History Commons^™

The 1973 Termination Of The Use Of U.S. Military Forces In Indochina, Barry M. Block

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On June 26, 1973, Congress passed a supplemental appropriations bill that included a rider that immediately cutoff the use of U.S. funds for U.S. combat activities in Cambodia or Laos. President Nixon vetoed this bill and the House failed to override the veto. Nixon and Congress negotiated a “compromise” under which the cutoff did not take effect until August 15, 1973 and applied also to Vietnam. This thesis concerns the reasons that Congress passed this revised rider, that Congress expanded the rider to Vietnam, and that Nixon signed the revised rider. Changed circumstances (such as the Vietnam Peace Accords) helped …

Big Screen Empire : What Foreign Films Reveal About The Perceptions Of U.S. Military Bases In Affected Host Nations, John Richard Walker

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Existing scholarly literature on U.S. military bases in foreign nations does not adequately take films depicting such installations into account. This master’s thesis is a corrective for this oversight. Recognizing the utility of foreign films featuring American military bases or troop presences, this thesis examines them in light of scholarly work on these installations. Of particular importance in this analysis are the periodization of U.S. basing favored by Robert Kaplan and the categorization of varieties of antibase protest favored by Kent Calder. Using these two writers as an analytical framework, as well as histories of U.S. basing and military occupations, …

The Work Of Freedom: African American Child Exploitation In Reconstruction Kentucky, Ashlea Hope Fishburn-Moore

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On May 23, 1866, two African American children in Christian County, Kentucky, were taken from their parents and apprenticed to a white planter, Elijah Simmons. The two children, Fannie, age eight, and Robert, age four, were expected to serve Simmons for the next thirteen and fourteen years respectively. Fannie was disabled. Denoted in her apprenticeship paper as “deaf and dumb,” the Simmonses did not have to provide for her the way they would a non-disabled child, meaning that they did not have to pay her or provide her with anything upon her release from servitude. Although her story seems in …

Gardening The Gilded Age: Creating The Landscape Of The Future, Jackie L. Perkins

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The Gilded Age was a time of rapid change in the United States' history. In contrast to the extensive literature regarding wilderness and the founding of environmental organizations during the period, relatively little has been written about the gardens of private residences and the impact these gardens have had on today's environment. These gardens, and the individuals who designed and provided for them, were at the forefront of the introduction of many new and exotic plants to the American landscape. This thesis explores two built environments, North Carolina's Biltmore Estate and the Barker Mansion in Indiana, and how these environments …

The Use Of Womens Grief For Political Purposes In America During World War I, Linda L. Morgan

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This study discusses a politically driven change in American women’s public mourning customs over the fallen of World War I. During the war, government officials and politicians sought to transform women’s grief over a fallen loved one into a celebration of an honorable military death. They actively discouraged the wearing of traditional black mourning and instead urged the wearing of a simple black armband with a gold star. This substituted glory for grief and thus made their loved one’s death a mark of distinction by giving their life in the service of their country. The radical change in women’s public …

Negotiating For Efficiency: Local Adaptation, Consensus, And Military Conscription In Karl Xi's Sweden, Zachariah L. Jett

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The failures of the Scanian War of 1675-1679 revealed to a young Karl XI that Sweden's military was in dire need of reform. This thesis follows the king's process of negotiating with the peasantry over the implementation of one of these new reforms, the knekthåll system for recruiting infantry. It argues that Karl XI intentionally used negotiation as an instrument to build a more efficient method of military recruitment and maintenance. That he used negotiation as a tool to adapt to diverse localities and align the requirements of the knekthåll system with the real resources of an area. Negotiation legitimized …

Cool Notes In An Invisible War: The Use Of Radio And Music In The Cold War From 1953 To 1968, Matthew R. Crooker

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The current status of the literature involving radio broadcasts and music from the Cold War delves into either one area of concentration or the other. That is, either historians have little to no mention of radio, or historians explore music without mentioning radio. There are no studies that solely focus on the use of radio and music in combination with one another. This is what the thesis offers to this area of concentration. In addition to examining the use of radio and music in combination with one another, this work delves into radio directly after the conclusion of the Second …

United States Foreign Policies On Iran And Iraq, And The Negative Impact On The Kurdish Nationalist Movement: From The Nixon Era Through The Reagan Years, Janet A. Franklin

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United States foreign policies on Iran and Iraq, during the later Cold War period, led to devastating consequences to Iraqi Kurdish aspirations for autonomy and a separate nation-state. By employing the Shah of Iran as one pillar of America’s proxy in the Persian Gulf, and after the Iranian Revolution, to then begin collaborating with Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War, U.S. policies marginalized and negatively impacted Iraqi Kurds’ goal of independence.

