United States History Commons^™

The Grizzly, March 5, 2026, Renee Washart, Nathaniel Nerone, Adam Denn, Claudia Tracy, Hadley Whitman, Erik Groff

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Tuition Promise to Incoming Montco Students • Mike Sielski: Covering the Hardest Sports Market in the U.S. • Too Much Light ... Makes the Baby Go Blind?! • The World Makers: Dungeons and Dragons on Campus • Ursinus' First Student Lighting Designer • Gundolf Graml is a Person, Too • As the Snow Melts, Softball is Ready to Take the Field • Bears Swim Teams Crush Conference Champs

"By The Sweat Of His Brow"?: Master Mechanics And Class Position In Antebellum New Orleans, Caleb G. Roark

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis argues that New Orleans’s skilled laborers profited alongside or from enslaved laborers. Proponents of free labor ideology, largely relegated to the North, charged that the skilled mechanic was the prototypical “free laborer.” In contemporary and modern portrayals, the systems of free and enslaved labor were considered antithetical. This thesis posits that these views are incorrect. Free and enslaved labor flourished together in the Crescent City. Despite their absence in historical understandings of the antebellum South, skilled laborers succeeded in New Orleans. I track societal debates across Louisiana’s newspapers concerning the status and success of mechanics across the state. …

In The Miery Swamp: Metacomet And Memory, Allison Rose, Marianne Holdzkom

The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research

Abstract for “In the Miery Swamp: Metacomet and Memory”, written by Allison Rose and sponsored by Dr. Marianne Holdzkom

Memorials have become omnipresent ties to our communal past. Plaques and dedications materialize in our town squares. Statues loom over our city parks. Monuments tower over our cemeteries. A large issue facing public historians today is the disconnect between the original intent of public memorials and the collective representation of diverse histories. “In the Miery Swamp: Metacomet and Memory” addresses how interactions with the public alter and transform four public memorials. Through a chronological and historical analysis of four monuments to …

Appendix Tables - "James Madison’S World: Society And Culture In Central Virginia, 1714 To 1900", John T. Schlotterbeck

History Faculty publications

Table 1. Population, Orange County, Va., 1735 to 1790

Table 2. Labor Forces, Orange County, Va., 1737 to 1782

Table 3. Servant and Slave Fugitives, Orange County, Va., 1736 to 1770

Table 4. Enslaved Defendants, Orange County, Va., 1736 to 1770

Table 5. Grand Jury Presentments, Orange County, Va., 1735 to 1759

Table 6. Population, by Race, Orange and Greene Counties, Va., 1790 to 1940

Table 7. Slaveholdings, Orange and Greene Counties, Va., 1820 and 1860

Table 8. Farm Production and Livestock, Orange and Greene Counties, Va., 1840 to 1910

Table 9. Production, Livestock, and Values, by Farm Size, Orange …

Archives And Children's Knowledge, Elliott Kuecker, Ashley Rockenbach

Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies

This article argues for the importance of collecting works created by children—not just about and not just for—in formal archival collections. Framed through the ideas of legitimate knowledge and epistemic injustice, this piece combines notions important to children’s rights activists and childhood studies scholars with the role archives can play in preserving children’s knowledge through child-created materials. The authors describe how researchers struggle to find work created by children within archives, impacting the ability to create child-centered research that centers children’s views of the world as prominently as adult views of the world. Some collections that do include child-created materials …

Review Of Stephen Kinzer, Poisoner In Chief: Sidney Gottlieb And The Cia Search For Mind Control, Dennis M. Johnson

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

Stephen Kinzer has produced an important work that explores the life and career of the architect of the CIA’s MK-ULTRA mind control project. Kinzer brings to light the varied projects and unsettling effects of the CIA’s attempt to brainwash unsuspecting persons and the quiet man who led the projects.

Book Review: Sister Sinner By Claire Hoffman, Shawn Smith

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

Claire Hoffman’s *Sister Sinner: The Miraculous Life and Mysterious Disappearance of Aimee Semple McPherson* (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2025) offers a very balanced and engaging look at one of the most influential yet controversial figures in early twentieth-century American Christianity. Blending meticulous scholarship with narrative flair, Hoffman explores McPherson’s rise from obscure evangelist to international celebrity, her pioneering use of radio, and her complex role in shaping Pentecostalism and popular culture. Avoiding sensationalism, Hoffman examines McPherson’s triumphs, contradictions, and mysterious disappearance with nuance and respect, resulting in a balanced yet compelling and well contextualized biography.

An Examination Of Civil War Memory: The Lost Cause, Taylor Hill

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

The way that Americans view the Civil War has changed over time. What was once considered a mighty conflict and a horrid defeat for the South has transformed into a distant, unpleasant memory. Different interpretations have struggled to understand why the war was fought and how it has been received.

Hiroshima And The Birth Of The Perilous Present, Scott M. White

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

This article explores how the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945 not only marked a transformative moment in military and political history but also set a lasting precedent for modern global risk. By examining the implications of Hiroshima, this paper will delve into how the initial decision to use nuclear force instigated a high-stakes period of unprecedented risk management that extends to today's geopolitics, nuclear proliferation, and even international policy on climate and technology. This article will argue that the atomic history of Hiroshima established the world’s first encounter with existential weaponry and its accompanying ethical challenges, thereby laying the …

Lines In The Sky: American Air Defense Strategy 1950-1958, Jacob A. Battle

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

In August 1949, the Soviet Union detonated its first atomic bomb, abruptly ending the American monopoly on nuclear weapons. While many in the Truman administration had believed that no other nation could construct the bomb, war planners were now faced with the possibility of an "atomic Pearl Harbor". In response, NSC-68 would be published, granting an unprecedented level of attention and investment to developing air defense measures. Throughout the following decade, new command structures coincided with rapid developments in radar, aircraft, and missile technology. Furthermore, the development of the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) integrated radar, interceptors, and Nike missile systems …

Cold War Origins: The Iron Curtain Descends, I. B. Landry

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

The West’s policy of containment would come to define the early years of the Cold War. Rooted in the communist takeover of Russia following the First World War, Soviet aggression was fostered under the leadership of Stalin, who envisioned global domination under communism. Thus, while tensions came to a head following World War II, evidence for an eventual clash of ideologies can be seen in its preceding years.

