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Forging A Bluegrass Commonwealth: The Kentucky Statehood Movement And The Politics Of The Trans-Appalachian West, 1783–1792, Christopher L. Leadingham 2017 Marshall University

Forging A Bluegrass Commonwealth: The Kentucky Statehood Movement And The Politics Of The Trans-Appalachian West, 1783–1792, Christopher L. Leadingham

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

In 1893 historian Frederick Jackson Turner first presented his frontier thesis to a group of historians at the World’s Columbian Exposition, a fair honoring the four-hundredth anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ expedition, in Chicago, Illinois. Since then, scholars have long debated the role that the frontier played in shaping the development of the United States. The Kentucky statehood movement emerged at a critical juncture in the early republic’s history, and, when viewed in a transatlantic context, becomes much more important to the development of the United States and larger Atlantic world than what has generally been recognized. Kentuckians found themselves at …


Salafism, Wahhabism, And The Definition Of Sunni Islam, Rob J. Williams 2017 Augustana College, Rock Island Illinois

Salafism, Wahhabism, And The Definition Of Sunni Islam, Rob J. Williams

Honors Program: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

My capstone deals with the historical definition of Sunni Islam, and how it has changed in approximately the past 200 years. Around 1800, Sunni Islam was pretty clearly defined by an adherence to one of four maddhabs, or schools of law: the Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i, and Hanbali schools and are all based in nearly a millennium of legal scholarship. Since 1800, however, numerous reform movements have sprung up which disavow previous scholarship and interpret Islamic law their own way. However, certain reformist groups, such as Traditionalist Salafis and Wahhabis, claim that their version of Islam is the only “pure” …


The Visual And Material Culture Of Death In Commemorative Exhibitions In National Cultural Institutions In Ireland, Siobhan Doyle 2017 Technological University Dublin

The Visual And Material Culture Of Death In Commemorative Exhibitions In National Cultural Institutions In Ireland, Siobhan Doyle

Conference papers

My doctoral research concerns the material and visual culture of modern Ireland with particular focus upon the role of exhibition display in commemoration and collective memory. Like many countries, Ireland has a chaotic past which results in challenges for museums in presenting history to satisfy the education and expectation of both national and transnational audiences. The Easter Rising of 1916 is the pivotal event in the creation of the modern Irish state and is widely recognised as a historical event upon which the cultural identity of Ireland is founded and consolidated. My research examines the challenges of displaying death and …


The Bullet In The Brick: Mediating Death In Museums, Siobhan Doyle 2017 Technological University Dublin

The Bullet In The Brick: Mediating Death In Museums, Siobhan Doyle

Conference papers

Objects derive their historical weight from the place where they are displayed and the authenticity surrounding them. An object which has received considerable media attention in the ‘Proclaiming a Republic’ exhibition at the National Museum of Ireland is a portion of a brick in which is embedded a bullet, which is said to have passed through the body of Francis Sheehy-Skeffington when he was executed by firing squad during the EasterRising in Dublin in 1916. In an effort to hide evidence that the execution had taken place, Sheehy- Skeffington’s body was hastily buried by the British Army and all bricks …


Lincoln The Profiler: Combining A Poet’S Voice And A Rhetorician’S Argument To Unite A Nation And Strive For Progress, Maelee Fleming 2017 Western Kentucky University

Lincoln The Profiler: Combining A Poet’S Voice And A Rhetorician’S Argument To Unite A Nation And Strive For Progress, Maelee Fleming

The Student Researcher: A Phi Alpha Theta Publication

“Lincoln acquired his power by exacting obedience from words, and this discipline he acquired in only two ways known to man – by reading and writing,” asserts Jacques Barzun in his Lincoln: the Literary Genius.1 While from humble farming beginnings, President Abraham Lincoln cultivated his writing abilities into a tool for satisfying his ambitions, which far exceeded those of his forefathers, and those ambitions would eventually lead him to the White House. Complimentary to his success was Lincoln’s ability to write in a way that catered to the auditory, as well as the logical, senses, thus producing works that left …


A Few Comments About The Unfair Criticisms Of Abraham And Mary Lincoln Or Two Sides Of A Penny, Rebecca Clark 2017 Western Kentucky University

A Few Comments About The Unfair Criticisms Of Abraham And Mary Lincoln Or Two Sides Of A Penny, Rebecca Clark

The Student Researcher: A Phi Alpha Theta Publication

There are a tremendous number of books and articles printed about Abraham and Mary Lincoln. They comment, critique, and analyze every aspect of their lives before, during, and after the Lincoln Presidency. No triviality has been deemed too small or inconsequential to dwell upon and debate. In fact, the Lincolns, from the beginning of Abraham’s courtship of Mary Todd to after the fatal assassination, were treated unfairly and subjected to false attacks by the press, public, and family members for self-serving agendas, and nefarious purposes. Despite her family’s qualms over her choice of a husband, Mary saw in Abrahamqualities others …


