History Commons^™

Women In World War Ii, Kaycee Giammarco

History Class Publications

Women changed the course of history after World War II. Before World War II, women had briefly helped their country during the Great War but had returned home following the war. After the stock market crash in 1929, many people struggled to provide for their families which led women to take jobs again. When American joined World War II after Pearl Harbor, the large influx of men joining the army led companies in a lurch for employees. American propaganda strongly encouraged women to do their patriotic duty and to leave the household, only temporarily, to help their country. Women in …

Fdr & The Public, Dylan Haney

History Class Publications

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a key player domestically, internationally, and diplomatically within the conflict of World War II. Not only was his leadership essential in carrying the United States through one of the most tumultuous times in its history, but also in working with other leaders across the globe during the war, ultimately securing victory and subsequently placing the United States as the major superpower in the world.

With regard to FDR it is important to consider that his international meetings and conferences, addresses at home, and overall handling of World War II as President of the United States …

Wartime Love, Chelsey Hess

History Class Publications

“When the classic work on the history of women comes to be written, the biggest force for change in their lives will turn out to have been war. Curiously, war produces more dislocations in the lives of women who stay at home than of men who go off to fight”1. The Second World War was a total war. It had a total effect on manpower, industry, resources, and, even the lives of civilians. The United States did not fight on its own turf but the people, men and women alike, were affected by the wartime. Sixty percent of the men …

Ebbs And Flows In The Relationship Of Two Intriguing Men: Churchill And Stalin, Richard Burke

History Class Publications

Throughout World War II, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin were able to preserve a relatively strong private relationship even though their public relationship, through political and social perspectives, was strikingly dissimilar. The situations that these tremendously influential men went through together undoubtedly raised tension between the two, causing for a very up and down relationship. These men needed each other for the betterment of their respective countries and that factor may have forced them to exert more effort in making the relationship function no matter what.

Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill was born to Lord Randolph Churchill and Lady Randolph Churchill on …

Naval Tactics And The Introduction Of The Aircraft Carrier, Jackson Carter

History Class Publications

For many, the story of World War 2 is a war that centers on Europe and the destruction of the Third Reich and Adolf Hitler. The European Theater included iconic moments and battles such as D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge. It also set the stage for another conflict only a few years after the V-E Day as the United States and West ostracized the Soviet Union and the East; this was evident in the German city of Berlin where the city split into halves based on who controlled the part of the city. Europe is also an international …

Textbooks And Their Portrayal Of Japan In World War Ii, Harry Lah

History Class Publications

“Good morning class, now if you’ll turn in your books with me to page...” drones the voice of the teacher, it can be any teacher, teaching history in a typical high school. Those words dreaded by students of all ages and from all generations that attended schools within the public school system of their respective states. Many students dreaded these classes, but they were no doubt influenced by them. By sitting in these classes they were presented with both new information as well as reinforcement of old information about their state and country from their teacher, and perhaps more significantly, …

In A Different Light: The World Wars In The Experience Of Adlai Stevenson Turner, Lana Rose

History Class Publications

The events of World War I and World War II will always be remembered by people throughout the world. You didn't have to directly experience the wars to realize what a devastating impact they had on the history of mankind. The two world wars have continued to affect our world to this day. To explain why the wars affect us and how they do so would take many more pages than I have been given to write. What I can explain is the experience that one individual had in the war. This man's name was Adlai Stevenson Turner. Turner grew …

Mayo, George Morrow, 1896-1983 (Mss 521), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 521. Scrapbooks (2) documenting the life and times of journalist George Morrow Mayo and his fashion designer wife Muriel L. Van Norden. Scrapbooks contain a historical narrative, articles written by Mr. Mayo, as well as photographs and other ephemera such as postcards, small maps, etc. Also includes news clippings, photos of Mayo’s Family and an autographed copy of his book Los Angeles (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 193)

Ebelhar, Melissa (Sc 1262), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 1262. Paper, “The Fairy Belle,” written by Melissa Ebelhar for a WKU history class. She discusses the service of her grandfather, Lucian D. Keller, Owensboro, Kentucky, as a waist gunner in the 392^nd Air Force Division in Europe during World War II.

