Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Political History Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 10 of 10

Full-Text Articles in Political History

Unilateralism And Strategic Ambiguity In American Foreign Policy: Contextualizing The Taiwan Relations Act, James L. Landers Apr 2024

Unilateralism And Strategic Ambiguity In American Foreign Policy: Contextualizing The Taiwan Relations Act, James L. Landers

Honors College Theses

The goal of this thesis is to examine the unique historical context surrounding the enactment of the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act in order to demonstrate how congressional unilateralism, a core component of enacting the TRA, led the United States to strengthen a policy of strategic ambiguity toward Taiwan and China. As a result of its enactment, the TRA has been criticized by the mainland Chinese government as an example of foreign policy that is contrary to the traditional values promoted by the United States. This study examines the creation of the TRA through government documents, legislation, and speeches and aims …


Bearing The Benefit: An Evolution Of Passing To Trespassing & How We Got Here, Kennedi J. Williams Apr 2024

Bearing The Benefit: An Evolution Of Passing To Trespassing & How We Got Here, Kennedi J. Williams

Honors College Theses

In recent years, we have seen a shift in the social treatment of white people in America. The desire to be politically correct at all times, in hopes of avoiding becoming the next viral “Karen” or racist has become imperative. The following thesis will explore the latest trend of white women buying racial capital by producing mixed-race children. At first glance, this idea can be a bit problematic. How can we assume the reasoning behind a woman choosing to bear a child? With this in mind, I would like to emphasize that individuals do not have to consciously be racist …


New Women In The Old Dominion: Race And Gender In Progressive-Era Virginia, Rachel Scott Jan 2023

New Women In The Old Dominion: Race And Gender In Progressive-Era Virginia, Rachel Scott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis traces the development of Black and white Southern women’s pursuit of political power between the end of the Civil War and the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920. Emancipation and the downfall of the antebellum planter aristocracy upset traditional Southern gender norms and opened new doors for women of both races in the political upheaval of Reconstruction. Though both Black and white women participated in the women’s club movement and joined women’s advocacy and charity groups following the Civil War, their work was distinctive both from each other and from other regional Progressive movements. The context of …


The Forgotten Activists Of Georgia: The Black Women Of Savannah, Emily Zanieski Apr 2022

The Forgotten Activists Of Georgia: The Black Women Of Savannah, Emily Zanieski

Honors College Theses

Historians of the Civil Rights Movement in Georgia have primarily focused on how the national movement unfolded in the city of Atlanta. More recent scholarship has highlighted the role Martin Luther King Jr. played in Albany; however, many of these analyses focus on figures within the larger movement rather than focusing on local, grassroots organizers. Additionally, their primary focus tends to be on the role of Black men, leaving behind the voices of Black women who led alongside them. Through a Long Civil Rights Movement (LCRM) approach, I argue that Black women in Savannah, Georgia played an instrumental role in …


Cannot Afford To Publicly Surrender: The Public's Influence On Ronald Reagan's Strategic Relationship With South Africa, Jessica P. Forsee Jan 2021

Cannot Afford To Publicly Surrender: The Public's Influence On Ronald Reagan's Strategic Relationship With South Africa, Jessica P. Forsee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reagan’s administration used the policy of constructive engagement to bring gradual reform to the apartheid system and build peace in the southern African region. The coordination of anti-apartheid activist organizations and members advocating for harsher economic pressure on South Africa successfully raised US public awareness and shifted public opinion against constructive engagement’s gradualist policies. As a result, leading Reagan staffers like Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Chester Crocker recalibrated constructive engagement’s focus to quicken regional peacebuilding maintain stability and control of US foreign policy in the public eye. This thesis analyzes the early influences on constructive engagement and …


The Clean Wehrmacht: Myths About German War Crimes Then And Now, Narayan J. Saviskas Jr. Apr 2020

The Clean Wehrmacht: Myths About German War Crimes Then And Now, Narayan J. Saviskas Jr.

Honors College Theses

On October 1st, 1946, the Nuremberg high command trails ended. The executions and life sentences of representatives of the German military and political elite were carried out by the Allied powers. At the time, the Soviet Union posed a greater threat than the Germans tried at Nuremberg. Years later, on October 9th, 1950, former officers of the German military gathered in Himmerod Abbey. Together they wrote the Himmerod Memorandum, which laid the foundation of the German rearmament and called for the release of German soldiers (Wehrmacht) and Schutzstaffel (SS) members convicted of war crimes. The Allies, desperate for another line …


Genocide Masquerading: The Politics Of The Sharpeville Massacre And Soweto Uprising, Jessica P. Forsee Apr 2019

Genocide Masquerading: The Politics Of The Sharpeville Massacre And Soweto Uprising, Jessica P. Forsee

Honors College Theses

Apartheid South Africa represented a paradox as a US ally and human rights pariah. “Genocide Masquerading” uncovers the implications of US foreign policy on the rise and decline of apartheid, looking specifically at the 1960 Sharpeville Massacre and the 1976 Soweto Uprising. By comparing Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Ford, and Carter foreign policy responses, this thesis creates a comparative analysis of how effective, or ineffective, the United States was during pivotal moments in apartheid history. This thesis will not only expand on the developing South African literature but add to the conversation of international aid, diplomacy practices, and North-South relationships.


Honor, Courage, Commitment: Navy Recruitment Posters In World War Ii, Shelby A. Georges Apr 2018

Honor, Courage, Commitment: Navy Recruitment Posters In World War Ii, Shelby A. Georges

Honors College Theses

Navy recruitment posters from World War II are an important piece of American culture. The iconic signage can be seen in antique stores and textbooks alike. However, these posters provide more than just bold imagery and vintage decor. By analyzing recruitment posters as if they were advertisements and placing them in the context of the time period, many facets of American identity can be understood, especially regarding race, gender, and patriotism. These posters, while they almost never stated the specific outlined duties of Naval careers or requirements for enlisting, advertised to readers under the premise that they understood the guidelines …


Politics And Pragmatism: The United States And Israel Between Two Presidents, Christopher J. Parker Jan 2017

Politics And Pragmatism: The United States And Israel Between Two Presidents, Christopher J. Parker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the United States’ relationship with Israel and the wider Middle East between the Truman and Eisenhower administrations. The United States’ relationship with Israel has reverberated across the Middle East and studying its impact is critical for understanding past and present issues in the region. It begins with an examination of the factors that impelled President Truman to act against the advice of his Department of State and recognize Israel only minutes after it declared statehood in May 1948; arguing that, above all else, domestic political considerations lay at the heart of his decision. It then assesses the …


Full Circle: The New Deal And The Great Recession, Donald Lewis Roberts Jan 2017

Full Circle: The New Deal And The Great Recession, Donald Lewis Roberts

Honors College Theses

In this paper I will show how the mindset of liberalism has evolved since the Great Depression. It merged with progressive movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries to become a politically left ideology that intertwined with power hungry politicians who perverted liberalism and used sudden economic and social phenomena to engineer a new type of American government. One that has constantly expanded, reaching and entrenching itself further and further into the lives of Americans, starting with President Franklin Roosevelt. Roosevelt’s work would be expanded in the name of progress and equality by several of his …