A Skillful Combination Of Fire And Maneuver, Paul Dority

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My thesis seeks to understand if the Wehrmacht understood the Red Army's operational doctrine following the war. I will analyze both Red Army and Wehrmacht after action reports and memoirs created after the war to accomplish this. This analysis covers the Battle for Moscow, the Battle of Stalingrad, Operation Zitadelle, and ends with the destruction of the Wehrmacht's Army Group Center in Operation Bagration. This period represents the marked rise and decline of the Wehrmacht's martial supremacy in Russia. The comparison of Russian and German after action reports from this period exposes a weakness in German operational doctrine, which ultimately …

The Battle Of Malaya: The Japanese Invasion Of Malaya As A Case Study For The Re-Evaluation Of Imperial Japanese Army Intelligence Effectiveness During World War Ii, Daniel J. Lauro

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The present assessment of Japanese intelligence operations during World War II is based almost entirely upon the work of Western researchers. The view presented is one of complete incompetence by the West. Little attention has been paid to any successes the Japanese intelligence organizations achieved. In fact, the majority of Anglo-American historians have instead focused on the errors and unpreparedness of the Allies as the cause of their early failures. This view is completely dismissive of Japanese intelligence efforts. The majority of the research does not take into account the extensive preparations and training the Japanese intelligence organizations and military …

German Covert Operations And Abandoning Wilsonian Neutrality, Cade Joshua Cover

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In the years approaching World War I's centennial, many scholars have published books reexamining different aspects of the conflict, as well as attempting to update prominent scholarship from years past. These include books focusing on individual battles, such as Verdun, to the importance of the Zimmerman telegram in spurring American desire to join the war effort. One topic of interest that appeals to a more general audience would be that of spy and sabotage activity during the conflict. The topic of spy and sabotage activity might interest a curious reader, but the matter concerning its importance during the war is …

On Trial: The Branch Davidians Of Waco Texas 1987-1993, Andrew Michael Pedrotti

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This study examines the integration of the Branch Davidians into the Waco, Texas community during the years immediately preceding the BATF siege of 1993. An examination of media and biographical sources indicates that the Branch Davidians were better integrated in the community than is commonly suggested. Survivor accounts describe the Branch Davidians working and relaxing in Waco, rather than hiding in their compound. A survey of local newspaper coverage reveals that the press in Waco had a positive view of Koresh and the Branch Davidians in the late 1980s. In particular, coverage of a 1988 trial involving David Koresh and …

Allies To Enemies: Popular Xenophobia During The Seventeenth Century Anglo-Dutch Wars, Adrian T. Van Der Velde

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This thesis examines the excoriating pamphlet literature of both Dutch and English origin during the three Anglo-Dutch Wars of the seventeenth century. The Dutch Republic of this time was in the midst of its Golden Age, while England was on its ascent to eventual predominance in world affairs. By looking at concepts such as staartmannen [tail-men], Duivelskind [Devil's child], or "Hollandophobia," themes of mockery, religion, and xenophobia in popular printed works - including the engraved illustrations which accompanied the texts - are observed. Ultimately the thesis argues that the pamphlet literature bolstered the regional identity of Hollander in the Dutch …

The Darien Scheme: Debunking The Myth Of Scotland's Ill-Fated American Colonization Attempt, Kimberly Michelle Miller

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In this analysis, a critical eye will counter many previously held claims of Scottish ineptitude and ill-preparation for the nationally important, Darien Scheme, colonial venture. In the hopes of establishing a trading post on the Isthmus of Panama, and eventually a colony, the Scots set out to change their economic and political fortunes. Through a series of events and sabotage, the mission failed miserably. Much of the historiography blames this on the Scots' inability to plan and execute a mission of this scale. To counter previous scholarship, the subsequent investigation counters those claims and argues that the Scots used foresight …

