United States History Commons^™

Hollywoodlandia: Celebrity Women, Movie Culture, And American Public Womanhood, 1916-1950, Skye Cranney

History Theses and Dissertations

This project proposes to study the ways in which celebrity women’s behavior may have encouraged American women to challenge, but not necessarily subvert, traditional gender roles even as Hollywood publicity continued to emphasize the importance of those same roles in women’s lives. It does that by examining three sites where celebrity women prominently lived, worked, played, and volunteered between 1920 and 1950: the Hollywood Studio Club, a boarding house only for women in the entertainment industry, in Los Angeles; the Sun Valley Ski Resort, the first modern ski resort in the American West, in central Idaho; and the Hollywood Canteen, …

St. Mary's History Student Researches One Of San Antonio's First Desegregated Clubs., Jayden Mendez

Black History at St. Mary's University - 2025 Collection

St. Mary’s student Jadyn Evans has always had a fascination with San Antonio history; however, through her history major, she has been able to work on research projects, one of which centered around San Antonio’s Keyhole Club in the era of segregation and civil rights. Evans, through her research, has been able to present it to others, sparking a larger conversation on the intersection of Black and Hispanic cultures in San Antonio, but also how her cultures were able to form a community in the city of San Antonio. Evan’s success and research prowess are one of many cases of …

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

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 …

Borglum’S Horse Flies: The Early Opposition To Mount Rushmore, Riley Merritt

Honors College Theses

This thesis explores the evolution of opposition to Mount Rushmore from 1923-1927—the period before carving began. The resistance was led by a group of preservationists who were concerned about the potential ecological and societal impacts of the project. While much of the existing scholarship has focused on the relationship between the local Indigenous community and the monument, I argue that the preservationists, who opposed the site for their own reasons, deserve similar attention. I aim to reframe the Mount Rushmore controversy within the broader context of the conservation movement, thereby contributing to wider environmental and historical debates. I also emphasize …

The Struggle For Empire In The Old Northwest Territory: The Fur Trade And Alliances On The Middle Ground, Richard W. Rowe Jr.

GLI MA in American History Student Works

The Old Northwest Territory is a uniquely underserved area of American history. It stood at the intersection of several empires, each of whom often viewed it as something desirable only when hoping to keep it from falling into the hands of their rivals. Indigenous and creole people lived and died in those spaces, using the fur trade as a means for survival while they navigated between Imperial overlords. This work endeavors to build on existing academic scholarship, fill some gaps therein regarding where this topic fits into the bigger picture, and hopefully inspire others’ interest in doing further research. This …

Spirit Marches West: An Application Of Hegel’S Historical Methodology To The American Frontier, Magnus Imber

Masters Theses

The philosophy of history developed by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel incorporates the systematicity and speculative rationalizations that characterize his other major philosophical endeavors. Despite this, far less investigative work has been directed toward the contemporary applicability of Hegel’s philosophy of history than has been for his other major projects. Considering scholars’ much-diminished interest in speculative, overarching accounts of world history, this is not particularly surprising. Given, however, that the concept of rational historical progress is central to Hegel’s system, the contemporary applicability of the Hegelian conception of history seems to be a matter of significant importance. Can the methodology that …

“An American Versailles:” Cold War Diplomacy And The Branding Of The American National Image Through The Fashion Of First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, Holly Carew

History & Classics Undergraduate Theses

HIS 490 History Honors Thesis

Georgia’S Deportation Of The Creeks And Cherokees: A Prelude To The Trail Of Tears, Sean Michael Ahearn Ii

History & Classics Undergraduate Theses

This thesis follows the story of the forced deportation of two Native American groups, the Creeks and the Cherokees, from the state of Georgia. The Creeks were completely removed from Georgia by January of 1828, two years before Andrew Jackson’s 1830 Indian Removal Act, effectively commencing the removal of all Native Americans to lands west of the Mississippi River, now known as the Trail of Tears. William McIntosh, a Lower Creek chief, worked alongside his cousin, George Troup, the governor of Georgia from 1823 to 1827. McIntosh worked alongside Troup and negotiated land sale deals, known as the Treaties of …

Reflections About The Academy And Its Centennial, Marco Aldi, Woodward S. Bousquet

Virginia Journal of Science

Brief reflective essays from members of the Virginia Academy of Science were solicited as part of the Academy's centennial commemoration in 2023. The essays received demonstrate the many and varied ways in which the Academy has fostered collegiality, encouraged research, supported science education, and shaped the course of science in Virginia during the organization's 100-year history.