Mcdaniel, Paul William, 1916-2004 (Mss 515), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 515. Writings and awards of Paul William McDaniel, nuclear physicist and graduate of Western Kentucky University. Includes typescripts of lectures delivered at Queensland University, a journal he kept while serving in World War II, and a copy of his Arthur F. Fleming Award. Also includes many letters of congratulations to him and a copy of the Atomic Energy Act of 1946.

Perguson, Dee Carl, 1921-2010 (Sc 2861), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2861. Letters of Ohio County, Kentucky native Dee Carl Perguson, written to Marjorie Clagett, his French teacher at Western Kentucky State Teachers College, during his World War II military service and afterward. He writes observantly of military life while training in Ohio, Georgia and Pennsylvania, of his experiences while serving in North Africa and Italy, and of his reassignment to Florida after suffering an arm wound. He also describes local plant life to Clagett, an accomplished amateur botanist. After the war, he writes from England during his postgraduate study. Settled in Seattle, Washington, …

Kelly, Arthur Lancaster, B. 1925 (Sc 2863), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2863. Collected materials relating to Washington County, Kentucky native Colonel Arthur L. Kelly and his book Battlefire! Combat Stories fromWorld War II (University Press of Kentucky, 1997). Includes copy of book jacket, correspondence, reviews, notices and information on Colonel Kelly and his military career and honors.

Claggett, Marjorie Elizabeth, 1900-2000 - Letters To (Sc 2862), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2862. Letters to WKU French teacher Marjorie Clagett from students serving with U.S. armed forces during World War II describing their experiences in North Africa, France, England and the Philippines. Future Army historian Jean E. Keith writes descriptively of an Equator-crossing ritual, of the Philippines after the Japanese occupation, and of China at the close of the war.

Japanese American Internment And The Jerome Relocation Center, Paul Spann

History Class Publications

The internment of Japanese Americans at the hands of the United States government during World War II is one of the darkest parts of our history. It is also a topic that, until recently, has been scarcely acknowledged by those involved. Although racism towards Japanese Americans was not uncommon, forced relocation and imprisonment solely based on their ancestry was unheard of before the war. When the Empire of Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Japanese Americans were perceived a national security threat and the government responded accordingly. Military areas were prescribed and those of Japanese ancestry living within …

Chelf, Frank Leslie, 1907-1982 (Mss 492), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 492. Correspondence, photographs, scrapbooks, audiotapes, film and miscellaneous material relating primarily to the political career of Democrat Frank L. Chelf, who represented Kentucky’s Fourth District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1944-1966. Includes Chelf’s voting record and bills, research and speeches related to his legislative interests.

Jones, Drucilla Montgomery (Stovall), 1907-2007 (Mss 493), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 493. Correspondence, chiefly from the Fort and Flowers families of Logan County, Kentucky, which includes prisoners of war correspondence from the Civil War. Also includes cemetery, church, and funeral home records, as well as news clippings about historic sites, people and events in Logan County.

Lissauer, Mildred Wallis (Potter), 1897-1998 - Collector (Mss 482), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 482. Correspondence, scrapbooks, journals, diaries, photographs and miscellaneous papers of Mildred (Potter) Lissauer of Bowling Green and Louisville, Kentucky and of her family, especially her mother, Martha (Woods) Potter and her aunt, Elizabeth Moseley Woods.

The Broad, Toiling Masses In All The Continents: Anticolonial Activists And The Atlantic Charter, Mark Reeves

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The 1941 Atlantic Charter’s references to self-determination galvanized anticolonial nationalists during the Second World War. These activists used the principles enumerated in the Atlantic Charter to frame their demands. This thesis examines three cases in the broader global context during the war, from vastly different colonial and wartime situations: British-ruled India, French-ruled Syria, and the U.S.- ruled Philippines. Across these different situations, anticolonial nationalists used the Atlantic Charter in an attempt to legitimate their own projects. This thesis shows that the elite nationalist movements examined here used a common rhetoric from the Charter, but in variable ways. Each case study …

In Her Own Right: A Study Of Freya Von Moltke In The German Resistance 1940-1945, Sarah E. Hayes

