Political History Commons^™

How Trump Won: Media And The Silent Majority In The 2016 Us Presidential Election, Joshua K. Miller

Senior Honors Theses

Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign ended in victory because of two powerful forces: enormous media advantage gained through sensationalism and a strong coalition made up of evangelicals, pragmatic conservatives, and the silent majority. The work of Neil Postman sheds light on the underlying cultural foundation of Trump’s media advantage. Parallels from the video game industry explain how intentional sensationalism played into Trump’s success in the primary process. Evangelicals and pragmatic conservatives joined Trump’s coalition in spite of his scandals, and Eric Hoffer’s work helps explain his appeal to the silent majority. Ultimately, the patterns of Trump’s victory yield significant learning …

A Collaborative Work: The Role Of University Students And Dissidents In Czechoslovakia's Velvet Revolution, Milena Rogers

Young Historians Conference

The 1989 Velvet Revolution is fairly unknown against the tumultuous historical backdrop of the Communist controlled Eastern Bloc in the second half of the twentieth century. However, it is arguably one of the most important events in the history of Czechoslovakia and remains as a powerful testament of the power of the people. This paper explores the collaboration of university students and established intellectuals in the forty years that Czechoslovakia was controlled by the Soviets, and examines how a bloodless uprising removed one of the world’s greatest entities in a peaceful transfer of power.

The Communist Manifesto: A Case Study In The Class Politics Of Industrialization, Benjamin B. Goldberg

Young Historians Conference

Karl Marx is among the few historical figures whose influence was not fully apparent until after his death. When he penned his best-known work, The Communist Manifesto, “communism” was little more than a vague boogeyman employed by the political establishment of Europe to discredit movements among industrial laborers, but after he had long since passed, the students of his works, in the midst of World War I, seized power from the Tsar of Russia. Why the revolution occurred but the expected workers’ paradise failed to follow has been the subject of much debate. Opinions range from the White Russian …

Rasputin And The Fragmentation Of Imperial Russia, Jessie Radcliffe

Young Historians Conference

In 1917 the Romanov Dynasty ended as did Imperial Russia. Faced with years of political, social and economic instability tracing back to the Revolution of 1905, it was only a matter of time before everything fell apart. This paper analyzes the role in which Gregory Rasputin played in further polarizing the many facets of Russian society and priming the country for the Revolution of 1917.

Progressive Era Aftermath-Analysis Of Municipal Housekeeping: Bertha K. Landes And Dorothy Mccullough Lee, Mary Potter

Young Historians Conference

Municipal housekeeping in America arose after the fall of the progressive era. The nation faced political corruption, high crime rates, and civic disarray. Elite clubwomen took it upon themselves to step forward and clean up their communities. In the Pacific Northwest, Bertha Landes and Dorothy McCullough Lee were two of the most influential municipal housekeepers. Bertha Landes was mayor of Seattle in 1926 and Dorothy Lee was mayor of Portland in 1949. Both mayors fought gender bias and prejudice while cleaning up their city’s streets and morals. From 1926 to 1949, the fundamentals behind municipal housekeeping did not change, but …

Commentary: Will The Courts Make Trump's Presidency Less Imperial?, Allen C. Guelzo, James H. Hulme

Civil War Era Studies Faculty Publications

Nearly three months ago, Donald Trump assumed a presidency that, for more than a century, had grown seemingly endless discretionary powers. And he did so in company with Republican majorities in Congress and in 32 state legislatures -- all of which should have made his decisions unassailable.

Instead, he has been stymied and embarrassed by resistance from a federal judiciary that has twice halted executive orders on the most prominent issue of his presidential campaign. So, will the federal judiciary become the wall against which Trump bleeds away the power not just of his own presidency but of the “imperial …

3rd Place Contest Entry: “Cry ‘Havoc!’ And Let Slip The Dogs Of War!”: The Canine Experience In The A.E.F., Amanda Larsh

Kevin and Tam Ross Undergraduate Research Prize

This is Amanda Larsh's submission for the 2017 Kevin and Tam Ross Undergraduate Research Prize, which won third place. She wrote about the experiences of canine units in the American military during World War I. ou can read the final essay that came out of her research here.

Amanda is a senior at Chapman University, majoring in History and News & Documentary studies. Her faculty mentor is Dr. Leland L. Estes.

Ike's Leadership Lessons For New President, Michael J. Birkner

History Faculty Publications

Just days into his presidency in the winter of 1953, Dwight Eisenhower met with his advisers and discussed a challenge from within the majority Republican caucus. If mishandled, it could have endangered his program for a stronger America.

The issue, as he later related, was the demand of conservative Republican legislative leaders that Eisenhower "balance the budget immediately and cut taxes no matter what the result." [excerpt]

Hail To The Chief: Official Presidential Portraits And The Imagery Of The Private Individual In The Public Office, Erin Sinski

Student Scholar Showcase

Much has been written about the presidency of the United States and the individuals that have inhabited its office. However, not much research has been dedicated to the presidential portraits that commemorate each president’s term served. Yet it is within the plane of a portrait that an artist has encapsulated the gargantuan nature of the public figure alongside the vulnerability of the private individual. Presidential portraits possess a psychological nature which creates a reciprocity between the viewer and the subject. Through all of this the presidential portrait has become a means for the American public to understand and recognize each …

The Oil Crisis Of 1973: President Nixon’S Actions To Maintain American Prosperity, Meredith Haluga

American Studies Forum

The paper describes the Oil Crisis of 1973. It examines how President Nixon and his government reacted to the Oil Crisis in attempts to prevent the United States from being economically devastated by it. The work includes details about the actions that Nixon and the government took, the regulations set in place as a result, the reactions of Americans, and the lasting impacts of both the crisis and the regulations.

