History Commons^™

A Struggle For Collective Memory: Sacrifice, Healing, And The Legacy Of D-Day In Bedford, Va, Richard E. Martin

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

The town of Bedford, Virginia suffered more casualties proportionately than any other American community during the World War II D-Day invasion of June 6^th, 1944, in Normandy, France. Nineteen of thirty-five Bedford residents who served in Company A, 116^th Infantry Regiment, 29^th Division, of the Army National Guard were killed in battle. In the immediate aftermath, the townspeople were devastated, and had to mourn and continue their lives as best they could. As the years and decades passed, the ways in which the survivors dealt with their losses changed. Many of the townspeople never got over …

The Cataclysmic Desire For Power: The Irish Rebellion Of 1641, Clare Marie Nee

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

The Irish Rebellion of 1641 is particularly vital to understanding the political, religious, and social tensions that still remain an issue today in Northern Ireland. This essay investigates the tensions between the English and the Irish, and determines that there is not one single cause that fueled the tensions, but rather that it is a culmination of religious, social, and economic circumstances that led to the devastation of the rebellion on both sides of the war.

Skepticism And Exposure: Television Coverage Of The Vietnam War, Ryan Singsank

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

As the United States was expanding its role in the Vietnam War, television sets were increasingly becoming integral components in many American households. With more Americans tuning into news programs, television presented continual reminders to the public of the expanding US involvement in Vietnam, and the sacrifices that came with war. Unlike any prior American war, the sights and sounds from the war in Vietnam unfolded in the living rooms of the American public. Combined with critical analysis by reporters both on the frontlines and in studios, the reports from Vietnam would leave a lasting impression for many Americans. This …

Divine Suppressors: Bigamy In The Eighteenth-Century Criminal Justice System, Luke Hs Horton

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

The criminal justice system in eighteenth-century England was an integral part of European society. The legal system had always been associated with several facets of everyday life and touched upon the lives of those in every class of European society. One of England’s oldest and most significant courthouses was the Old Bailey, which held thousands of trials and sessions over the two hundred and forty years it was active. Out of the wide variety of cases to choose from, ten sexual offences revolving around bigamy were selected to present how the criminal justice system leaked into different areas of life. …

The Lavender Scare: How Fear And Prejudice Impacted A Nation In Crisis, Erin Owens

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

The Cold War time period was marked by fear and uncertainty. This was reflected by the treatment towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) individuals in the political and social spheres, known as the Lavender Scare. Policies such as Executive Order 10450 (1953) and the 1947 Sex Perversion Elimination Act prevented LGBTQ+ individuals from gaining meaningful employment and further complicated social stigma of gayness. The policies were primarily enacted to use queer individuals as scapegoats for the panic of the time and conflated the perceived moral corruption of Communists with the perceived moral corruption of LGBTQ+ individuals. The policies …

Surface Ships: The Kriegsmarine’S Downfall During The Second World War, Calen J. Crumpton

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

This manuscript details the German naval plan against the UK, and explores the statistics as well as leadership in the Kriegsmarine that prove why the German naval strategy during the Second World War was majorly flawed. Germany was a surprisingly powerful nation in the late 1930s and early 1940s. As a nation under National Socialism, Germany had defeated and occupied large swaths of mainland Europe. Germany had taken control of France, Poland, Austria, and a majority of Scandinavia, as well as advancing allied interests in the area through Spain and Italy. The only problem that Germany had was the United …

Pen Replacing Looms And Needles: Emergence Of Female Authors And Authority In Renaissance Europe, Anwita Roy

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

In Renaissance Europe gender discriminations were put aside when women of upper classes were prodigiously included in the “Reformist Movement,” allowing the spread of female literacy and writing throughout Europe. However, these measures still encountered frequent contemporary criticism and prevalent masculine oppression. This paper traces the possible reasons behind the encouragement provided to women during a time when education was limited to men. It will attempt to examine how these women profited from the educational endeavors they were provided with, the way they advocated the need to educate themselves, and how they responded to the criticism received from the society.