The Nazi Fiscal Cliff: Unsustainable Financial Practices Before World War Ii, Parker Abt 2017 University of Pennsylvania

The Nazi Fiscal Cliff: Unsustainable Financial Practices Before World War Ii, Parker Abt

The Gettysburg Historical Journal

The Nazis inherited a weak economy, withered by the Great Depression and periods of hyperinflation, when they took power in 1933. Over the next six years, primarily through a military buildup, the Nazi economy grew like none other in the world. This paper traces the methods the Nazis used to finance this economic rebound. Through an analysis of secret government documents, Nuremburg witness statements, and the latest scholarly research, this paper posits that the methods used to finance the economy were unsustainable. Further, it finds that by September 1939, the economy was in a state of dangerous disarray.


Teaching Black History After Obama, Karen Sotiropoulos 2017 Cleveland State University

Teaching Black History After Obama, Karen Sotiropoulos

History Faculty Publications

This article is a reflection on the teaching of black history after the Obama presidency and at the dawn of the Trump era. It is both an analysis of the state of the academic field and a primer on how to integrate the past few decades of scholarship in black history broadly across standard K-12 curriculum. It demonstrates the importance of theorizing black history as American history rather than just including African American content in US History courses and offers specific methods that can shift the narrative in this direction even within the confines of a more traditional telling of …


J.E. Bernier And The Historical Record, Alan MacEachern 2017 Western University

J.E. Bernier And The Historical Record, Alan Maceachern

History Publications

In the 1920s, Canada developed and promoted a sector claim to the Arctic archipelago based on the 1880 transfer from Great Britain and on subsequent occupation, as expressed in licensing, patrols, and posts. The fact that in July 1909 the government-sponsored explorer J.E. Bernier had claimed the sector by planting a flag, indeed, the fact that Canada had him planting flags at all, complicated if not contradicted this narrative. This research note shows that Canadian government officials of the 1920s misunderstood or, more likely, deliberately mischaracterised Bernier’s earlier sovereignty work, and in doing so have distorted our historical understanding of …


From Crusaders To Flunkies: American Newspaper Coverage Of Black First World War Soldiers From 1915 And 1930., Matthew D. LaRoche 2017 Gettysburg College

From Crusaders To Flunkies: American Newspaper Coverage Of Black First World War Soldiers From 1915 And 1930., Matthew D. Laroche

The Gettysburg Historical Journal

This article concerns itself with the U.S. newspaper coverage given to black soldiers (primarily African-American) in the lead up to the U.S. entry into the First World War, through the war, and into the 1930's. In so doing, it chronicles the divisions that appeared within the black community in America as black Americans debated whether or not to serve a country that did not respect their liberties at home, the portrayal of black soldiers in U.S. newspapers, and the post-war betrayal that saw the rise of a popular silence on the rights of black veterans, and a forced return to …


In Defense Of The Electoral College, Allen C. Guelzo, James H. Hulme 2017 Gettysburg College

In Defense Of The Electoral College, Allen C. Guelzo, James H. Hulme

Civil War Era Studies Faculty Publications

There is hardly anything in the Constitution harder to explain, or easier to misunderstand, than the Electoral College. And when a presidential election hands the palm to a candidate who comes in second in the popular vote but first in the Electoral College tally, something deep in our democratic viscera balks and asks why the Electoral College shouldn’t be dumped as a useless relic of 18th century white, gentry privilege. Actually, there have been only five occasions when a closely divided popular vote and the electoral vote have failed to point in the same direction. No matter. After last week’s …


The Evolving Emancipator: An Analysis Of Abraham Lincoln And The Progression And Development Of His Emancipationist Impulse, Sharon N. Rodriguez 2017 University of Central Florida

The Evolving Emancipator: An Analysis Of Abraham Lincoln And The Progression And Development Of His Emancipationist Impulse, Sharon N. Rodriguez

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This research looks at the narrative of Abraham Lincoln as the Great Emancipator versus the Evolving Emancipator. The goal of this thesis is to contribute to the narrative of the Evolving Emancipator and show an imperfect man who achieved this action after trials and tribulations.This has been achieved by examining letters and other primary sources to fully understand the scope of Lincoln’s sentiments regarding slavery. My research shows a man who acknowledged slavery because it was sanctioned by the law. He recognized the rights of slave owners, both to retain their slaves and to have fugitive slaves returned, as they …


Democratic States Of Unexception: Towards A New Genealogy Of The American Political, William J. Novak, Stephen W. Sawyer, James T. Sparrow 2017 University of Michigan Law School

Democratic States Of Unexception: Towards A New Genealogy Of The American Political, William J. Novak, Stephen W. Sawyer, James T. Sparrow

