History Commons^™

Exposed By Phoenix: Veterans Health Care In The Age Of Operations Enduring Freedom And Iraqi Freedom, Andrew Bogardus

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

When the scandal at the Phoenix Veterans Health Administration facilities came to light in 2014, it exposed systemic problems throughout the VHS, some of which had existed for long periods of time and some more recent. This essay explores why the VHA was ill- equipped to handle effectively the challenges in veterans’ health presented by Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, both of which were much more protracted than initially expected. Both conflicts generated more veterans with more challenges than anticipated by the U.S. government. The Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014, an example of motivated b-partisan …

Ghost Soldiers, Elaine Lynch

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

No abstract provided.

She's Right On Time: Dorothy Love Coates And The Transformation Of Gospel Music In The Service Of The Civil Rights Movements, Randal Fippinger

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

Dorothy Love Coates' obituary in the New York Times declared that she provided "a subtle but substantial role in the civil rights movement" ("Dorothy Love Coates"). While widely acknowledged, this fact has scant documentation in the major literature on gospel music. I will examine how the efforts of gospel singer and civil rights activist Dorothy Love Coates (1928-2002) worked as a catalyst to activate modern gospel music to support the American Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and early 1960s. I will argue that Dorothy Love Coates acted as a vital link in the development of gospel music, taking it …

The Unique Nationalism Of Isaac Albeniz, Stephen A. Keyser

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

This paper examines the life and times of Isaac Albeniz, the nineteenth century Spanish piano virtuoso and composer. It will address the national debate surrounding the true nature of Spanish culture and describe the cultural, political and musical climate in late nineteenth century Spain. It will demonstrate how the expatriate Albeniz responded to these conditions to produce a remarkable body of music, primarily for the piano, that strove to express the depth of his love for the people, the land and the folk culture of Spain. The paper will finally demonstrate how his oeuvre can be included in the general …

From The Ground Up: The Historical Roots Of Umuganda In Rwandan Economic And Political Development, Sarah Bates

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

Umuganda, the ritual of communal labor practiced in Rwanda since pre-colonial kingdoms, has a long and varied history of implementation. Once an integral part of the patron-client relationship, umuganda originated as the exchange of cattle for feudal protection; currently, it is a system of mandatory labor being utilized for post-genocide political and economic development. Umuganda has been championed by both past and present presidential administrations as the foundational centerpiece of progress, yet it also served as an instrumental tool in mass participation during the genocide. This paper will focus on the historical roots and transformation of umuganda in order to …

Winning The Battle, Losing The War: The Forgotten But Enduring Legacy Of School Integration Efforts On Hempstead, New York, Carol L. Clarke

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

Although their repercussions continue to be felt today, knowledge of efforts taken during the Civil Rights movement of the nineteen sixties to desegregate public elementary schools in the Village of Hempstead, New York is absent from the community's historical narrative. This project, which is framed by two specific memories from my years attending Hempstead Public Schools, places these efforts within the historiographical context of the long fight against racially segregated education in the North and explores their long-term impact on Hempstead's educational system and the entire community. The project also considers reasons this history has been forgotten and asserts the …

From Fishing Weirs To Fancy Baskets: How Changes In Native American Basketry Forms Reflect Changes In The Economic Independence Of Native American Women During Colonization, Heidi J. Pickering

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

Contrary to the absence of Native American women in many reports and journals of early explorers and colonists, Native American women from the Coastal Algonquin and Wasco/Wishram communities played a central role in early trade with Euro-Americans through their traditional socioeconomic status as agricultural and subsistence gatherers and inter/intra-tribal tradeswomen. These native women harvested available natural resources for food, bark, and fiber with which they fed their communities and constructed baskets in standard units of measurement for trade reflecting that pre-contact trade networks and food value systems were well established and highly valued. Through an examination of scholarly research regarding …

Comparison And Contrast Of Eastern And Western Christian Civilizations, 325-1669, Through An Examination Of Two Contemporary Fourteenth Century Representations In The Mariological Cycle, James L. Whittle

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

This paper will examine the similarities and differences between Eastern and Western Christian civilizations, 325-1669, through the examination of two contemporary early fourteenth century interpretations of an episode in the infancy and betrothal narratives of the Mariological cycle. It will use the whole images and details of Giotto's The Betrothal of the Virgin in the Arena Chapel and The Virgin is Entrusted to Joseph in the narthex of Chora Church as lenses to reveal certain characteristics of Eastern and Western societies and the differences between them.