Tanzanian Rule While Zanzibar Plays The Fool? The Invalidity Of Zanzibari Unease Over Tanzanian Mainland Dominance, 1964–1991, Bhadrajee S. Hewage

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

On April 26, 1964, the People’s Republic of Zanzibar merged with the Republic of Tanganyika to form the Tanzanian Union. Yet the circumstances surrounding the formation of this Union and the nature of the Union itself raise several unanswered questions. Indeed, some Zanzibaris fear that their island archipelago has been effectively “taken over” by Tanganyika through the guise of the Union government of the Tanzanian mainland. This manuscript explains how Zanzibari fears over the archipelago’s usurpation have no basis since the current and evolving nature of Zanzibar’s autonomy and legal rights have enabled the islands to become a strong player …

The German-American Community During World War Ii, Monica Forsthoefel

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

This work examines the German-American community in the United States and its experiences during the turbulent years of World War II. It explores and analyzes the opinions German-Americans had of Hitler and his regime, as well as the effect that was wrought by the anti-German sentiment prevalent in the United States at the time. Furthermore, this work touches on the Nazi presence in the United States during the pre-war years and the most prominent American Nazi organization at the time, the German-American Bund. Finally, it addresses the sudden and protracted internment of thousands of German-Americans perpetrated by a fearful and …

“Un-American” Hollywood: Politics And Film In The Blacklist Era, Natalie Jarosz

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

This is a review of “Un-American” Hollywood: Politics and Film in the Blacklist Era, a 2007 volume edited by Frank Krutnik, Steve Neale, Brian Neve, and Peter Stanfield. It argues that the American Left was involved with creating films of true significance in the Hollywood system, in the context of post-war House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) blacklisting. There is also an examination of the Popular Front between liberals and communists before post-war tensions drew them further apart. There is a chapter about the “new” and “old” waves of the left in the context of 1960s and 1970s American cinema. …

What Happened To Robert E. Lee After April 12, 1865, Katherine Hugo

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

Confederate general Robert E. Lee is remembered primarily for his military leadership during the Civil War. However, the period of his post-war life is not as well studied as his military career. This paper seeks to examine his life after the war, as well as the effects of the decision to join the Confederacy.

Gems Of Gods And Mortals: The Changing Symbolism Of Pearls Throughout The Roman Empire, Emily Hallman

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

Born in the wombs of shells and polished by mother nature herself, pearls were regarded as gifts from the gods. For millennia, the creation of pearls was credited to the tears of heavenly creatures or the formation of sun-touched dewdrops. Countless civilizations, both Western and Non-Western, have their own myths and legends surrounding the pearl, a mark of their mysterious allure. The artform of jewelry, favored by the Roman aristocracy, took advantage of naturally perfected pearls to create stunning pieces with staggering prices. The pearl’s meaning evolved throughout the Roman Empire and into Early Christian Rome, setting up a contradictory …

Negotiated Religious Meaning: Qing And Nationalist Approaches To Religious Superscription, Parker J. Bovée

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

This paper largely serves as a case study comparing the wildly divergent attempts, both in terms of execution and success, of the Qing dynasty and Nationalist regime in using religious symbols to appeal to the Chinese populace. While both attempted to win national support and popularity, religious superscription also reflected attempts to verify the legitimacy of the current government. Differences in the execution of religious superscription reflect the two varying approaches of the Qing and the Nationalists: an emphasis on utilizing tradition to promote imperial authority versus a total disregard of tradition in hopes of rapid change at a national …

The Black Friary: Reflections On A Community Archaeology Project, Jordyn Marlin

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

About the author:

Jordyn Marlin is a senior studying history at Palm Beach Atlantic University. After two seasons of fieldwork in Irish medieval archaeology, she looks forward to continuing her education at the University of Glasgow in the Celtic and Viking Archaeology MLitt program.

History Matters: An Interview With Dr. June Hopkins, Anna Ruff

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

Interview with Dr. June Hopkins.

An Unguaranteed Victory: Military Challenges In The Union Army And Lincoln’S Call For A Militia, Madelaine Setiawan

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

Many have assumed that the Union victory in the Civil War was guaranteed. This research paper looks at the challenges the Union army endured that interfered with the likelihood of a victory. Men who had previously fought for the Union retreated to fight for the Confederates, which necessitated President Lincoln to expand the Union army, by calling forth volunteers of 75,000 men. The Union’s advantage of having a larger federal army and national funding did not guarantee a Union victory as the challenges President Lincoln and the Union army faced proved an equal likelihood of a Confederate victory.

Many have …

A Universal Message: Pope John Xxiii On International Order In The Postwar World, Joseph E. Esparza

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

Pope John XXIII’s 1963 encyclical Pacem in terris encapsulates the church’s vision and teaching for international society. This work attempts to explain and trace the origins of these teachings and demonstrate their evolution over the period in responding to contemporary societal questions. Steeped in a natural law theory revived by philosopher Jacques Maritain, co-author of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, this paper examines Pope John XXIII’s influences and responses to internationalism and world peace after World War II.