History Commons^™

Avoiding The Subject: The Opium War, Opium-Markets, And The Exclusion Of Chinese Laborers In The United States, Canada, And Mexico, Olivia L. Blessing

Olivia L Blessing

The 19th century saw significant increases in the number of Chinese immigrants entering North America, most significantly on the west coast of the United States. Already facing increasing divide amongst the American population over the issue of the Opium Wars and the resulting Opium-addiction amongst the Chinese, the United States found itself now confronting the problem in the form of immigrant workers. Although the Opium Wars and the issue of the Chinese Opium Dens were highly disputed outside the courts, the State and Federal courts surprisingly avoided discussing the topic in their legislative discussions surrounding the Chinese Exclusion Act of …

Mars And Venus: Symbols Of The Chaotic And Conflicted Human Passions And The Reestablishment Of Order In “The Knight’S Tale.”, Olivia Blessing

Olivia L Blessing

During the Middle Ages, Europe experienced a period when philosophers attempted to separate and analyze the passionate and rational elements of the soul. Some supported strict reason as the sole moral basis for living, while others looked to the tempestuous passionate emotions. Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Knight’s Tale” portrays this conflict between reason and the passions through the depicted relationship between Mars and Venus and the uncontrolled passions of Arcite and Palamon.

Determining that a world controlled by passions results in chaos, Chaucer offers three different solutions—negating the passions, subjugating the passions to reason, and a balance between passion and reason. …

Operation Jedburgh: Creation Of Operation Jedburgh And The Jedburgh Team’S Efforts During D-Day, Olivia Blessing

Olivia L Blessing

Creation of Operation Jedburgh and the Jedburgh Team’s Efforts during D-Day The German invasion of France sparked a new type of war for Europe—one focused on covert operations and guerilla warfare. The French Resistance led the way in this new style of fighting, and the United States quickly offered its assistance to the partisan groups through the efforts of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). The resulting cooperation effort, named Operation Jedburgh, and the teams involved, containing numerous OSS officers, played a very important role in the efforts to free France before, during, and after D-Day.

Albania: A Nation Of Ethnic And Social Conflict, Olivia Blessing

Olivia L Blessing

Albania played a significant role in modern global events including the war on terror, the war in Kosovo, as well as with its influence as the only predominantly Muslim nation in Europe other than Kosovo. Problems in the nation’s history and modern struggles over ethnicity have derailed Albania’s move toward democracy at times, but, so far, Albania has shown itself willing to work around these problems in an effort to move forwards its application to join the EU as one of the newest democratic states.

Mata Hari: A Life Of Lies, Olivia Blessing

Olivia L Blessing

During the international scandal of her 1917 trial and subsequent execution, Mata Hari’s name became a universal title for a traitorous woman. Since then, spies like Tokyo Rose and Radient Jade were known respectively as the "Mata Hari of the airways" and the "Mata Hari of the East." However, unlike the other two women, Mata Hari was famous for being a woman who would do anything for a price years before the French accused her of treason, and this image hurt her during the trial as much as the accusations of treason did.

The Morrígan: A Trinity United, Olivia L. Blessing

Olivia L Blessing

The eeriness of Poe’s words has echoed down throughout the years to enthrall generation after generation with the verses’ sense of dismay, desperation, and fatality. Yet many have forgotten that, centuries earlier, the Celts were telling their own tales of shadowy ravens and tragic futures foretold. Many remain in the form of legends about their goddess of war—Morrígan. This goddess was a complex, triune character; comprehending the entirety of her power and importance in the Celtic myths requires an in-depth examination of her appearances in the old legends and the impact those tales had on the Celts.

Through Adversity, It Became Strong: The Establishment Of The Oss, The Opposition It Faced, And Its Overall Success, Olivia Blessing

Olivia L Blessing

Fulfillment of the United States’ need for intelligence research and analysis during World War II came through William Donovan’s leadership of the Coordinator of Information (COI) and its offspring, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), despite the early problems both agencies faced. Donovan and the OSS would later play a major part in the Allies’ victory over Axis forces. By overcoming the bureaucratic and procedural issues at home and abroad, The Office of Strategic Services firmly established itself as a necessary force in the world of information during the war against the Axis.