History Commons^™

Workers Of The Word Unite!: The Powell's Books Union Organizing Campaign, 1998-2001, Ryan Thomas Wisnor

Dissertations and Theses

The labor movement's groundswell in the 1990s accompanied a period of intense competition and conglomeration within the retail book sector. Unexpectedly, the intersection of these two trends produced two dozen union drives across the country between 1996 and 2004 at large retail bookstores, including Borders and Barnes & Noble. Historians have yet to fully examine these retail organizing contests or recount their contributions to the labor movement and its history, including booksellers' pioneering use of the internet as an organizing tool. This thesis focuses on the aspirations, tactics, and contributions of booksellers in their struggles to unionize their workplaces, while …

A Conservationist Takes Flight: The Early Career Of William Lovell Finley, 1887-1911, Carey Elizabeth Myles

Dissertations and Theses

William Lovell Finley was an American conservationist active in Oregon and California from 1894 to 1947. He was president of the Oregon Audubon Society and a field representative for the National Audubon Society. He also served as Oregon State Game Warden, State Biologist and as a Commissioner on the Oregon State Fish and Game Commission. He wrote for ornithology journals and popular magazines, was an early wildlife field photographer, and made wildlife films. This thesis examines the Finley's career from 1887 to 1911 to demonstrate how Finley, as a self-taught naturalist, forged a professional identity and became part of a …

Privatizing The Second Gender: The Origins Of Private Property And Its Relation To Female Sexual Enslavement In The Capitalist Economy, Van Thao Tran

Anthós

With this inquiry, I seek to establish that the privatization of women as property not only originates from but also propagates the creation of private property as is theorized by Thorstein Veblen – and, through both Veblen’s and Friedrich Engel’s research, we can entail that the erosion of women’s agency and ownership is enforced during the early sedentary stages of human development. Throughout the course of history, women’s barbaric status as war loot has evolved into a more insidious institution of naturalized slavery and sexual encumbrance through the adoption of John Locke’s natural rights philosophy into the businessman’s practice, the …

Galen’S Analogy: Animal Experimentation And Anatomy In The Second Century C.E., Annastasia Conner

Anthós

Galen of Pergamum (129 – ca. 216 C.E.) is truly one of the most pivotal characters in the history of medicine, and particularly the field of anatomy. A physician in the ancient Roman Empire, he did not allow his work to be constrained by contemporary boundaries, instead delving further into the field of anatomy and physiology than any doctor had yet done. He built upon the existing work of his predecessors as well as making new discoveries through which he would shape contemporary and future understandings of anatomy, and of medicine as a whole. Although a luminary in his field, …

Music And Race In The American West, William Steven Schneider

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis explores the complexities of race relations in the nineteenth century American West. The groups considered here are African Americans, Anglo Americans, Chinese, Mexican Americans, and Native Americans. In recent decades historians of the West have begun to tell the narratives of racial minorities. This study adopts the aims of these scholars through a new lens--music. Ultimately, this thesis argues that historians can use music, both individual songs and broader conceptions about music, to understand the complex and contradictory race relations of the nineteenth century west.

Proceeding thematically, the first chapter explores the ways Anglo Americans used music to …

Book Review Of, Embracing A Western Identity: Jewish Oregonians, 1849 - 1950 By Ellen Eisenberg, Natan M. Meir

Judaic Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Natan M. Meir is the Chair of the Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies at Portland State University. Here he reviews the book "Embracing a Western Identity: Jewish Oregonians, 1849 - 1950" by Ellen Eisenberg.

Book Review Of, Fur Trade Gamble: North West Company On The Pacific Slope, 1800-1820 By Lloyd Keith And John C. Jackson, William L. Lang

History Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

The Earliest American Map Of The Northwest Coast: John Hoskins's A Chart Of The Northwest Coast Of America Sketched On Board The Ship Columbia Rediviva ... 1791 & 1792, James V. Walker, William L. Lang

History Faculty Publications and Presentations

Between 1790 and 1793, John Hoskins created a map of the Northwest Coast of North America that included ninety-one place names documenting Native communities. The map is the earliest example of such detailed documentation by an American and was rediscovered in 1852 at the Cartographic Archives Division of the National Archives and Records Administration. In this research article, James Walker and William Lang provide a historical context for the map, including comparative charts that break down the Native names that Hoskins documented into seven cultural groups. According to Walker and Lang, the map “opens a window to what American traders …