Duck And Cover: How Print Media, The U.S. Government, And Entertainment Culture Formed America's Understanding Of The Atom Bomb, Daniel P. Wright

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This research project will explore an overview of the different subsections of American post-war society that contributed to the American "atomic reality" in hopes of revealing how and why the American understanding of atomic weapons did not slowly evolve over the course of a generation, but instead materialize rapidly in the years following the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. By analyzing government sources and programs, print media sources such as newspapers and magazines, and the American entertainment culture of the 1940s and 1950s, this research project will answer exactly why and how the American public arrived at its understanding of …

Acrid Smoke And Horses' Breath: The Adaptability Of The British Cavalry, Fred R. Coventry

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The purpose of this thesis is to re-examine the nineteenth century British cavalry as an organization, one which has generally been characterized as deeply conservative and resistant to change in organization, operations and tactics. While the charge of conservatism is true in terms of the command structure of the British cavalry, this research demonstrates that the British cavalry of the nineteenth century typically adapted itself to the conditions in which it found itself, adopting whatever methods, tactics and weapons best suited the campaigns in which it fought. Beginning with the Crimean War's cavalry actions as a baseline for what was …

The Surprising Role Of Legal Traditions In The Rise Of Abolitionism In Great Britain's Development, Robert Michael Buchsbaum Iii

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The abolition of British slavery in the 19th century raises the question of how the British achieved antislavery against colonial opposition. While historical theories have focused on economic, political and religious factors, no account of abolition is complete without a thorough investigation of the history of evolving British legal traditions. This thesis analyzed a number of British homeland court cases and antislavery laws. English legal traditions established principles of freedom long before abolition in Britain, and then upheld them in respect to blacks on British soil in the 18th century. On the other hand, these traditions exposed a void in …

Misrepresenting Misery: Slaves, Servants, And Motives In Early Virginia, Jamin P. Riley

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Violence has frequently been connected to the history of slavery. Graphic depictions of slaveowner violence can be found in popular literature and media. The slave experience, especially in the early modern period, should instead be explained to wider public audiences in its totality. The regulation of reproductive and familial rights by slaveowners, the use of sexual punishment, and the permanence of slavery made the enslaved life truly unique, and set it apart from the experiences of other repressed elements of early modern English society, such as the poor. The creation of the slave system and the development of its regulatory …

The Antislavery Movement In Clermont County, Bethany Marie Pollitt

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The United States grappled with the question of slavery, that peculiar institution, for decades prior to the Civil War. One result of those debates was the antislavery movement. Gaining ground in the 1830s, the antislavery movement motivated people to respond to the issue of slavery in the way that suited their conscience. The Ohio River Valley is located on what once was the border line between North and South, and what to slaves meant the difference between freedom and a life of enslavement. Clermont County, located along the Ohio River, was no different than other communities along the border, such …

The Japanese American Resettlement Program Of Dayton, Ohio: As Administered By The Church Federation Of Dayton And Montgomery County, 1943-1946, Paul Michael Dankovich

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In September 1942, the Church Federation of Dayton and Montgomery County (Church Federation) was established. It created a Commission on War Services that coordinated social services to the thousands of military personnel and migrant war workers who flooded into wartime Dayton. Strategically, Dayton supported the nation's defense through the presence of two Army airfields and many vital industrial facilities.

Beginning on October 1, 1942, the War Relocation Authority (WRA) permitted those of Japanese descent to leave the internment camps on indefinite leave, and resettle outside of the West Coast exclusion zones. The WRA supported this program by opening field offices …

The Yellow Fever Epidemic In Savannah, Georgia Of 1876: A Case For Applied Historical Analysis, James R. Gruenberg

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Yellow fever was a constant and deadly visitor to the southern United States since the middle of the seventeenth century. Dying of yellow fever was gruesome and terrifying. Black vomit was the prominent symptom as the patient bled to death internally and externally. Yellow fever, or 'yellow jack' to the locals, would bring Savannah, Georgia to its knees on three different occasions. In 1876, however, the city would lose a full 6% of its population, or 1,066 souls. This thesis argues that this tragic outbreak was preventable, and that the physical conditions that were well known to contribute to yellow …