Johnson’S War: How Vietnam Tarnished A Presidency, Patrick Lyons

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

This Senior History thesis entitled, Johnson's War: How Vietnam Tarnished a Presidency, dives into the controversial and often questioned success of Lyndon Johnson as President of the United States. Specifically, the Vietnam War and its harsh effect on Johnson and the United States is debated throughout. The context expresses how Johnson's presidency would forever be tarnished by the stain the Vietnam War has left in American history. The steps taken during the Johnson administration were proven to be quite harmful to his reputation and the success of the nation. The decisions made and consequences that came with the Vietnam War …

Enlightenment, Latin America, Age Of Revolutions, Spanish America, Brazil, Katherine A. Lentz

Student Publications

An essay analyzing the effect of Enlightenment thinking on the political and societal elite of the colonial Spanish and Portuguese Americas, and the subsequent colonial revolutions.

The Great War Then And Now: Reflections On America’S Declaration Of War, Thomas S. Potter

Student Publications

This short essay explores the many impacts of the 1917 U.S. entry to World War I on the author's hometown of Pennington, NJ, and the reaction of its residents at the time.

The Letters Of Stewart Winfield Herman Jr. An American Pastor In Berlin, 1936-1941, Lucy A. Marks

Student Publications

This paper provides an analysis of the experiences of Stewart Herman Winfield Jr based on a collection of his letters on loan to Gettysburg College from the Gettysburg Lutheran Seminary. This paper discusses Herman’s experiences as a student in Strasburg and Gottingen, and as the pastor of the American church of Berlin from 1936 – 1941. Born in Harrisburg, Herman attended Gettysburg College, and the Gettysburg Lutheran Seminary. Herman’s letters provide both a pastoral and an American perspective on the start of WWII and Nazism in Germany. Herman traveled frequently and witnessed the changes that Berlin faced during World War …

Religion And The State: The Influence Of The Tokugawa On Religious Life, Thought, And Institutions, Savannah A. Labbe

Student Publications

This paper describes the influence of the Tokugawa government on religious life in Japan. It focuses on the religious traditions of Buddhism, Shintoism, and Neo-Confucianism and how the state used these religions to their advantage. The Tokugawa had strict control over all aspects of Japanese life including religion and this paper explores that.

Anime And War, Carol Sun

Honors Papers and Posters

This poster examines the growth and development of anime in Japan in post-World War II Japan, particularly its ability to make audiences question the trajectory of humanity and society and to "critique the society that relies on technology...as a means to prevent or discourage war and conflict".

Building A Legend: The Construction Of Brandenburg Field, Brett Collier

Paper and Posters Presentations

Since the construction of Brandenburg Field in 1922, it has been the home for four national championship football teams and has become a symbol for Pittsburg State University Athletics. This research project explored the construction of Brandenburg Field to find out why the University decided to build the stadium at that time and to demonstrate the significant relationship between athletic programs and strong academics. As other institutions of higher learning in Kansas developed, they built stadiums that would attract more students and community support. Pittsburg State did not want to be left out of the equation. With a new, large, …

3rd Place Research Paper: “Cry ‘Havoc!’ And Let Slip The Dogs Of War!”: The Canine Experience In The A.E.F., Amanda Larsh

Kevin and Tam Ross Undergraduate Research Prize

For thousands of years man and canine have hunted, fought, and survived together, eventually strengthening their relationship and reaching the bond experienced in modern times. Although scientists remain unsure as to when canine domestication began, modern dogs are dramatically different from their ancestors in more ways than merely the size of their snout.^[1] While World War I signaled a new era of warfare for humans, the role dogs played was not new or unfamiliar. Dogs battled alongside humans since the Stone Age, performed sentry duty under Napoleon’s rule of Alexandria and acted as scouts in the Spanish-American War.^{[2] …}

"Mistris Hutchinsons Double Weekly-Lecture": Puritan Assemblies And The Antinomian Controversy Of 1636-38, Courtney H. Forster

Senior Honors Theses

The Antinomian Controversy of 1636-38 was a complex religious conflict concerning politics and disruption of Puritan society. It began when the Massachusetts Bay colony split into religious factions within the Church at Boston. At the height of the controversy it seemed a majority of the congregation favored a grace-only means of salvation. Most in authoritative positions believed religious works were important to the societal foundation of a holy Puritan community. With the feared breakdown of society looming over them, they would prosecute and convict Anne Hutchinson for violating the cohesion of the colony. Hutchinson was a prominent woman in the …

Transmitting Revolution: Radio, Rumor, And The 1953 East German Uprising, Michael Palmer Pulido

Dissertations (1934 -)

This project examines public opinion in the Dresden Region of the German Democratic Republic from the end of World War II through the summer of 1953. I argue that the Socialist Unity Party (SED) projected its legitimacy through an official public sphere by representing publicness to its citizenry. Through banners, the press, and choreographed public demonstrations, it aimed to create the appearance of popular support. Even more significantly, the SED used radio to ground its legitimacy in a burgeoning post-war internationalism that bound residents of the GDR in an imagined community of socialist nations under Stalin’s leadership. At the same …