Settler Visions Of Health: Health Care Provision In The Central African Federation, 1953-1963, Catherine Janet Valentine

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis examines healthcare provision in the Central African Federation, the late colonial union between the British colonies of Southern Rhodesia, Northern Rhodesia, and Nyasaland (the later independent nations of Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi respectively). Unusually in federal formations, healthcare delivery in the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland became a federal function. "Settler Visions of Health" seeks to explain how the white settler elite reconciled the language of development and multiracial partnership with the underlying values of a settler society. Throughout its short existence, the Federal Health Service maintained a celebratory narrative of success designed to legitimize and justify both …

Interview With Charles Le Guin, Charles Le Guin, Heather Oriana Petrocelli

Portland State University Oral Histories

Dr. Charles A. Le Guin is Professor Emeritus of History at Portland State University, where he taught for over thirty-five years.

In this interview with Heather O. Petrocelli on May 16, 2017, Dr. Le Guin recalls his experience as a member of the Portland State faculty starting in the 1950s. He describes his view of Portland State's development from a small college to a large urban university, the professional, social, and cultural environments of the downtown campus, and the founding of pioneering academic programs such as University Studies and the Honors College.

Working-Class Black Women’S Role In Building And Sustaining Black Communities In The Pacific Northwest, Tessara G. Dudley

Student Research Symposium

In response to the scholarly focus on the historical racism of the Pacific Northwest, this research attempts to answer the question of how Black communities have persisted in the face of discrimination. This study is a historical examination of the roles that Black women have played in building and sustaining Black communities within predominantly white regions, with a specific focus on the Portland-Vancouver area during and after World War II. This work focuses on the activities of working class Black women, a significant proportion of Black women migrating to the Pacific Northwest during World War II, examining their community-building activities …

"Would To God Each Town Had Also A Girls' School" : New Views Of Women's Education From Luther And Vives, Malia R. Marshall

Young Historians Conference

In the early 1500s, Europe went through a time of rapidly changing ideas as a result of the rise of the humanist movement and Protestant Reformation. What did leading humanists and reformers believe about women's education? More importantly, how did their writings change the way Europeans viewed women's education? By examining the writings of humanist Juan Luis Vives and reformer Martin Luther, this paper argues that while both men countered misogynistic ideas of the day in support of women's education, Luther separated himself from humanist educators by suggesting that both women and men needed to be educated for their salvation, …

The Communist Manifesto: A Case Study In The Class Politics Of Industrialization, Benjamin B. Goldberg

Young Historians Conference

Karl Marx is among the few historical figures whose influence was not fully apparent until after his death. When he penned his best-known work, The Communist Manifesto, “communism” was little more than a vague boogeyman employed by the political establishment of Europe to discredit movements among industrial laborers, but after he had long since passed, the students of his works, in the midst of World War I, seized power from the Tsar of Russia. Why the revolution occurred but the expected workers’ paradise failed to follow has been the subject of much debate. Opinions range from the White Russian …

Marcus Garvey: A Legacy Obscured By Infamy, Gabriel A. Abdellatif

Young Historians Conference

Marcus Garvey was a 20th century Jamaican civil rights leader. Garvey is noted for founding the Universal Negro Improvement Association in an effort to promote black pride as well as establish black economic independence through the creation of negro owned businesses. Despite the contributions he made to civil rights efforts, much of Garvey’s career was shrouded in controversy. Drawing on primary sources including letters written by Garvey and articles written by the foremost thinkers of the NAACP, this papers examines the numerous professional scandals in Garvey’s life, specifically his ties to white supremacy, poor relationships with other civil rights leaders, …

The Edict Of Milan And The Early Roots Of Christianity In The Roman Empire, Christopher J. Chow

Young Historians Conference

With the Christian religion becoming so widely accepted and dominant today in the Western world, it is easy to forget the journey that the religion went through to reach its current state. It was once a heavily persecuted religion, yet it took the Roman Empire by storm and became the backbone to the Catholic Church. Christianity's spread was no accident. This paper will examine some of the factors regarding Christianity's early roots to identify what led up to its success in a heavily dominated Pagan culture.

“A Curiosity Which Has Many Eyes”: Ante-Nicene Church Fathers’ Attitudes Towards Bathing, Lilian C. Chan

Young Historians Conference

Ancient Rome was known for its extravagant public bathhouses. However, as medieval values began to emerge in Ante-Nicene Rome, the Church Fathers condemned the public and mixed-gender nature of these bathhouses. The bathhouses were declared unchaste, immoral, and unhealthy. The reasons the Church Fathers condemned bathing reveal the stringency of the Ante-Nicene Church towards even long-held traditions. However, these reasonings go beyond religious implications and also provide insight into the medical knowledge and sexism in Ante-Nicene Rome.

