History Commons^™

"There's No Business Like Ufo Business": How The Cold War, Popular Culture, And Roswell, New Mexico Combined In The Development Of Ufo-Related Tourism, Courtney A. Collie

History ETDs

In July 1947, something crashed in the desert north of Roswell, New Mexico. While initial reports indicated that the downed object was a flying saucer, the United States Army Air Forces explained that it was a weather balloon. The object recovered was a weather balloon, but it had been employed in a top secret Cold War project, and the military felt it necessary to conceal the balloon's true purpose. Some observers, however, charged that the military was covering up a flying saucer crash instead, and the myth of the Roswell Incident was born.

This thesis examines the construction and perpetuation …

The Sense Of The Past In Saint Antoninus Of Florence's Summa Historialis, Brian Nathaniel Becker

Masters Theses

This study examines Antoninus of Florence’s Chronicles for the presence of a "sense of the past.” Through the careful examination of those sections of the Chronicles that are original to Antoninus and the utilization of important scholarly works on medieval and Renaissance Italian literature, it is shown that the Chronicles is characteristic of both a history written in the traditional "medieval” style and the increasingly modem style of historical writing that was coming into vogue during the later part of his life in mid-fifteenth century Florence. By defining a "sense of history” as containing, and organizing the three body chapters …

Perspectives On Power: John F. Kennedy And U.S.-Middle East Relations, April R. Summitt

Dissertations

A study of President John F. Kennedy's policy toward the Middle East illustrates the agency and unexpected power wielded by so-called "third world" countries during the Cold War era. In spite of careful planning in Washington, Middle East leaders often manipulated and directed Kennedy's approach to the region. Regional actors used American fears of Communism to gain increased financial aid, military support, and influence in the United Nations. Although seeming to submit to Western pressures in exchange for such support, these leaders played both superpowers against each other and shaped policy according to local needs. While this relationship meant a …

Chief For Life: Harold Breier And His Era, Ronald Howard Snyder

Theses and Dissertations

Harold Breier served as Milwaukee's Chief of Police from 1964 until 1984. His tenure occurred during a time of cultural upheaval in the United States, marked by the turmoil of the civil rights movement, the peace movement, and a youth rebellion against traditional societal values and norms. Many people perceived Breier as an opponent of cultural or political change. He was accused of tolerating excessive police force, especially when minority citizens or counterculture youth were involved, and presiding over a racially segregated police department. Others credited him with making Milwaukee one of the safest cities in the country and protecting …

A History Of The Latter-Day Saints In The Columbia Basin Of Central Washington 1850-1972, Rick B. Jorgensen

Theses and Dissertations

The Columbia Basin of Central Washington has a relatively recent Latter-day Saint history among the regions of the western states. Most of the sparsely populated rural areas in the west that have large concentrations of Latter-day Saints were originally established as "Mormon" settlements. The basin referred to lies between the Snake and Columbia Rivers and now has thousands of Latter-day Saints who have chosen to inhabit the historically barren land and call it their home. A brief visit or casual observance of the area leads many to question what were the major factors and characteristics leading to the twentieth century …

Omaha Beach : A Tragedy Of Errors, David P. Stanley

Theses

The American assault on the small strip of sand code-named Omaha Beach, has become one of the most longstanding examples of American military triumph. Yet, at the same time, it is an event synonymous with death and destruction. There, in the early morning hours of June 6, 1944, over 3000 American soldiers either lost their lives or were wounded in an attempt to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds and an enemy force that was ready for their arrival.

The assault on Omaha was not one that had been briefly or incompletely planned. In fact, it was over a year in the …

The Roles Of Patrician And Plebeian Women In Their Religion In The Republic Of Rome., Lesa A. Young

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper looks at the roles of patrician and plebeian Roman women in their religion. It investigates the topic during the period of the Republic (509-30 BCE) and pulls the information together in a concise manner.

The primary sources used were narrative histories and literature from the late Republic, as well as from the Imperial period up through the second century, that reflect the opinions of the Imperial period. The secondary sources precipitated further research into primary sources and comparisons of these studies.

It was found that women played private and secondary roles in their religion. Due to changes in …

Prevailing Winds: Radical Activism And The American Indian Movement., David Kent Calfee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 1968 a number of Chippewa Indians met in Minneapolis, Minnesota to discuss some of the problems they faced in their communities. This meeting gave birth to the American Indian Movement. From 1968 to 1974, the American Indian Movement embarked on a series of radical protests designed to draw attention to the concerns of American Indians and force the Federal government into acting on their behalf. Unfortunately, these protests brought about a backlash from Federal law enforcement agencies that destroyed the American Indian Movement's national power structure.