Analyzing Colonial South Carolina's Trade Landscape Through The Ricardian Model, Dylan M. Peddemors

Senior Theses

The state of South Carolina existed as a British colony from its founding in 1663 until it declared independence in 1776. During this period, South Carolina operated as a plantation-based, cash-crop economy relying on two primary exports: rice and indigo. The colony displayed nearly complete specialization in its exports of these crops while importing different goods. The theory of comparative advantage in trade relationships crafted by British economist David Ricardo in the 18th century concludes that gains from trade emerge when trade partners specialize in the production and exportation of the goods of which they have the lowest opportunity cost. …

Ursinus Magazine, Spring 2024, Robyn E. Hannigan, Ed Moorhouse, David Eberle, Ben Seal, Talia Argondezzi

Ursinus Magazine, 1995–Present

Out of this world • Freedom fellow • Teachers mentoring teachers • Standout students • Above and beyond • Top Bear • Reimagining Main Street • Bear bites • Cape crusader: Molly Serfass-Carr '14 discovers Delaware parks' true treasures • School of thought: Student and faculty researchers from across academic disciplines advance our knowledge of the brain • Wall Street dreams • A source of hope • Congrats, Class of '24 • Digitizing Gilot • Neverland reimagined • On view at the Berman • National stage • Rolling out the red and gold carpet • Introducing the Athletics Advisory Council …

Lessons On Racism: The Senior Prom At The Elks Club, Donna M. Hughes

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.

A Covenant People: Providentialism In Seventeenth-Century New England And Its Impact On The Development Of The Salem Witch Trials, Gracie L. Vess

Senior Theses

This project explores the New English Puritan ideology of providentialism from the first settlement of New England in 1620 to the Salem Village witch trials in 1692. During this period New England watched its motherland experience civil war, the overthrow of the monarchy, the installation of a commonwealth, the failure of the Puritan Reformation, the restoration of the monarchy, and the Glorious Revolution. These events influenced the way New Englanders saw England’s relationship with God as well as the meaning behind their providential purpose by allowing them to believe God had turned his wrath on England, so the colonists needed …

The Lawgiver And "The Progress Of Evil", Andre Chang

Senior Theses

The study advances a reinterpretation of Madison’s concept of “constitutional liquidation,” presenting it not merely as a theory of legal interpretation but as a broader political strategy for preserving republican government amid recurring crises. Through an analysis of Madison’s responses to the Alien and Sedition Acts, the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions, and the nullification controversy, the thesis demonstrates how Madison sought to balance constitutional stability with principled conflict, allowing fundamental questions of authority, justice, and union to be resolved through disciplined public deliberation rather than force or procedural formalism.

Finally, the thesis contends that Madison’s commitment to national supremacy and …

Women’S Communities And Landscapes In Deadwood, South Dakota In The 1870s–1880s, Jessica Kaye Long

Department of Geography: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This research focuses on the lives, experiences, and contributions of Deadwood women from 1875 to 1889. This range represents a defining period in Deadwood’s history stretching from its inception to the arrival of the railroad. Through this research, I seek to better understand the women living in a relatively isolated city during the gold rush. While previous research has focused on the city’s most famous women and sex workers of the Badlands, the lives of average citizens have been neglected. This research does not want to ignore the impacts of famous women or sex workers. Instead, this thesis attempts to …

The Grizzly, March 28, 2024, Marie Sykes

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

This is an April Fool's parody edition of the Ursinus College Grizzly newspaper entitled "The Goofly."

Retention Strategies: A Mixed Methods Research Study On Factors That Motivated Black Educators To Stay And Teach At A K-12 School During A National Crisis, E Jean Pemberton

Graduate Liberal Studies Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to improve retention of Black educators of K-12 schools during a national crisis. To do so, this research study investigated Black educators of K-12 schools to determine factors that motivated them to stay and teach during a national crisis. This research used Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory of Motivation- Hygiene for its theoretical framework. A convergent mixed-methods design was used to collect the qualitative and quantitative data, analyze the data separately, and then merge the data to determine the findings from this research study (Creswell, 2018). The data collected was from Black educators of K-12 …

Oral History Interview With Ella Anagick Education History, Holly Guise

Oral Histories HIST 300, Fall 2024

Holly Miowak Guise's Survey of Native American History interviews Ella Anagick (Inupiaq) about her education with the Mt. Edgecumbe High School Native boarding school in Alaska, and other topics in Alaska history.

Feigned Compliance: The Japanese American Response To Incarceration During Wwii In Light Of Issei And Nisei Conflict, Mary Rose Comerford

History & Classics Student Scholarship

Major: History
Minors: Asian Studies; Business and Innovation

The formation of exclusively Nisei organizations in the 1930s contributed to their rise in community leadership. When WWII began, these Nisei-led groups collaborated with the War Relocation Authority (WRA), which created a narrative of Japanese American compliance. This is evidenced in internment camp newspapers.