The Interconnection Between Law And Christianity In Medieval England, Maria Isabel Caplazi

Young Historians Conference

In England, the influence of Christian morals and beliefs grew rapidly during the medieval era. Religious beliefs were evident in literature, laws, as well as social hierarchy. The extent of religious influence on medieval English law is undeniable, however historians have yet to attain a full understanding of religious reach because of institutionalized relativism -- the concept that varying environments affect how social regulations are established in their area. This paper discusses two of the most prominent ways Christianity influenced medieval English law -- through direct influence on laws themselves as well as religious impact on the individual administrators of …

Using “Evil” To Combat “Evil”: The Regulation Of Prostitution In Renaissance Florence, Lilah F. Abrams

Young Historians Conference

In accordance with the general opinions towards women at the time, the establishment of the Office of Decency (known as the Onestá) in Florence, Italy during the Renaissance served to dehumanize the women participating in the profession. While many argue that the Florentine Onestá was established to preserve the city’s image, the ultimate intention of the ordinances was to use women as tools to regulate male behavior. Drawing on the remaining ordinances established by the Onestá as primary source material, this paper identifies the utilization of prostitutes to restrict the defiling of “virtuous” women by men through regulations on attire …

Rasputin And The Fragmentation Of Imperial Russia, Jessie Radcliffe

Young Historians Conference

In 1917 the Romanov Dynasty ended as did Imperial Russia. Faced with years of political, social and economic instability tracing back to the Revolution of 1905, it was only a matter of time before everything fell apart. This paper analyzes the role in which Gregory Rasputin played in further polarizing the many facets of Russian society and priming the country for the Revolution of 1917.

A Collaborative Work: The Role Of University Students And Dissidents In Czechoslovakia's Velvet Revolution, Milena Rogers

Young Historians Conference

The 1989 Velvet Revolution is fairly unknown against the tumultuous historical backdrop of the Communist controlled Eastern Bloc in the second half of the twentieth century. However, it is arguably one of the most important events in the history of Czechoslovakia and remains as a powerful testament of the power of the people. This paper explores the collaboration of university students and established intellectuals in the forty years that Czechoslovakia was controlled by the Soviets, and examines how a bloodless uprising removed one of the world’s greatest entities in a peaceful transfer of power.

Mo'ikeha's Voyage From Tahiti To Hawaii: A Look Into Polynesian Culture, Kalea Tetsuka

Young Historians Conference

The purpose of this paper was to explore the historiography and significance of Mo’ikeha’s voyage from Tahiti to Hawaii. Traced back to around the 13th century, Mo’ikeha sailed from Tahiti to Hawaii using traditional navigational skills mastered by Polynesian voyagers. For years this was merely dismissed as a myth by European scholars, but in 1976 the Hokule’a recreated this trip using the same navigational techniques and traditional boat. Today, Mo’ikeha’s story will continue to live on, inspiring movies like Moana and proving the historical and cultural value of Hawaiian oral history.

The Influence Of Hellenism On The Literary Style Of 1 And 2 Maccabees, Dimitra S. Fellman

Young Historians Conference

The Jewish people living within Hellenistic Greece experienced great freedoms, and many assimilated into the non-Jewish societies around them. Yet, under the Seleucid King Antiochus IV in the 2nd century BCE, the Jewish people experienced oppression and persecution, which has been chronicled in the books 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees. At a glance, these books appear opposed to the blending of Hellenistic culture and society into surrounding Jewish communities, but a deeper analysis of both texts reveals that the authors depended on Hellenistic constructs to effectively tell their story. This paper explores the degree to which the authors of 1 …

Subjective Retelling: The Influence Of External And Individual Factors On The Folktales Of The Brothers Grimm, Katherine R. Woodhouse

Young Historians Conference

Since a first edition of Children’s and Household Tales was published in 1812, the work of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm has been read, told, watched, and referenced all over the world. When the Grimms initially set out to construct the famous anthology, they intended to objectively uncover a breadth of traditional German folktales, preserving them in their purest possible forms. These stories, the brothers believed, held the essence of the nation’s declining culture and collective identity. However, the assumption that the stories of Children’s and Household Tales holistically represent the genuine German history and dialogue of oral storytelling is inaccurate. …

