In British America, Brandon S. Durbin May 2018

The Presbyterian Enlightenment: The Confluence Of Evangelical And Enlightenment Thought In British America, Brandon S. Durbin

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Eighteenth-Century British American Presbyterian ministers incorporated covenantal theology, ideas from the Scottish Enlightenment, and resistance theory in their sermons. The sermons of Presbyterian ministers strongly indicate the intermixing of enlightenment and evangelical ideas. Congregants heard and read these sermons, spreading these ideas to the average colonist. This combination helps explain why American Presbyterians were so apt to resist British rule during the American Revolution. Protestant covenantal theology, derived from Protestant reformers like John Calvin and John Knox, emphasized virtue and duty. This covenant affected both the people and their rulers. When rulers failed to uphold their covenant with God, the …


Her Majesty's Dignity: Secularization In The Age Of Reformation, Catherine Larson May 2015

Her Majesty's Dignity: Secularization In The Age Of Reformation, Catherine Larson

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

This thesis explores the growing secularization in English government policies between the years 1570-1598. By examining international politics and domestic treason trials, the reader can see a clear change in the language used to describe Catholics by the Protestant English. Beginning with the Papal Bull, Regnans in Exchelsis, the Catholic persecution reached its zenith under Elizabeth in the 1570s. The treason trials of Edmund Campion, William Parry, and Mary Queen of Scots show how the 1580s was a period of secularization in domestic politics. Internationally, the changing alliances between England, the Netherlands, and France show how England slowly begins …


Demon Rum In The City Of Churches: A Spirited Fight For Alcohol Reform In Danville, Virginia, 1883-1933, Evelyn Dawn Riley May 2014

Demon Rum In The City Of Churches: A Spirited Fight For Alcohol Reform In Danville, Virginia, 1883-1933, Evelyn Dawn Riley

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Utilizing previous research of American alcohol reform movements, and specifically studies of alcohol in Virginia during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, this thesis explores the multi-faceted story of Danville, Virginia and its alcohol reform from 1883-1933. Contained within these dates are critical events and stories chronicling the complex history of conflict, and occasional cooperation, regarding alcohol in a southern town. The goal of the thesis, comprised of two parts--a context paper and an accompanying digital exhibit--was to explore how Danville’s community structure and public discourse affected the way alcohol reform was experienced and discussed in the city. Findings indicated that …


From Swamps To Swamping: The Usage And Perceptions Of Swamps By African-Americans In Antebellum And Postbellum Arkansas And Louisiana, Tessa Annette Neblett Evans May 2014

From Swamps To Swamping: The Usage And Perceptions Of Swamps By African-Americans In Antebellum And Postbellum Arkansas And Louisiana, Tessa Annette Neblett Evans

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

This project is a landscape study that examines how different members of the antebellum and postbellum community in Arkansas and Louisiana perceived and used the swamplands, and how this changed over time. This project suggests that the swamps played an absolutely crucial role for individual slaves and free blacks both before and after the Civil War. Unlike Europeans and the white community who viewed the swamps as static, physical spaces on the plantation without value, African-Americans viewed them as fluid places filled with value. Religious practices were often performed near swamps, and even so-called aberrant religions practices, like voodoo, happened …


Citizens Of The Empire: A Molding Of Victorian Childhood Identity, Christopher B. Gallagher May 2013

Citizens Of The Empire: A Molding Of Victorian Childhood Identity, Christopher B. Gallagher

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The Victorian Era in Great Britain was a time period of dramatic change. The Industrial Revolution was altering the social and economic fabric of society. Socially, Victorians were confronted with new theories that challenged their religious beliefs. The British Isles were progressing steadily in creating a national identity. Finally, the existence of the British Empire made imperialism a factor that cannot be ignored. Yet, many historians have pointed out that the history of the British metropole itself is often disconnected from the political and cultural history of the Empire. It is within this conversation that this project seeks to find …


A Culture Of Anatomy: The Public Writings Of American Anatomists, 1800-1870, Mary Patricia Schwanz May 2013

A Culture Of Anatomy: The Public Writings Of American Anatomists, 1800-1870, Mary Patricia Schwanz

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

This thesis examines the public writings of several American anatomists who wrote between the years 1800 and 1870. Anatomists and the public clashed over the proper place of anatomical knowledge and research in American society. Anatomists had to prove that their field of inquiry was both worthwhile and morally acceptable. In their attempts to do so, anatomists formed a distinct subculture separate from that of practicing physicians, as well as influenced the debate over anatomy's place within the medical field. Examining the public writings of American anatomists during this period provides insight into the ways in which this debate was …


Celts And Romans: The Transformation From Natural To Civic Religion, Matthew Taylor Kennedy May 2012

Celts And Romans: The Transformation From Natural To Civic Religion, Matthew Taylor Kennedy

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

This paper is a case study dealing with cultural interaction and religion. It focuses on Roman religion, both before and during the Republic, and Celtic religion, both before and after Roman conquest. For the purpose of comparing these cultures two phases of religion are defined that exemplify the pagan religions of this period. These are natural religion and civic religion. They have different foci and are represented by different sorts of deities, rituals, and priests. Roman religion shifted from natural religion in the period of the monarchy to civic religion in the middle and late republic largely due to outside …


From Individual Salvation To Social Salvation: Why Evangelist B. Fay Mills Changed His Revival Message, Constance P. Murray Dec 2011

From Individual Salvation To Social Salvation: Why Evangelist B. Fay Mills Changed His Revival Message, Constance P. Murray

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Rev. B. Fay Mills was a popular, late nineteenth century Protestant evangelist whose fame approached that of the eminent Gospel preacher, Dwight L. Moody. Preaching to audiences in large urban settings, Mills’ revivals captured headlines and significant column space as he preached sermons of individual salvation from sin from the perspective of Christian orthodoxy. Yet, just as he was reaching the very top of the field of itinerant evangelists, he changed his message to reflect his growing interest in and association with the Social Gospel movement. This thesis investigates the reasons for his shift in theological viewpoint and public proclamations. …