Digital Commons Network^™

Difficult History During Difficult Times: Amache Junior Rangers, Katelyn Morkovsky

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My research aims to understand approaches to teaching difficult histories to children at cultural heritage institutions. To do this, I examined the creation process of the Amache Junior Ranger booklet that launched at the site in the fall of 2025. Amache, a WWII Japanese American incarceration center, presents significant interpretive challenges in balancing the traumatic nature of the site with age-appropriate content as well as highlighting the agency people exercised without losing the gravity of the situation. In addition to how the booklet was made, I use my research to situate the booklet in the social and political climate in …

The Republican Party And The Creation Of The Bipartisan Foreign Policy, 1945-1953, Alexander Gellos

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis provides a historical and structural reexamination of the Republican Party’s role in shaping American foreign policy from 1945 to 1953. Defying the historiography of a frictionless postwar consensus and an executive branch-centered narrative, this historical chronological study demonstrates that the Republican Party’s role in formulating the bipartisan foreign policy was a contingent and debated legislative construction. Far from representing passive submission or a surrender of partisan identity, the GOP’s role was an indispensable exercise in creating it, and due to politics being what it is, straining it. Through historical chronology spanning from 1945 to 1953, the party's center …

From Peril To Perseverance: Dr. Arthur C. Parker And The Seneca Arts Project, Brennan Ciccolone

Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal

Like many Native people, the Haudenosaunee were subjected to culturcide and assimilation using residential schools like the Thomas Indian School in the late 19th and early 20th century. During this time, in 1925, the Seneca archaeologist Dr. Arthur C. Parker was hired as the director of the Rochester Museum and Science Center. Parker used his museum position to uplift and preserve Haudenosaunee arts and culture. This paper focuses on his Seneca Arts Project (1935-1941), which gathered art and artifacts from both ancient and contemporary Haudenosaunee members. This project explores how Parker’s work was used to help revitalize and honor Native …

Reexamining The Croton Aqueduct: A Ward-Level Microhistorical Analysis Of Infrastructure And Cholera Mortality In 1849 New York City, Alexandria R. Toothman

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This work reexamines the Croton Aqueduct’s role in public health by shifting analysis from the citywide level to the ward level, revealing that infrastructure expansion did not produce uniform benefits across New York City. When the Croton Aqueduct opened in 1842, it was celebrated as an achievement that would deliver pure water and eliminate disease. However, only seven years after its opening, in 1849, cholera returned with greater force in the Sixth Ward. This work shows that the uneven distribution of Croton infrastructure corresponded with uneven cholera mortality rates, challenging narratives that present Croton as a singular triumph of urban …

A History Of The Underground Comix Scene: The Seriousness Of An Unserious Genre, Harris Darcie Shugart

Master's Theses

The Underground Comix Scene of the 1960s and 1970s was born out of an age of censorship. The Comics Code Authority, a regulatory body created by the Comics Magazine Association of America in 1954, established guidelines requiring publishing houses to self-regulate following a recommendation from the United States Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency in 1953. Comix with an X, for their X-rated nature, represent an emerging counter-culture in the latter half of the 1960s and the 1970s, with an epicenter of San Francisco. These comix and their artists were not interested in obtaining the looming ‘Seal of Approval’ from the …

Gathering Knowledge, Sustaining Science: The Female Forager And American Mushroom Culture, 1880–1930, Madeline S. Dede-Panken

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Unearthing origins of modern mycophilia, this dissertation explores the mushroom mania which reverberated through American society at the turn of the twentieth century, empowering Anglo-American women in new ways. America’s largely forgotten first mushroom fad illuminates gendered negotiations of foraging culture and public science. Beginning in the 1880s, a remarkable cohort of women helped turn mushrooms from shunned, mysterious organisms into wholesome delicacies for culinary and intellectual enrichment. Female enthusiasts fostered a vibrant mushroom culture and nationwide network of mycophiles. Culinary applications and poisoning fears legitimized women’s presence in scientific endeavors, positioning mycology as vital female knowledge for public safety …

The History Of The Constitution Is Our Future., Maggie Blackhawk

Michigan Law Review

The Constitution of the United States establishes a government; it also stands as the fundamental law of a people. It shapes daily life, distributes power, and sets a direction for the future. And yet when we ask about the reach and meaning of the Constitution, we are increasingly told to look backward. The answers to our future are said to lie in the past.