Book Chapters

This chapter takes issue with the history and theory of exception along these three lines. The first section offers a critique of the idea of law at the heart of the theory of exception. By taking a closer look at the history and theory of law in early nineteenth-century America, it offers an alternative reading of the role of exception in Emerson’s America – a place and time in which the exception in law was anything but exceptional. The second section offers a critique of the idea of state and sovereignty at the heart of the theory of exception in …


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

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

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & 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 …


To Stand Against The Company: A Study Of The British Honourable East India Company And Piracy In The Indian Ocean World, Circa 1680-1760, John Ridge 2017 Murray State University

To Stand Against The Company: A Study Of The British Honourable East India Company And Piracy In The Indian Ocean World, Circa 1680-1760, John Ridge

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This study attempts to explore the multi-faceted challenges and hindrances brought upon the British East India Company by piracy in the Indian Ocean World. European and American pirates in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries influenced economic, political, and social factors in the Indian Ocean. The Angrians in the eighteenth century did the same, constituting an indigenous piratical threat. These forms of piracy encouraged the British East India Company to gradually bolster military strength to mobilize against them. With their own built up strength, Royal navy support, local Mahratta allies, and internal-conflict within the Angres, the British East India …


Making The Gilded Age: Myth, Money, And Misery In A Market Society, Austbrook D. Hudson 2017 Murray State University

Making The Gilded Age: Myth, Money, And Misery In A Market Society, Austbrook D. Hudson

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This project argues myths are central to society. For the Gilded Age, this was especially true. Myths helped to explain the world, individually and nationally. Stories structure life. Stories structure nations. They are consequential in times of change when the world is incomprehensible. At an individual level, the self-made ideal explained success and failure. It came with an implicit promise: every individual had an equal opportunity to succeed in the new economy, and the system was fair. Myths of the Western experience explained national identity. It revealed traits including rugged individualism, independence, and perseverance came from taming the frontier. These …


Cry Havoc: The Rise And Collapse Of America's Contractors In Iraq, Samuel Brown 2017 Murray State University

Cry Havoc: The Rise And Collapse Of America's Contractors In Iraq, Samuel Brown

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This work aims at examining the development of Private Security Contracting, specifically Blackwater, and their role in destabilizing the United States’ mission in Iraq. In that examination, it looks at existing literature on the subject and the efforts that people involved in the Bush Administration made regarding the War on Terror that allowed these companies and Blackwater to develop. Choices made by Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and CPA leader Paul Bremer all added to the chaos and the shortage of manpower that would see these companies fill in the gaps in American planning. This work …


The Social Construction Of Winston Churchill: How Life Experiences Shaped The Identity Of A Wartime Legend, Molly Elisabeth Smith 2017 Butler University

The Social Construction Of Winston Churchill: How Life Experiences Shaped The Identity Of A Wartime Legend, Molly Elisabeth Smith

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

While the theory of social constructivism in international relations may not be the most common, it has appeared in different forms throughout the twentieth century and has gained popularity in recent years. Focusing on the formation of - and potential for change in - identities and interests, constructivism allows for the consideration of both ideational and behavioral factors in studying actors of the international community. Pairing these concepts with principles from both social identity theory and political psychology, one can observe the constructivist development of identities and interests of a political individual, such as Winston Churchill. Churchill's unique life experience …


Guide To The Presidential Debate Records, University of San Diego University Relations 2017 University of San Diego

Guide To The Presidential Debate Records, University Of San Diego University Relations

University Records

This collection contains planning records, videos, and news clippings associated with both the 1992 and 1996 Presidential Debates. 1992 Debate records cover the selection and subsequent cancellation of USD as a host site. News clippings also cover the controversy between the Bush and Clinton campaigns over why the debate was canceled. 1996 Debate records include correspondence, site selection and visitation information, planning meeting records, and contract information with the Commission on Presidential Debates. Design records featuring the debate logo which was placed on Media Kit items, t-shirts, lapel pins, and stationary are included. Short news cast videos are included along …


Civil War Or Genocide? The United Nations Commission Of Experts’ Misunderstanding Of The Third Balkan War Of The 1990s, Matthew G. Morley 2017 DePaul University

Civil War Or Genocide? The United Nations Commission Of Experts’ Misunderstanding Of The Third Balkan War Of The 1990s, Matthew G. Morley

Grand Valley Journal of History

When the country of Yugoslavia disintegrated into war, the United Nations created a research commission, the Yugoslav Commission of Experts, to document war crimes. This commission, led by Cherif M. Bassiouni, depicted the conflict as a perpetual problem with historical roots and also as having victims on both sides, which presented a legal-definitional paradox to the Security Council, requiring litigation of principles, categorization of conflicts, and discussion of further involvement - if applicable. This paper traces the essentialist understandings of the Commission of Experts and the International Human Rights Law Institute – two groups that otherwise had good intentions to …


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