History Commons^™

Symbol Of American Discontent: The Selective Service During The Vietnam War, Jean B. Todd

History Theses & Dissertations

This thesis presents an intensive study of the nature and scope of the Selective Service System in an effort to analyze the system that became the focal point of growing discontent with the Vietnam War. The primary objective is to determine whether the Selective Service System equitably executed its congressionally mandated objective of raising military manpower. In order to ascertain whether the System operated with balance and fairness, its structure and procedures are examined. The study of the Selective Service System's structure 'necessitated an analysis of the characteristics and backgrounds of both administrators and those who met the System's quotas …

General John Henry Winder's Administration Of Martial Law In Richmond, 1862-1864, John Michael Cobb

History Theses & Dissertations

General John Henry Winder enforced martial law in the Confederate capital in Richmond from the winter of 1862 .to the spring of 1864. Winder's Richmond was plagued with lawlessness, disloyalty, and espionage. He was an experienced and capable commander who enforced his summary orders diligently. But Winder's regime only succeeded in managing the city for brief periods. The complex problems he confronted probably were insurmountable; by the end of his administration Richmond remained in turmoil. Several factors were responsible for this: numerous people were willing to risk prison to participate in the lucrative liquor trade, the basis for much of …

The Effect Of The Revolution On Norfolk Politics, Mary C. Chrysostomides

History Theses & Dissertations

This study sought to determine whether the Revolution had a revolutionary effect on Norfolk as measured by changes in the wealth and occupation of common councilmen, the nature of politics, and the formal structure of the government of the borough. The politics, politicians, and governmental structure of Norfolk twenty years before the Revolution were compared to the politics, politicians, and governmental structure twenty years after the Revolution. The data for the study were drawn from damage claims, newspapers, wills, probate records, tax records, personal papers, travel accounts, petitions submitted to the General Assembly, statutes and ordinances, and other public records. …

A Study Of Federalist Motivation In The Virginia Ratifying Convention Of 1788, Rosemarie Yoder

History Theses & Dissertations

This study seeks to discover the Federalists' motivation for ratification of the Constitution in the Virginia Ratifying Convention of 1788. Thirteen Federalist delegates were selected as representative of that group. Their backgrounds, previous voting records, and the areas they represented were studied to ascertain their motives in endorsement of the Constitution. The debates that took place at the Virginia Ratifying Convention, the delegates' correspondence, and public statements were also studied to affix motivation.

Although it was found that individual differences in motivation existed, as a group, the Virginia Federalists were motivated primarily not by economic considerations but by their desire …

Confederate Leather Supply: Industrial Improvisation In The Confederacy, James E. Parker Iii

History Theses & Dissertations

This is a study of the Confederacy's attempt to supply all types of leather products necessary to equip and maintain adequately its armies during the Civil War. This study includes all phases of leather supply efforts made at home and abroad by civilians, the Army, state and political leaders, and slaves. This research gives insight on the importance of a very basic item of supply that is often overlooked by historians as a significant factor in the Civil War. Leather deficiencies were serious in the Confederacy throughout the war. Despite the revolutionary efforts on the part. of the government and …

The Fleet Landing Exercises And The Development Of Modern American Amphibious Doctrine, W. Howard Meissel Jr.

History Theses & Dissertations

The Fleet Landing Exercises conducted by the United States Marine Corps in conjunction with the Navy and Army were some of the most significant military exercises conducted in American history. This thesis analyzes the seven exercises conducted between 1935 and 1941 to see how field testing affected amphibious doctrine, organization, and equipment development. This study summarizes the successes and failures of each exercise in regard to the evolution of a strong tactical doctrine, the training of a cadre of officers and men, and the development of the equipment vital to perform the amphibious mission. Primary information is largely drawn from …

Frances E. Willard's Southern Tours For Temperance: 1881-1883, Charles Jeffrey Shelton

History Theses & Dissertations

Frances E. Willard (1839-98) was the president of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union from 1879 until her death and one of the foremost temperance advocates of her time. This study explores the impact of Willard's first three tours of the South on that region's temperance movement and southern women, as well as on inter-sectional reconciliation after Reconstruction. The study concludes that Willard's efforts to organize W.C.T.U. chapters in the South were largely successful. Willard and her southern collaborators contributed greatly to a resurgence of the southern temperance movement and the involvement of southern women in community activities, but temperance advocacy …

The Remarkable John Bigelow, Jr.: An Examination Of Professionalism In The United States Army, 1877-91, Howard K. Hansen Jr.

History Theses & Dissertations

This thesis describes the military career of John Bigelow, Jr. , with emphasis on the professional development of United States Army officers. It questions the role Bigelow played in the formation of army professionalism, a sense of corporate responsibility to exercise military expertise correctly. A focus on Bigelow to delineate professionalism in the army provides a fresh perspective of a pivotal period in American military history in the aftermath of the Civil War and before the United States started to build a colonial empire. Bigelow articulated a comprehensive concept of total^ar as he perceived its development in the United States. …