History Commons^™

"Meeters In Secret": The History Of Freemasonry And Its Influence On Conspiracy Culture In The United States, Emily Mcgee

History Class Publications

George Washington. Theodore Roosevelt. John Wayne. Henry Ford. Booker T. Washington. Mark Twain. Lewis and Clark. Harry Houdini. Buzz Aldrin. The names, initially, seem to have no correlation. These men come from different centuries and economic backgrounds. They are presidents, authors, entertainers, inventors, and adventurers. They are important symbols of American culture, but their connection reaches deeper even than that. All of the men listed above, and countless others, were part of the Freemason Society. For some, this might be a shocking revelation, but, for others, this may not be surprising. Freemasons have permeated American politics and popular culture since …

Dream Visions As A Safe Space For Purgatorial Speculation, Tucker Douglass

History Class Publications

People have believed in something like purgatory for thousands of years. Their specific ideas reflect their cultural environments and their personal feelings about the human condition. By looking at the dream vision genre over the past 2,000 years we may get a better idea of the development of the doctrine of purgatory and, with it, how people have understood themselves in history.

African American Service In The United States Civil War: The Forgotten Ten Percent, Jacob Roberts

History Class Publications

Throughout the early years of the development of the United States, the outright discrimination and prejudice directed against African American men, women, and children unfortunately became widely accepted, specifically in the southern regions of the country. Even in today’s society, in the 21^st century, instances of racism and hatred towards people of color are still prevalent. Despite over 200 years of growth and progress, many individuals in the United States still hold true to the beliefs that were consistent with racists and bigots of the pre-Civil War era. African Americans continue to experience the same trials and judgment that …

Knights Of The Middle Ages, David Sikes

History Class Publications

As humans began to grow in numbers, they began to create civilizations for themselves in order to better survive, and as those civilizations grew, there came to be a divergence of roles for people to perform. The most universal of all these was the Warrior Elite, a class of people who were part of the lesser nobility and would function as officers and generals in times of conflict. For Japan it was the Samurai, for Iran it was the Persian Immortals, and for Europe in the 9^th to late 15^th century, there were the Knights. Let us look …

Chivalry And The Knight, Kyle Burrow

History Class Publications

What does it mean to have honor? Cultures from across the world have asked this question for millennia, and most of them have come up with very violent answers. Probably the most recognizable form of honorable conduct that we see in history is the idea of chivalry. Born in the Middle Ages, this idea bloomed in a troubled time, when wars were a pretty common occurrence, and the upper class was starting to need to justify their existence-- or distract the population with another shiny crusade. This is where chivalry comes in. At first, it was little more than a …

What Can People Learn About The American Revolution Through "Assassin's Creed Iii"?, Katie Kitchell

History Class Publications

Video games have been a source of entertainment for people of all ages since the creation of the first video game, Pong, in 1958. Over time, video games have been improved upon to provide better graphics, better stories, better gameplay, and more fun for the family. Careers are now based on the creation of video games and their development, leading to the rise of companies such as Ubisoft, Nintendo, Electronic Arts, Sony Computer Entertainment, and many others who base their entire company on the creation and selling of video games. Today, they have been integrated as an almost essential …

A God Of Unity And A People Of Division: Segregation In The Christian Churches Of Arkadelphia, Arkansas, Zackary Kelley

History Class Publications

Arkadelphia, Arkansas is a small town that suffers from the great divide on Sunday morning. In this paper, I attempt to unravel why churches in town are segregated, what is being done about it, and what the church leaders have to say about the topic.

Public Verses Private Desegregation: A Comparison Of Integrating Into Arkansas' Public And Private Education Systems, Kaleb Mcadams

History Class Publications

It was May 17, 1954, when the Supreme Court issued its decision ruling the segregation of public schools to be unconstitutional. The case, Brown v. The Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, has maintained its significance in American history due to the way it brought about cultural change in the south. Before then, many southern states were dominated by white democratic state legislatures and had mandated Jim Crow laws which forced African American and white children to be enrolled at separate schools.

There was an uproar after the court ruling, which led many states to resist the push for integration. …

The Jewish Response To The Nuremberg Trials, Melody Pruitt

History Class Publications

World War II was characterized by extreme violence and hardship. People from all over the world faced incredible circumstances of hunger, destitution, disease, and death. Millions of lives were lost both through the waging of war and the extermination of people groups. World War II characterized the globe in several different respects that still affect it today. Political systems, societies, and policies would forever be changed by the war, and people began to see each other quite differently. Perhaps the most well-known example of this is the mass murder of millions of Jews by the Nazi regime known as the …

What Happens In Vagueness Stays In Vagueness: The United States Constitution's Ideas On Race, Austin Clements

