"They Could Not Guard Against It": The Failed U.S. Policy Response To German Sabotage At Black Tom Island,
2024
Brigham Young University
"They Could Not Guard Against It": The Failed U.S. Policy Response To German Sabotage At Black Tom Island, Benjamin Smith
The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing
In the early morning hours of 31 July 1916, German agents successfully detonated a storage facility on an island in New York Harbor named Black Tom. The facility was filled with munitions meant for the Allied powers fighting against Germany in World War I. It was at that time the single most destructive subversive act ever perpetrated on U.S. soil. But it is not surprising that such an act occurred: the United States had no specialized counter-espionage agency and the area had relatively little protection. The remarkable thing is the miniscule amount of attention Black Tom, along with other instances …
Preface,
2024
Brigham Young University
Preface, Tara Westover
The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing
For the past thirty-seven volumes, The Thetean has showcased the work of history students at Brigham Young University. The selection process is difficult: often staff members disagree and engage in spirited debates as they defend or critique various submissions. There are many moments when it seems the group will never reach consensus. With this in mind, I am always surprised to see the polished and pristine finished product. The completed journal betrays no hint of the discord that created it.
Front Matter,
2024
Brigham Young University
Front Matter
The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing
No abstract provided.
Full Issue,
2024
Brigham Young University
Full Issue
The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing
No abstract provided.
Beyond Bakke: Explaining The Anti-Affirmative Action Movement Of The 1990s,
2024
Brigham Young University
Beyond Bakke: Explaining The Anti-Affirmative Action Movement Of The 1990s, Austin Brayley
The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing
America's long history of racism testifies that despite major reform efforts, American society is not yet egalitarian. Minority racial and ethnic groups emain underrepresented in a number of professional fields such as law, medicine, white-collar business and instructors of higher education. Americans today cannot deny their heritage of discrimination based on race or nationality. In the past, the white majority has denied racial minorities' equal access to these prestigious fields, either through legislation, court rulings or overt resistance.
A War Of Words: Old Testament Slavery Debates In Antebellum Era,
2024
Brigham Young University
A War Of Words: Old Testament Slavery Debates In Antebellum Era, Sara Mcconkie
The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing
Rligious leader Joseph Smith put it eloquently when he stated that early nineteenth-century religious leaders "understood the same passages of cripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling . .. question[s] by an appeal to the Bible." 1 The debates surrounding slavery during the antebellum era validate Smith's statement. With compelling arguments, religious leaders between 1830 and 1860 condoned and condemned slavery, using the Bible to support their claims.
Al-Ghazali' S Views On Education Reform,
2024
Brigham Young University
Al-Ghazali' S Views On Education Reform, Joshua Wheatley
The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing
Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghaziili" (1058-1111 CE) is best known for his development of Islamic philosophy and his embrace of Sufism, but he was also an important contributor to the theory of Islamic education. There is no shortage of scholarship on al-Ghazali"'s promotion of Sufism, his contributions to Islamic philosophy and his involvement in court politics. His position on education, however, is less well-known. Avner Giladi, an authority on the history of education in the Islamic world, has observed that in medieval Islam, education was an inseparable part of religion and politics. Therefore, it is only natural that, rather than writing …
"By The Glory Of Our Fathers": Theodore Parker And The American Revolution,
2024
Brigham Young Univeristy
"By The Glory Of Our Fathers": Theodore Parker And The American Revolution, Benjamin E. Park
The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing
Just like any significant historical event, the Memory and ideals of the American Revolution became an important point of reference for the many rhetoricians that followed. Politicians, reformers, and ministers used the "spirit" or "age" the Revolution as an authoritative text for their modern agendas. As a result, the meaning of the event became malleable, with many people claiming a different lesson to be used for their specific cause. Theodore Parker, a Bostonian Transcendentalist minister writing during the two decades prior to the Civil War, was one of these individuals. He hearkened back to the Revolution as a way to …
"We Will Not Be Silent": The White Rose And National Identity In Post-War Germany,
2024
Brigham Young University
"We Will Not Be Silent": The White Rose And National Identity In Post-War Germany, Ardis Smith
The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing
In 1942, the White Rose resistance group, composed mainly of German university students, published its first leaflet. As part of a series written by Hans Scholl and Alexander Schmorell entitled the "Leaflets of the White Rose," the tract discussed the need for Germans to acknowledge the inhumane actions of Nazi Germany and encouraged Germans to adopt an attitude of "passive resistance" to the rule of National Socialism. The White Rose hoped to motivate Germans to join the resistance movement by asking "[w)ho among us has any conception of the enormous shame that we and our children will feel when eventually …
Engis Mon Got Two Hed: The Pretense Of Puritan Piety And Underground Racism In Early New Engand,
2024
Brigham Young University
Engis Mon Got Two Hed: The Pretense Of Puritan Piety And Underground Racism In Early New Engand, Dallin Henrie
The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing
Many Americans have long credited the Puritans with having laid much of the foundation for what would eventually be generalized as the American character and identity. The nation, they contend, is a product of these hard-working and God-fearing zealots. Others have marveled at this "favoritism" towards the Puritans. After all, other groups arrived earlier than the Puritans and arguably had a larger impact. This controversy has led to many studies of the Puritans. Some have focused on Puritan strengths: their work ethic, moral standards and altruistic character. Like all peoples, however, the Puritans also had their shortcomings. Witchcraft trials, half-way …
Fallen Women In Victorian England: Society, Prostitution And The Works Of Dante Gabriel Rossetti And William Holman-Hunt,
2024
Brigham Young University
Fallen Women In Victorian England: Society, Prostitution And The Works Of Dante Gabriel Rossetti And William Holman-Hunt, Kristen Clark
The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing
Traditional views of the Victorian period are distinguished by the triumph of middle class respectability. However, a deeper look at Victorian England reveals it as an age of double standards. While notorious for strict prudish values and public repression of sexuality, nineteenth-century Britain was also Europe's leader in prostitution and sexual freedom. While publicly practicing staunch morals, society privately attempted to turn a blind eye from the streets where respectable husbands and militia forgot their prudent lifestyle and engaged with various ladies of the night.