The Dolor: How A Generation Of Women Quietly Lost Their Children, Alexis Mclean

University Honors Theses

This thesis is an exploration of the phenomenon of increased adoption rates between the years of 1945 and 1973 and attempts to establish a cohesive explanation for and image of the experience of these birth mothers. My research found that adoptions during this time period are generally characterized by the utilization of maternity homes, coercion, and secrecy. The typical birth mother during this time was white and middle class, emblematic of the motivations of their adoptions: to maintain an idealist image of their motherhood and maintain socioeconomic status. Despite this position framed by privilege, these women too often report having …

Petals And Pride: A Botanical History Of Queer Expression, Sarah O. Kowal

Graduate Masters Theses

“Petals and Pride” examines the historical use of flowers as enduring symbols of queer expression and persecution across diverse cultures and time periods, paying particular attention to violets, green carnations, roses, lilies, pansies, and lavender. This study begins with the appearance of violets in the works of the Ancient Greek poet Sappho and traces their adoption by the lesbian community of Paris at the turn of the twentieth century. Around this same time, another floral symbol emerged across the English Channel: the green carnation. Popularized by Oscar Wilde, the green carnation functioned in Victorian Britain as an emblem of sexuality …

Out Of Scotland, America Arose, Angela Winters

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

Within the annals of history, the American Revolution and the subsequent Founding Era could rival any other historical time frame for the amount of academic analysis that has been conferred upon the people, the documents, and the overall trends that led up to the world-changing establishment of the United States of America. However, one area that has had comparatively little focus given to it is the contribution of Scottish political writings from centuries of unrest and continual attempts to maintain their sovereign rights as a free people. Often overlooked due to the celebrity-like status of French and English Enlightenment writers, …

M.E. Bradford And The American Founding, Avery White

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

M. E. Bradford (1934-1993), a professor of English at the University of Dallas, wrote several books and essays about the Founding and engaged in a debate with Harry Jaffa about its meaning. Bradford brought a unique perspective to the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Focusing on historical continuity, he argued the Founding occurred in the seventeenth century when settlers were first arriving. The American “Revolution” was a conservative event meant to preserve established institutions, a “preservation by amputation.” Bradford viewed the Declaration as a strictly political document meant to achieve independence and not a statement of revealed principles. This …

Revival Song: The Significance Of Hymns In The First Great Awakening, Kaeley E. Whitacre

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

This paper highlights the transition in church music during the First Great Awakening in Colonial America. It argues that hymns and new psalmody had a mutually beneficial relationship in the Awakening, as they aided one another in emphasizing personal salvation experiences. Prior to the Awakening, English-speaking churches in Colonial America sung almost exclusively literal translations of Psalms in a more formalized call-and-response format. While current scholarship on the First Great Awakening broadly analyzes the primary tensions and debates within New England churches regarding changes in music, it does not provide a comprehensive overview of the introduction of hymns in Colonial …

New Netherland In Relation To The English Colonies Of Mainland America, Dane D. Urban

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

While Holland is often overlooked in colonial power politics, she greatly impacted English developments in mainland America through trade and the Anglo-Dutch Wars. The Dutch Republic’s foothold in North America was far from unimportant, as it influenced its neighbors through its sheer economic power. The various continental settlements undeniably saw positive alteration due to direct trade with the Dutch. Without trade, the English may never have thrived or even survived in the New World. An example of this was how the Dutch would exchange food with the English settlers during dire times, possibly saving the early colonies from destruction.