Paving The Pathway For Loving V. Virginia, Maia L. Insinga

Young Historians Conference

Interracial marriage laws have burdened jubilant couples throughout America’s history, making the stories of those that fought against the unjust laws a necessary topic of research. This paper discusses the history of Loving v. Virginia, a Supreme Court case that repealed all remaining interracial marriage laws on April 10, 1967, when the Court sided with the Loving couple. The credit of this event cannot be given entirely to the Lovings and their lawyers appeals to the Supreme Court, therefore this paper reviews supplementary events, court cases, research and media influences that paved the pathway to the ultimate decision of Loving …

Clickbait Science: A Review Of Rhetorical Patterns Within The Royal Society, Bryan T. Le

Young Historians Conference

King Charles II of England gave birth to the Royal Society and the right for it to publish without interference in the seventeenth century. Out of this society came forth Philosophical Transactions, the first ever science journal. The journal, however, was not strictly bound to science. Articles within the journal exhibit a variety of unusual bits of information ranging from making water colors to constructing a bee-house. This paper shows that the Royal Society included articles that weren’t science but human interest to gather a following for themselves.

Tainted Benevolence: Sources Of Funding For The Liverpool School Of Tropical Medicine From 1898-1915, Lucy Cummins

Young Historians Conference

The final two decades of the nineteenth century saw a race among European powers to secure vast tracts of land in Africa for colonization and exploitation. However, the empires of the West soon found that effective occupation of this new continent would not end with a physical takeover. In order to benefit politically and financially from their new territories, colonial governments would have to confront a series of unforeseen challenges, one of the largest of which was the prevalence of so-called "tropical" diseases. Few doctors in Europe had any experience with or understanding of conditions from sleeping sickness to Guinea …

Progressive Era Aftermath-Analysis Of Municipal Housekeeping: Bertha K. Landes And Dorothy Mccullough Lee, Mary Potter

Young Historians Conference

Municipal housekeeping in America arose after the fall of the progressive era. The nation faced political corruption, high crime rates, and civic disarray. Elite clubwomen took it upon themselves to step forward and clean up their communities. In the Pacific Northwest, Bertha Landes and Dorothy McCullough Lee were two of the most influential municipal housekeepers. Bertha Landes was mayor of Seattle in 1926 and Dorothy Lee was mayor of Portland in 1949. Both mayors fought gender bias and prejudice while cleaning up their city’s streets and morals. From 1926 to 1949, the fundamentals behind municipal housekeeping did not change, but …

The Escalation Of Human Sterilization In The 1900s, Rebecca S. Lumbantobing

Young Historians Conference

The sterilizations of over 200,000 Americans is an often forgotten part of Western science’s not so distant past. Sterilization was proposed as a eugenic solution to combat societal issues attributed to genetics, such as criminality, pauperism, and feeblemindedness. Sterilization laws began to be implemented in several American states. However, it was not until the 1920s, that eugenics advocates E.S. Gosney and Paul Popenoe created the Human Betterment Foundation to introduce the complex conjecture of eugenics to the layman. Drawing upon the original publications by the HBF, Sterilization for Human Benefit and “Human Sterilization Today”, and contemporary reviews, this paper explores …

An Examination Of Franz Edmund Creffield And The Holy Rollers, 1900-1907, Sophie Koh

Young Historians Conference

This paper outlines the story of a religious cult from Corvallis referred to as the “Holy Rollers” and led by Franz Edmund Creffield. I researched the causes for his followers’ behavior from 1900 to 1907, relating the investigation to the press, people, and social roles surrounding the sect. Because his following was dominantly female, hysteria was the popular argument during the early twentieth century. To explore these claims, I researched the possibility of insanity in these women and why they may have agreed to all of Creffield’s ridiculous demands, as well as why the public responded the way they did.

Breaking The Mold: Joan Of Arc's Unyielding Individuality, Sierra Ha

Young Historians Conference

During the Hundred Years’ War, Joan of Arc became known for her unusual dress, piety, and leadership. While these aspects of Joan’s personality have been studied independently by historians, through a comprehensive study of these characteristics, it becomes clear that Joan stood out from her peers because of the strict obstinacy with which she maintained her unique lifestyle. Her mannerisms caught the attention of her English rivals and even the French, whom she fought to protect. Because of the individualistic ways in which she dressed, exercised her faith, and guided others that broke social expectations and the unyielding persistence with …