A Free Black Farming Community In White Clay Creek Hundred, James Jones

History Faculty Publications

Although Delaware remained a slave state until the end of the Civil War, free Blacks were able to acquire land before that.  A small group settled along Delaware’s northern border with Chester County, even though Pennsylvania offered greater legal protection against enslavement.  This article describes what is known about the four families that settled along Hopkins Road in White Clay Creek Hundred, and the factors that affected their decision to remain in Delaware.

The Grizzly, February 26, 2026, Renee Washart, Nathaniel Nerone, Adam Denn, Alex Zelaya, Sophia Kumar, Claudia Tracy, Jesse Cherone, Erin Ewing

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

What to Expect: Ursinus' Revamped Career Fair • Measles: What Students Need to Know • Former CDC Advisory Committee Member Talk: Vaccines • Thoughts From the Heads of the APEX Hubs • Therapy Dog Spotlight: Poppy Louise • True Love, or True Indifference? • Athlete Profile: Dylan McHugh Explores Post-Football Career • Possenti Shatters Steals Record

Charity Simone, Mark Naison, Anthony Abd-Al Shafi Rosado

Oral Histories

Simone’s path to leadership was inspired by her late mentor, Charles Foster, who encouraged her to be an active voice in their community. After seeing issues with building maintenance and a lack of clear communication, Simone ran for office and was elected Treasurer of her Building Association in 2023. Through this role, she noticed that community work is complex and needs navigating different opinions, yet the experience ultimately reinforced her belief that community is a “verb.” To her, it is an intentional, ongoing action that requires showing up every day to hold the system accountable.

A significant aspect of Simone's …

The Documentality Of The American Passport, Melissa Adler

Proceedings from the Document Academy

This paper outlines an agenda for examining the passport in its emergence in the United States. In the earliest U.S. passports, there is already a paradox that mirrors American liberal democracy itself—a nation founded, in Thomas Jefferson’s words, in the vision of an “empire of liberty.” It lays the groundwork for working through the concept of and processes associated with documentality and what documents do, as well as for understanding the extraordinary conditions and implications associated with the inscription of human lives into documentary systems. Studying the emergence of passports within a broader documentary regime of American surveillance and …

The Grizzly, February 19, 2026, Renee Washart, Sidney Belleroche, Nathaniel Nerone, Claudia Tracy, Zach Stanfield, Erin Ewing

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Ursinus Faculty Cuts: What You Need to Know • Ursinus' MLK Interfaith Ceremony • APEX and Budget Concerns Mount, Profs Examine CIE • What Does Black History Month Mean to Ursinus Professors? • Is Anyone Reading This? • Two Ursinus Guards Reach 1,000 Career Points in Historic Season • Bears' Track Races Towards Strong Finish

Interview With Orca Award Winner Margaret Jacobs, Unl History; Indigenous Child Removal, Mark Griep, Margaret D. Jacobs

UNL ORCA Interview Series

Dr. Margaret Jacobs was awarded the ORCA in 2021. She was born in San Pedro, California, but grew up in Colorado. Something in her youth must have sparked an interest in history because she earned a bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate in that subject with a focus on the interactions between Indigenous peoples and settlers. Her bachelor’s was from Stanford University in California, while her master’s and doctorate were from the University of California, Davis. After teaching history at New Mexico State University, she joined the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2004 as professor of history and director of the Women’s and …

The Mississippi Monument Project, Syeda Haider Shah

CAFE Symposium 2026

The Mississippi State Monument at Gettysburg National Military Park, inaugurated in 1973, demonstrates how Civil War memory was transformed throughout the post–Civil Rights era. Although commemorating Mississippi soldiers who engaged in the 1863 battle, the monument was erected amid ongoing controversies over race, history, and historical interpretation. Its imagery and inscription are significantly influenced by Lost Cause ideology, emphasizing valor, sacrifice, and a "righteous cause" while omitting the central role of slavery in Confederate secession. This project investigates the ways in which Mississippi utilized public memory to assert Southern identity, resist changing national narratives, and project a selective version of …

An Expedition To Public Lands: Exploring The Black Hills Region, John Mcdermott

CAFE Symposium 2026

This project explores 4 public land sites in southwestern South Dakota: Badlands National Park, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Black Hills National Forest, and Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge. I researched each site's most popular recreation activities and contributions to American history, as well as economic data that shows the difference in management strategies between the National Park Service and the US Forest Service.

Longest Marriage In The World: Is Chocolate The Secret To Love?, Simon Brown

CAFE Symposium 2026

Although chocolate has always represented love in some facets, its expression has manifested into something poetic since its founding over 50 centuries ago. This poeticizing of chocolate's relationship with love was formed through the transportation of chocolate from Mesoamerica to Europe, and Europe to America. Whether it’s through Valentines Day, forgiveness gifts, or just a sweet treat added to a nice card, chocolate has become a token of appreciation usable for almost every occasion. Examining the timeline of affection created through both cacao and chocolate, this paper will explore chocolates’ transition from a food of lust to a gift of …