Lincoln's World And The Gettysburg Address,
2024
Brigham Young University
Lincoln's World And The Gettysburg Address, Keith Evans
The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing
Ever since its delivery on 19 November 1863, Lincoln's now-iconic Gettysburg Address has become legend almost as much as Lincoln himself. Historians, political analysts, rhetoricians and fifth-graders have pored over the 272 words to glean insight into this granddaddy of all American speeches. It is possible to view the Address from many angles: some argue he was trying to gain the upper hand over the Confederacy on a moral basis; others argue that he suggested that the Declaration of Independence superseded the Constitution in authority. Other interpretations state that he insinuated the Civil War was being fought to protect the …
From Slavery To Freedom: Why Free Blacks Stayed In Warwick, New York,
2024
Brigham Young University
From Slavery To Freedom: Why Free Blacks Stayed In Warwick, New York, Elizabeth Morris
The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing
In 1991, construction crews uncovered New York's "Negro Burying Ground" in lower Manhattan, prompting a resurgence of interest in the history of blacks and slavery in New York City. Recent historical literature includes works about black and slave culture in New York City and about the politics of slavery in New York. Although these historians make inferences about slavery in rural areas of New York in these works, very little research and literature is devoted specifically to this subject.
The Battle Of King's Mountain: Making History In An Hour,
2024
Brigham Young Univeristy
The Battle Of King's Mountain: Making History In An Hour, Katelyn Thacker
The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing
Heavy rain in the early morning hours of October 7, 1780, dampened the leaves and allowed the rebel militia to steal through the forest surrounding King's Mountain undetected. The loyalist corps on the top of King's Mountain became aware of the approaching enemy by the rebel's own gunfire scarcely half a mile away. Multiple units of patriot riflemen swarmed the footshaped hill, pushing the loyalist troops to one end of it. In vain, the loyalists attempted to counter showering gunfire with bayonet charges. After only one hour, the loyalist commander British Major Patrick Ferguson lay dead. His subordinate, loyalist Captain …
Preface,
2024
Brigham Young University
Preface, Drew Mecham
The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing
The thirty-eighth volume of The Thetean, like its predecessors, showcases the work of history students at Brigham Young University. The idea of an undergraduate journal is admirable but beg us to inquire after its return-on-investment. Why spend the time and money when relatively few will read these articles? The answer, I believe, is akin to the answer of why we practice history at all.
Front Matter,
2024
Brigham Young University
Front Matter
The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing
No abstract provided.
Full Issue,
2024
Brigham Young University
Full Issue
The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing
No abstract provided.
Oh My Heart Has Been Pained Within Me: Benjamin Lay And The Quaker Acceptance Of Antislavery Ideology,
2024
Brigham Young University
Oh My Heart Has Been Pained Within Me: Benjamin Lay And The Quaker Acceptance Of Antislavery Ideology, Zachariah Young
The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing
in 1758, a sickly hunchback lay ill in his cave-like dwelling. He had devoted his life to the cause of eradicating slavery. He was alone, a widower and an outcast among those called Friends. Now, in the winter of his life, 77-yearold Benjamin Lay heard the news that the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting had embraced antislavery thought to the extent that those who "could not be persuaded to desist from the practice of holding slaves, or were concerned in the importation of them" could face disciplinary action, just as he had for decrying the evils of racial slavery decades before. At …
Judas Was A Chaplain To Congress: Jacob Duche And The Revolutionary Limits Of Civic Faith,
2024
Brigham Young University
Judas Was A Chaplain To Congress: Jacob Duche And The Revolutionary Limits Of Civic Faith, Spencer Wells
The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing
The Morning of September 6,1774, found a weary John Adams attending to political duties. Arriving in Philadelphia to take part in the First Continental Congress, Adams found himself greeted with rumors concerning the British "bombardment" of Boston at every turn. While aware that the colonial press remained unreliable during even the best of times, Adams remained concerned. Prospects of familial "distress and terror" haunted his mind, and fellow delegates did little to help. As Congress opened, Patrick Henry warned colonists of approaching danger. "Government [was] dissolved," he began, for aggressive British troops had succeeded in throwing once-loyal colonies into a …
Liberalizing Salvation In Medieval Vision Literature,
2024
Brigham Young University
Liberalizing Salvation In Medieval Vision Literature, Drew Sorber
The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing
in 1960, the Chicago Congress of World Mission declared, "in the years since World War II more than one billion souls have passed into eternity and more than half of those went to the torment of Hell fire without even hearing of Jesus Christ, who He was or why He died on the Cross of Calvary." The issue of a restricted salvation-one granted only to those who fulfil a specific set of requirements-has remained central to Christian eschatology since the pre-Nicene period and before. While this issue is addressed throughout Christian history, a dramatic reaction to it came in the …