History Class Publications

The United States’ Constitution, while it may not explicitly discuss race in detail, has echoes of race throughout both its language and its history. Even during the origination of the Constitution, the inclusion of slavery was a hotly contested subject among the authors of the Constitution. The United States’ Constitution only uses the words “race” and “color” once and that is in the Fifteenth Amendment, which essentially gave black Americans the right to vote. While the US Constitution may not explicitly talk about race much, I argue that race is a present theme throughout the Constitution as well as behind …

Left In Limbo After Lumumba: An Analysis Of The Decolonization Of Resource Rights In The Drc, Austin Clements

History Class Publications

Neocolonialism within consumer goods is always a difficult phenomenon to address. When I began to write about Western exploitative practices in the country of the Democratic Republic of Congo (henceforth DRC), it was very difficult to see how I myself was guilty of sponsoring and driving the colonialist practices that continue today in the mining of cobalt, copper, and nickel in the DRC. While I was using my Apple iPhone to take calls and send emails concerning the DRC, I was using a device that it was “impossible to know” if child labor had mined the cobalt present within the …

Carter Family Tree, Mattison Griffin

History Class Publications

This research paper looks at the family tree of Mattison Griffin following the Cart line. The lineage is traced back centuries and looks at the location of the family and how they traveled from England to Arkansas.

Floral Imagery Within Wartime Era Poetry: How Its Usage Transforms Memory And Remembrance, Margaret Ann Donnell

History Class Publications

The World Wars had a devastating impact on the soldiers and citizens that lived and suffered through them. They stood a tremendous toll physically, mentally, and emotionally. For many, if it was even possible, an escape was needed. Any outlet that could provide a way to cope with and verbalize their experiences was an endeavor worth undertaking. The arts, especially poetry, was a way those within the wartime eras could express and process what they had endured.

Eugenics, Margaret Ann Donnell

History Class Publications

Naturally, and quite understandably, people avoid discussing the dark periods of human history, specifically the inconceivable acts of dehumanization imposed on their fellow man.

Individuals struggle to understand, sometimes simply because they cannot fathom, how a person—and in some cases, an institution—can manipulate and devalue another human being or groups of people. Often, the standards by which those with the “authority” to determine the lack of worth of the individual or population are arbitrary and subjective.

All of this is relevant in a conversation over the eugenics movement of the United States, occurring in the early to mid-twentieth century.

When …

World At War: Final Research Paper, Elise Nelson

History Class Publications

The Ottoman Empire reigned for over five centuries throughout today’s Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Southern Europe, starting around 1299. However, after World War I, it completely disbanded, creating several nation-states. What led to the fall of this massive Empire? There seem to be several factors including actions of World War I. Both the Allies and the Entente fought in the Middle East, each side supporting different groups within the Ottoman Empire. During the World War I period, the Young Turks, those in government in the Ottoman Empire, desired to create a “Turanian nationality.” This included a “Turkification” …

Decolonization Of Thought: A Critical Look Into The Memorialization And Remembrance Of The Ukrainian Holodomor, Margaret Ann Donnell

History Class Publications

A common misconception is that countries in the world today have surpassed the selfish desire of dominating other less-powerful countries, with the underlying belief that these countries do not have the means necessary to govern themselves. As great as it would be for this to be true, it is certainly not the case. While many believe the world powers and their former colonies are on good terms and all is well between the two, there are still areas of the world undergoing the process of decolonization. For many, this process has only just begun, as their decolonization struggle has proven …

Negritude And The Black Pen, Sarah Carnahan

History Class Publications

The emotions toward having black skin can only be known through firsthand experience. This disposition is known as negritude. Negritude refers to the values and beliefs held in black culture and heritage. These feelings shape a person's worldview, and the way they understand society. This effect can be seen through art, music, and writing. The attitudes and feelings of negritude can be seen through the emotional writing in Birago Diop’s poem The Black Pen.

Granada, Is It Pronounced Gruh-Nay-Duh Or Gruh-Nah-Duh: I Don't Know, But Reagan's Foreign Policy Sucked, Austin Clements

History Class Publications

The history of the Caribbean is one infested with slavery, colonialism, imperialism, and coups d’état. While these are all very important when considering the history of these island nations, what is also equally important is considering that these islands are often seen as tokens and means to convey a message by world superpowers, not as genuine nations that should be respected just as much as any European power. This is especially evident in the history of Grenada, an island nation in the eastern Caribbean. Grenada, throughout its history, has been used as a political pawn and has been bullied by …