Sufferers Of The Revolution : The Paper Money Movement In Brunswick County, Virginia, 1780-1787, David Alan Geraghty

Master's Theses

The years following the American War for Independence were marked by economic decline and political uncertainty. In the mid-1780s, Virginia was mired in a depression that gave rise to a vocal movement that called for a return to a policy of emitting paper currency to augment scarce supplies of gold and silver coin. While historians have discussed Virginia's monetary situation at length there has never been a satisfactory examination of the people who supported this particular movement. Petitions from Brunswick County residents who backed emissions of paper money provide an opportunity to develop a more accurate portrait of this group. …

Frontier Hopkinsians: New School Theology In East Tennessee 1797-1861, Ronald Russell Ragon

Masters Theses

This thesis seeks to define the role that the theology of New England theologian Samuel Hopkins played in the development of frontier East Tennessee. Early educators Hezekiah Balch and Charles Coffin introduced the work of northern benevolence societies to Tennessee in the early nineteenth century. These societies encouraged the spread of Hopkinsian theology and caused those Presbyterians in East Tennessee who held to New School thought to clash with other Presbyterians in the area who were influenced by popular revivalist efforts. Because of differing theologies, Two Presbyterianisms emerged in East Tennessee before the Civil War and remained until the1980s.

Ambitious Beginnings: The Early Life And Political Career Of William Langer, Eric Rogness

Theses and Dissertations

This essay examines William Langer' s early life and political career until his abortive attempt to become governor of North Dakota in 1920. It argues that William Langer was a man driven by a need for status. It was this quest for status that drove him to politics and explains his rapid rise through the ranks. It also explains the large degree of publicity and controversy that permeated his early career. He was a man who wanted to stand out, he wanted recognition by his peers, and he wanted public office. Publicity and controversy served those ends. Moreover, I feel …

Creative Book Arts Preserving Family History, Sarah Owen Tabor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For the project I have developed a series of four artist's books from material I have collected pertaining to my family history. Over the last four years I have collected written narratives, photographs, tape-recorded interviews, genealogies, letters, electronic communications, and other documents. The first book in the series is an accordion-style book contrasting a trip my Great Grandmother took to Yellowstone National Park by covered wagon from Oklahoma Territory in 1903 with my trip from Maine to the same park in 1978. Though technology had changed the mode of transportation, and the intervening years had seen changes in many other …

In The Shadow Of The Fleet: The Development Of American Submarines Between The World Wars, Stephen J. Brady

History Theses & Dissertations

At the close of the First World War, American submarines compared most unfavorably with those of Germany and Great Britain. German submarines sank over 5000 ships, while the British submarine campaign, much less ambitious by design, was still credited with sinking 54 warships and 274 other vessels. Standing in stark contrast, American submarines did not sink a single ship. However, by the end of the Second World War, American submarines would sink over 1300 Japanese merchantmen and warships. This ultimate success was hard won, for attempts to modernize American submarine designs between the wars were continually stifled by advocates of …

Gay Bars, Vice, And Reform In Portland, 1948-1965, Beka Smith

Dissertations and Theses

The city of Portland adopted different policies toward gay bars between 1948 and 1965. Portland's conservative mayors, generally uninterested in changing the city or promoting growth, ignored gay bars. Reform mayors instigated campaigns against gay bars to gain public, political, and business support for their broader economic and social goals. They were able to use crackdowns on gay bars as popular components of their reform initiatives because Portland, in comparison to other cities, professed conservatism and morality and had little economic or cultural incentive to tolerate gay bars. Blaming Portland's vice on outsiders, reform mayors argued that their actions protected …

Dead Bones Dancing: The Taki Onqoy, Archaism, And Crisis In Sixteenth Century Peru., Sσndra Lee Allen Henson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 1532, a group of Spanish conquistadores defeated the armies of the Inca Empire and moved from plundering the treasure of the region to establishing an imperial reign based on the encomienda system. The increasing demand for native labor and material goods forced fragmentation and restructuring of indigenous communities. The failure of evangelization efforts by the Spanish, the breakdown of their early bureaucratic apparatus, and the threat of the Neo-Inca State in exile generated a crisis among the Spanish in the 1560s. Concomitantly, indigenous Andeans experienced psychological and spiritual pressures found an outlet in a millenarian movement known as Taki …

Fiction As History: James Jones, From Here To Eternity., Penny Marie Sonnenburg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines one of James Jones's novels, From Here to Eternity,as more than a fictionalization of historic events. Juxtaposing the correspondence between the author and his brother, begun when James Jones enlisted in 1939, and the novel allows an understanding of the extent that the novel was a distillation of Jones' personality and experience.