Student Publications

Freya von Moltke was a member of the Kreisau Circle resistance group in Nazi Germany from 1940 to 1944. This intellectual group planned for the future of Germany after the anticipated downfall of the Nazis and was led by Helmuth von Moltke, the husband of Freya, and Peter Yorck. Despite the significance of her resistance in comparison to the majority of the German population, the resistance story of Freya von Moltke is often overwhelmed by that of her husband. The examination of Freya von Moltke’s interviews, letters, and memoirs as well as a variety of secondary sources reveals that she …

Banished From The Present: Musicians In Nazi Germany, Thomas G. Bennett

Student Publications

This essay analyzes musical life in the Third Reich. More specifically, the focus will be on the Nazis’ regulation of music and the role that musicians themselves played in determining and enforcing cultural coordination. While some evidence extends into the war years (1939-1945), the bulk of the information presented here took place in the pre-war Nazi era (1933-1939). The purpose here is to show that those musicians who worked with and under the Nazis were affected in different ways and had varying levels of agency within the National Socialist system. Some have been branded collaborators, others victims, and this paper …

“Long Live Freedom!”: Moral Motives Behind The White Rose Resistance, Katelyn M. Quirin

Student Publications

This paper examines the motives behind the White Rose resistance group. Active from 1942-1943, the White Rose consisted primarily of university students who produced anti-Nazi leaflets. By examining documents such as letters, diaries, the leaflets themselves, and Gestapo interrogations, the motives of the group are evident. The members resisted the Nazi regime for moral and ideological reasons, specifically in relation to the failures World War II, atrocities committed by Nazis in Poland and the Eastern Front, the restriction on personal rights, and an inner duty to oppose the regime.

Parker Family Papers (Mss 118), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 118. A wide array of materials, chiefly correspondence, of the Liddell and Spencer families of Alabama and the Parker family of Bowling Green, Kentucky. Of particular interest are Civil War letters written to Mary E. “Mollie” Liddell, items related to Howard College and Judson Institute in Marion, Alabama, letters to Lorena Parker from a missionary in Ethiopia, and a letter mentioning Texas politics in 1860.

Bundles For America - Bowling Green, Kentucky (Sc 2813), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 2813. Meeting minutes of Bundles for America, Bowling Green, Kentucky, from 24 January to 14 March 1945. Includes a draft thank-you letter to a sponsor summarizing the organization’s accomplishments since 1941; also includes a 1943 clipping outlining the history and work of the organization in knitting garments, salvaging metal and clothing, and making up toiletry kits for British and American soldiers and their families.

Kentuckiana Camp And Hospital Council (Sc 2812), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2812. Minutes of the quarterly meeting of the Kentuckiana Camp and Hospital Council, held In Louisville, Kentucky on 22 October 1945. Includes a list of gifts from various Council chapters and a discussion about the continuing need for postwar assistance to hospitalized soldiers.

Alley, Jessie Hazel, 1920-2020 (Sc 1369), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scans (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 1369. Letters, 1944, written to Hazel Alley, Smithland, Kentucky, by Marine Pfc. Louis E. Loper, describing a Solomon Islands battle with the Japanese in which her friend “Pete” was killed. Includes her submission of the letters (under the name Hazel Robertson) to Kentucky Explorer magazine, January 2003. Also includes two 1953 telegrams, a letter and clippings from the (Marion, Ky.) Crittenden Press relating to another friend who was killed in the Korean War.

Red Cross - Bowling Green, Kentucky (Sc 1243), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 1243. Paper titled "History of Bowling Green-Warren County Red Cross Chapter in Warren County Kentucky from 1939 through 1945." Includes reports concerning chapter activities.

Jackson, Marjorie L., 1919-1998 (Sc 2801), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2801. Letter of Marjorie L. Jackson, serving with the Women’s Army Corps at Bowman Field, Louisville, Kentucky, to her fiance Henry J. Heusinkveld, serving on the U.S.S. Tuscaloosa. She comments on the world political situation, hopes for Japan’s surrender, and expresses her love for him. She also encloses an article about Louisiana marshlands located near her home.

Gilligan, John William, 1909-1982 (Sc 1256), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 1256. Military papers, service record, and letter of John Gilligan, Hopkinsville, Kentucky. He joined the Army National Guard in 1939; entered the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps in 1941, serving until 1946; and then served again in the National Guard until 1952.

Ua1c11/36 Robert Johnston Photo Collection, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Photographs donated by Robert Johnston.