Walt Disney's War On The Perception Of Propaganda, Hailey Thompson

History Class Publications

This paper focuses on the influence of World War I and Nazi propaganda on American propaganda during World War II. I specifically analyzed the use of propaganda through the means of film using Walt Disney cartoons. What fueled the effectiveness of propaganda in film? Why were cartoons so intense? What methods did the producers employ in the features? I also wanted to look at the influence of Nazi propaganda on its counterpart, American propaganda. The majority of the focus on propaganda centered around Frank Capra’s “Why We Fight Series.” The focus on cartoons as a means of propaganda largely faded …

Rhetoric For Rearmament: How The Eisenhower Administration Sold West German Rearmament To The World, Wesley Oliver

History Class Publications

Rhetoric is one of the most important propaganda tools of the state. Carefully chosen and crafted words enable political leaders to put ideologies into words and present their preferred narrative to the world. Rhetoric becomes especially important when a state or political leader needs to justify something controversial. During the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, the United States used rhetoric to justify rearming their former enemies West Germany and Japan. In particular, President Dwight Eisenhower used very specific and consistent rhetoric to justify West German rearmament. This rhetoric mirrored that which the United States had …

Biographical Sketch: James Winfield Whipple, Abigail Wise

History Class Publications

This is a summary of the life and legacy of James "Skinny" Winfield Whipple of Clark County, Arkansas.

Estelle Blake, Hailee Lanier

History Class Publications

A short biographical sketch of Estelle McMillan Blake, a resident of Clark County, Arkansas.

Biographical Sketch Of Martha Green, Elizabeth Lizzie Hall

History Class Publications

Martha Glennie Greene was born on November 9, 1907 in Louisiana to Myal and Georgia Greene. Belonging to one of Arkadelphia’s pioneer families who first arrived from Virginia in 1836, her family was very involved in the community.

Winnie "Mom" Sanders, Kacie Richards

History Class Publications

A summary of the life of Winnie Sanders, nicknamed Mom by her loving "boys". Who she devoted her life and time to whale at Ouachita Baptist University in Clark County, Arkansas.

Daisy Scott Sharpe Ball, Kyndall Miller

History Class Publications

A summary of the life of Daisy Scott Sharpe Ball of Clark County, Arkansas.

Similarities Between Groups On Irish Home Rule And Independence, Cassie Young

History Class Publications

In this paper, I looked at two varieties of nationalism in nineteenth-twentieth century Ireland (parliamentary and revolutionary nationalism) and compared them to each other and to unionism. Specifically, I looked at how they were similar in their concern for religious equality, appeals to pride and love of country, desire for increased political rights, and the need to be unified.

Franklin Haltom O'Baugh: A Short Biography, Hannah Pearce

History Class Publications

On February 9, 1922, the O’Baugh family of Arkadelphia, Arkansas, welcomed their sixth (of eight) child: Franklin Haltom O’Baugh. The O’Baugh family has somewhat of a legacy in this small town: J.H. O’Baugh, paternal great-grandfather to Franklin, was Arkadelphia’s first mayor when the city was incorporated in 1857 as county seat for one of Arkansas’ five oldest counties. As a bricklayer, J.H. O’Baugh developed the city first by building Arkadelphia’s original courthouse and then would-be Confederate Governor of Arkansas Harris Flanagin’s law office, which still stands today across from the current courthouse. Later on, he served as County Judge during …

Textbooks And Their Portrayal Of Japan In World War Ii, Harry Lah

History Class Publications

“Good morning everyone, now if you’ll turn in your books with me to page...” drones the voice of the teacher, it can be any teacher, teaching history in a typical high school. Those words dreaded by students of all ages and from all generations that attended schools within the public school system of their respective states. Many students dreaded these classes, but they were no doubt influenced by them. By sitting in them they were presented with information both new and old about their state and country from their teacher, and perhaps more significantly, whatever textbook they had in school. …

Who Were The Body-Snatchers? A Portrayal Of Those Men That Resorted To The Occupation Of Stealing Human Cadavers In 19th Century America, Bridget Hosey

History Class Publications

On a cold autumn night in Baltimore, three men rush to the cemetery where they begin a grisly business under the cover of darkness. Each man is fearful of night patrolmen and any casual pedestrians, for their nightly escapade is both appalling and grim. These men have chosen the occupation of body snatching, a surprisingly popular job in the 19th century. One man is charged with transport; he drives a wagon to the cemetery then hides in an inconspicuous spot while the other two remain to dig up the body. With only a lantern, a tarp, a rope, and wooden …

The Nine Who Changed Central, Trey Hart

History Class Publications

The Little Rock Central Crisis of 1957 was one that will be remembered forever. The crisis occurred when Little Rock Central High School integrated and became the first school in the south to do so. This event came with much controversy and did not go over well with the white community. Governor Orval Faubus was the leader of the state of Arkansas and did everything he could to try and prevent the integration of Central High. Central High School voluntarily wanted to integrate their school. There were nine students who would enter Central High School on September 23rd. Originally there …