Jones felt fiction must be pieced from real experiences, but also contain original emotions disguised in the pages of a novel. Analyzing Jones's personal letters, interviews, and experiences offers, with some degree of certainty, the understanding that From Here to Eternity is more than …

The First Battle For Scottish Independence: The Battle Of Dunnichen, A.D. 685., Julie Fox Parsons

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study is an examination of the historiography of the ancient-medieval texts that record events related to the Northumbrian and the Pictish royal houses in the seventh century. The Picts, the Scots and the Celtic Britons fell into subjugation under the control of the expansionist Northumbrian kings and remained there for most of the seventh century. Northumbrian expansion was halted by Bridei, king of the picts, when he put down the advancing Northumbrian forces of king Ecgfrith at the Battle of Dunnichen, also known as Nechtansmere, in the year A.D. 685. The outcome of the battle not only stopped Northumbrian …

Alkebu - Lan In Antiquity, Darrell D. Adams

Electronic Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study is to address the problem of the underdevelopment of Afrikan (Black) History. As well, it serves to shed light on the misleading teachings of Western Idealists. In order for the History of the World to be accurately accounted, it is imperative that the "underdeveloped" history of the Blacks be devised and constructed, as according to the true record of Alkebu-Lan (African) of past glories. Therefore, it is the aim of the author, as a New Afrikan scholar, to help in the process of solidifying the foundations laid by great Black historians such as Cheikh Anta …

American Immigration Policies And Public Opinion On European Jews From 1933 To 1945., Wesley P. Greear

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines the role and scope of the American public’s opinion on European Jews in the 1930’s and 1940’s. Significant attention is placed on several aspects of American politics and public perceptions at this time. The ideas that developed from the Great Depression through World War II on refugees and immigrants are closely scrutinized.

The approach to this study focuses on sources from renowned Holocaust scholars including Raul Hilberg, David S. Wyman, Martin Gilbert, Henry Feingold, Hadley Cantril, Robert Divine, and Deborah E. Lipstadt to name a select few of the authors referenced. Several newspapers and journals such as …

Pseudo-Democracy In America, 1945-1960: Anticommunism Versus The Social Issues Of African Americans And Women., Fashion S. Bowers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

During the period 1945 - 1960, the United States developed an intense fervor of anticommunism and strove to prevent the spread of communism to other nations, particularly the Indochina region. As a result, the government ignored or responded inadequately to key social events at home affecting both women and African Americans. This thesis will explore the extent of the active involvement in Indochina to prevent the spread of communism and the effects of that involvement on major social issues at home concerning African Americans and women. The United States had numerous opportunities to discontinue its involvement in Indochina, but it …

A "Relatively Northern Southern State:" Civil Rights Protest In Richmond And Danville, Virginia, 1959-1963, Sally Ryan Burgess

Master's Theses

This thesis reveals the historical narrative of the civil rights campaigns in Richmond and Danville, Virginia, from 1959 to 1963, emphasizing how protesters experienced the movement through direct action and examining the way an inherited philosophy and strategy of non-violent protest was employed by demonstrators. Furthermore, it analyzes the role of Virginia as an Upper South state during the movement. The evidence presented verifies a direct correlation between community size, economic foundations, and social outlooks and the community's level of resistance to direct action tactics and youth leadership of the movement. Protests were successful in urban areas such as Richmond …

Troubled Waters: A Reprisal Of Sea Power And Maritime Importance In The Turbulent Years Of The Texas Revolt, Andrew Reynolds Galloway

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The first section shall deal with the role the sea played following Mexican Independence. In the foreign colonization of Texas, Stephen F. Austin developed and designed his colonies similar to the agricultural communities of the American South that were built around nautical transportation from 1821–1829. The second area will deal with Mexican Texas from 1829 through 1832. By 1829 Mexico attempted to reinstate authority over Texas. Reaction to Mexican limitations was unified action through civil disobedience. As their rebellion brought the desired freedoms for the Texicans, they were encouraged to continue. The third discussion is the revolutionary period from 1832 …

Los Betabeleros: Hispanic Sugar Beet Laborers In Cache Valley, 1941-1981, Rosermary Washburn Cole

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

In the late 1840s and early 1850s, the United States annexed over 800,000 square miles of formerly Mexican land. Boundary changes initiated by war and lucre thrust many Mexican people into the United States of America. The new political demarcation appeared artificial; Mexicans and Mexican Americans continued to travel to and from the new American southwest as they always had.