Anthony Eden, Appeaser Of The Soviets?, Mark A. Turner

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In late May 1942, while the Soviet Union staggered from catastrophic defeats at Kharkov and in the Crimea, British and Soviet representatives met in London and signed a treaty of mutual assistance that would lay the basis for the Grand Alliance. This thesis, based on the newly discovered material from Stalin's secret archives, argues that Anthony Eden, British Foreign Minister, far from the weak-willed appeaser caricatured by subsequent historians, was a shrewd, yet principled diplomat, who assessed the Soviets far more realistically than did his British counterparts. Moreover, Eden was a skilled and resourceful negotiator who drove a very hard …

The Air Close To The Trees: Evolution And Innovation In U.S. Army Assault Helicopter Units During The Vietnam War, Adam Thomas Givens

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Throughout the Vietnam War the United States Army's use of assault helicopters was unprecedented in modern warfare. Although planners originally anticipated their utilization on a European battlefield rather than against an insurgency, Army Aviation adapted, allowing them to overcome an uncertain future. Due to the unconventional nature of the conflict, continual revisions in tactics, techniques, and procedures ensured that assault helicopter doctrine was never concrete, but always shifting. Multiple factors influenced these developments, and manifold channels of dissemination allowed combat knowledge ultimately to influence training and doctrine. This thesis finds that previous works focus too heavily upon the initial large-scale …

A View Of American Orphanages Through A Study Of The History Of The Ohio Pythian Home, Stephen S. Doucher

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This study aims at analyzing the general situation of American orphan asylums in the period from 1894 to 1944 by looking at the Ohio Pythian Home, which operated in Springfield, Ohio at this time. Through the use of primary and secondary sources, as well as interviews with former orphan residents of the Ohio Pythian Home, the study demonstrates that contrary to popular belief the orphan asylums of the period were nurturing institutions concerned with the well-being of their wards.

Shore Wives: The Lives Of British Naval Officers' Wives And Widows, 1750-1815, Amy Lynn Smallwood

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This thesis provides an analysis of the lives of mid- to late-eighteenth century Royal Navy officers'wives and widows, including how they coped with the challenges of being separated from their husbands for extended periods of time. This separation forced them to accept additional financial and management responsibilities. By successfully managing these tasks, they proved that women were capable of managing money, purchasing property, rearing and educating children, working the patronage system, being political activists, dealing with bureaucracy, and networking. Shore wives performed these duties with the very real fear that their husbands might never come home alive. By taking up …

The Secret Serbian-Bulgarian Treaty Of Alliance Of 1904 And The Russian Policy In The Balkans Before The Bosnian Crisis, Kiril Valtchev Merjanski

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The two Serbian-Bulgarian treaties, concluded simultaneously in 1904, and known in the literature under the common name of "The Secret-Serbian-Bulgarian Treaty of Alliance of 1904" are the specific topic of this thesis. These treaties between the Kingdom of Serbia and the Principality of Bulgaria contained political, military and economic provisions aimed not only against the Ottoman Empire (a common rival of both countries), but also against Austria-Hungary. A significant feature of these treaties was their obvious pro-Russian orientation, shaped in provisions like unification of the telegraphic systems of both countries with that of Russia as well as the requirement for …

Richard Nixon, Détente, And The Conservative Movement, 1969-1974, Eric Patrick Gilliland

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This work examines the relationship between President Richard Nixon and the American conservative movement, 1969-1974. Nixon's anti-communist persona proved pivotal in winning the 1968 Republican nomination, with support from the party's consevative base. The foreign policies orcherstrated by Nixon and his National Security Advisor, Henry Kissinger, however, which sought to reduce tensions with China and the Soviet Union, infuriated the conservatives. In 1971-1972, they suspended their support of the administration and even drafted their own candidate, the Ohio congressman, John Ashbrook, to challenge Nixon in the 1972 primary campaign. Although the Ashbrook campaign had a minimal impact, it set a …