Ilya Repin And The Zaporozhe Cossacks, Kristina Pavlov-Leiching

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

Standing above other nineteenth-century century Russian painters, Ilya Repin has proven himself through his technical mastery and unrelenting quest for artistic exploration. Thi s has placed him among Russia' s most influential artists. This study examines Repin' s life and prolific career. The obj ective of thi s research i s to explore the unique marriage between art and politics in nineteenth-century Russia. This proj ect focuses on Repin' s 1 8 80 painting of the Zaporozhe Cossacks as a basis to explore the conflicting forces that befell Rep in, and also as a means to better understand the tempestuous …

In Partnership With The Land - An Environmentally Historic Overview Of The Ancestral Puebloan People Of Chaco Canyon During The Bonito Phase Ce 850-1140, Ilyse Goldman

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

This paper is an environmental history of the Ancestral Puebloan People of Chaco Canyon in northwestern New Mexico from 850 - 1 1 40 of the Common Era (CE), a period also known as the Bonito Phase. Environmental history explores the relationship between people and their landscape over time. To capture as complete a narrative as possible, this paper is written from three perspectives - the natural history of the desert southwest, how the Ancestral Puebloans adapted to these environmental conditions, and a discussion of how the Ancestral Puebloan religious cosmology assisted them in adapting to these conditions, enabling them …

Defining The Spiritual Aspects In The Pure Dance Of Bharata Natyam, Bevin Stark

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

Bharata natyam is herald as a sacred art. The goal of all traditional Indian arts is to evoke rasa (a tasting of spiritual bliss) in the artist as well as the spectator. I have personally experienced a spiritual power while performing and practicing this ancient dance form. Bharata natya has two main aspects to its dance presentation: natya (story-telling), and nrtta (pure dance technique). The natya portion clearly nurtures devotional feelings and religious contemplation by retelling stories of the gods, of the great Hindu epics and of myths. This study focuses on the subtle role that the nrtta portion of …

Walter Lippmann, John Dewey, And American Political Democracy, Jesse B. Markay

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

Journalist Walter Lippmann and philosopher John Dewey engaged in an extended dialogue in the 1 920s regarding the condition and future of American democracy. In a series of books and essays the two intellectuals confronted issues that have been debated since the creation of the American republic and that remain contested today: how public opinion is formed; the capacity of individual citizens to render judgments concerning public affairs; the role that public opinion ought to play in formulating public policy; the possibility of establishing a truly democratic community. This paper argues that the issues Lippmann and Dewey addressed and the …

Northwood School: The Survival Story Of An Educational Jewel In The Adirondacks, Perry Babcock

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

Northwood School is an example of a secondary boarding institution whose history mirrors the many changes in private education over the last one hundred years. As was the case with many of these private institutions, Northwood had to contend with the issue of isolation. The school's remote location caused it to evolve its own regional character. The school struggled financially as a not-for-profit institution that relied on tuition revenues and donations to maintain its stature in the competitive boarding school world. Northwood School also found itself challenged to sustain an educational philosophy when its market share dwindled and athletics became …

The Diffusion Of British Steam Technology And The First Creation Of America's Urban Proletariat, Mark Stephen Stanzione

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

The intent of this thesis project is to thoroughly analyze the effects of the transatlantic transfer of British steam engine machinery to the United States during the Antebellum and Gilded Ages. The American assimilation of British steam engine technology sustained improvements in industrial production, commerce, and transportation. In the process, transforming the work habits of native-born Americans and recent European immigrants by creating the need for a more mobile labor force while leading to the first urban proletariat in American society.

The transatlantic transfer of textile machine technology disseminated to America from England, during the Republic, had initiated the movement …

The Leadership Of Ernestine Rose 1848-1860, Joseph Haley

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

In my final project l will explore the leadership of Ernestine Rose in the context of contemporary transformational leadership theory. Although Rose was heavily involved in both woman's rights and social reform activities during her entire thirty-three year residence in the United States, I will focus on her woman's rights leadership initiatives between 1848-1860.

I will define transformational leadership and examine how it relates to a historical figure like Rose. I will also describe the status of the woman's rights movement and Rose's leadership within it. Finally, l will explore the relationship between Rose's leadership style and transformational leadership theory. …