Migration to the United States from Mexico mushroomed after 1910, when a tumultuous revolution and poor economic conditions in Mexico encouraged Hispanics to look to the U.S. for jobs and stability. Mining industries, railroad companies, and farms in the United …

The Victorian Construction Of Sappho, 1835-1914, Megan Kulp

Honors Theses

Sappho was an ancient Greek lyric poet writing on the isle if Lesbos in the seventh century BC. Her original works were contained in seven books; however, only a few fragments are extant. These fragments are mainly about women and are erotic in nature. Considering the homoerotic tone of Sappho's poetry, it is interesting that the Victorians were fascinated with her and a proliferation of biographies, artwork, plays, operas, translated poems, appeared in that era bearing her name. How did the Victorians reconcile the homoerotic tone of her poems with their own views on what was right and proper? The …

"So Strangely Misrepresented”: Rethinking John Bell Hood And The Fight For Civil War Memory, Brian Craig Miller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the role of memory in the American Civil War. More importantly, it discusses the relationship between history and memory and the role that historians play in carving out that relationship. It looks at how historians and the collective memory shaped the reputation of John Bell Hood, a Confederate Civil War officer, who experienced both the glory of victory and the agony of failure. I have reexamined Hood through historiography, a wide base of memories found in newspapers, memoirs and the writings of the Southern Historical Society, as well as archival materials from across Tennessee, Georgia and Pennsylvania. …

Chinese Culture And Postmodern Diplomacy, Jeremy C. Wooden

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The United States presently finds itself standing at a remarkable historical juncture. As the world's only "remaining superpower," it enjoys the benefit of military superiority, economic prosperity, and vast cultural influence. Yet despite its seeming superiority to other nations -or, perhaps, in spite of it- the future is not necessarily secured for the United States. While Americans may be able to take American power for granted, there is a general sense that the United States is either at or near the apex of its influence; that, as Samuel Huntington has argued, while the U.S. will remain strong, its strength …

Julian As Fanatic Ideologue: An Explanation For The Persian Invasion Of A.D. 363 /, Dallas Deforest

Honors Theses

This thesis attempts to answer the question of why Julian went on his ill-fated Persian expedition. It argues that Julian was a fanatical ideologue and that his reforms, foreign policy, and, most importantly, Persian campaign must be viewed through Julian's ideological framework. The paper asserts that Julian's fanatical nature drove him to invade Persia because he was witnessing the failure of his ideologically driven domestic initiatives, and these failures were shocking and unacceptable to him. This process of failure drove him to the foreign facet of his ideology, which centered on an Alexander the Great complex and an invasion of …

Ladies' Library Associations Of Michigan: Women, Reform, And Use Of Public Space, Sharon Carlson

Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the ladies' library associations in Southwestern Michigan from the middle nineteenth century through the early twentieth century to explore the impact of these organizations as agents of reform and in shaping public space. Ladies' library association records provide a major component of this study. Association records, consisting of constitutions, bylaws, minutes, treasurer records, book catalogs, yearbooks, and published reports yield valuable information to analyze and interpret the activities of ladies' library associations. Plat maps, panoramic maps, photographs, architectural drawings, and tax records offer evidence about the built environment and material culture of ladies' library associations. The actual …

"A Conflict Of Truth With Error": Southern Preachers, Their Worldview, And Sectional Tensions, 1830-1865, Timothy A. Ehrhardt

Masters Theses

White evangelical preachers of the antebellum era presented the American South with a cosmology that was rooted in the Bible as God's revelation to all humans, with God as sovereign over a strict social hierarchy that placed the white male as household head, and women, children, and black slaves (in that order) as subordinates. This cosmology contributed to sectional tensions, as southern pastors were at the forefront of advocating a proslavery worldview, and supported secession from the Union and war as an act of purification from northern infidels who did not endorse the ministers' brand of biblical literalism.

Southern clergymen …

The Gray Ghost's Sanctuary: Civilians In Mosby's Confederacy During The Civil War, James J. Cain

Honors Theses

This work examines why civilians in Mosby's Confederacy supported the 43^d Battalion of Virginia Cavalry. The tactics used by Mosby placed civilians at considerable risk with Union authorities, for his men did not live in a separate camp but stayed either in hideaways in the mountains or, more commonly, with families they knew in the area. The nature of the guerrilla warfare practiced by Mosby's men, which involved late night gatherings, lightning strikes on the enemy's weakest points, and then dispersal into the countryside until the next raid, frustrated the Federal commanders who fought against them. These commanders, however, …