England’s …

The Education Of Methodists: Unexpected Outcomes, Taylor Schmalz

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

From its founding, the heart of the Methodist church was education. John Wesley believed in the education of Christians, and the church sought out to give everyone a religious education. Two educational initiatives from leaders of the Methodist Church had long lasting ripple effects on American society as a whole. These unexpected outcomes had a large hand in helping social movements, the economy, and advancing medical initiatives. Looking at the Methodist Book of Concern and the Free African Society as case studies can show the Methodists as leaders in education and creating change in societal issues during the process. Methodist …

America's Founding Theology, Michael Payne

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

Building off of Mark David Hall's thesis that America had a Christian founding, this paper seeks to explore the theology of this Christian founding. While acknowledging that Enlightenment and English Common Law also influenced American founding thought, the paper seeks to look specifically at America's theological outlook. It concludes that American founding theology was overwhelmingly Reformed but with some key influences from the Baptist, Quaker, and even Catholic traditions. These influences can be found in the writings of the founders as well as in America's founding documents such as the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. The point of the …

The Brabant Revolution And The American Revolution: Striking Resemblances, John Norman Patterson

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

The American Revolution was the second major Western democratic republican revolution to precede the French Revolution. It was followed by the Brabant Revolution a decade later. The resemblances between the American Revolution of 1765-1783 and the Brabant Revolution of 1789-1790 in the southern Netherlands are evident. Even though the Brabant Revolution was short-lived in comparison to the American Revolution, both populaces sought to establish national independence from a European power. In the case of the American Revolution, the thirteen colonies sought to free themselves from the tyranny of Great Britain. During the Brabant Revolution, nine provinces in the Austrian Netherlands …

To Be Not Idle In The Chain Of Union: Establishing The Georgia Continental Line, Christopher Long

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

By the summer of 1776, Georgia was committed to the idea of separation from Great Britain and the formation of a union with twelve other rebelling colonies. Due to its relative youth as a colony and the presence of a popular and dynamic governor, Georgia was slow to embrace the revolutionary enthusiasm which gripped the other colonies. However, once the decision was made to rebel against British authorities, Georgia’s revolutionary leaders were eager to demonstrate their enthusiasm for the self-described cause of liberty. One method of displaying revolutionary enthusiasm was the establishment, at the request of congress, of regular, or …

Loyalists In The American Revolution: Identity, Allegiance And Exile, Katherine L. Kloepping

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

This paper examines the Loyalists of the American Revolution, exploring how their allegiance to the British Crown shaped their identities, influenced their social and economic lives, and often resulted in exile. While the dominant narrative of the Revolution emphasizes the experiences and perspectives of Patriots, the Loyalists offer a crucial counter-narrative that reveals the diversity of thought, motivation, and consequence during this transformative period in American history. Loyalist choices were driven by a complex mix of cultural, economic, and personal factors rather than a single political ideology. Loyalists’ decisions were shaped by religion, work, and family concerns, highlighting the personal …

The Legacy And Influence Of The Gist Family On The Expansion And Independence Of The United States Of America, Alethea Kilgore

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

The Gist family of 17th-century Maryland left a lasting legacy and impact on the development of Baltimore, Maryland, and the first known Anglican parishes in this city. Descendants of the Gist family also played significant roles in the Western expansion of British Colonial America, Indian relations, and the victory of the American Revolutionary War. This paper will include an overview of the history and genealogy of the Gist family, beginning with Christopher Gist Sr. (1650-1690), who immigrated from Wiltshire, England, to the Province of Maryland around 1679. This paper will focus on three descendants of the Gist family who made …

Between Devotion And Doctrine: Religion, Law, And The Struggle For Compliance During The War Of Regulation, Cynthia D. Hatch

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

The Sandy Creek Baptist Association played a vital role in North Carolina's religious and political landscape before the Revolutionary War, with many Regulators connected to it. The Regulator movement is most recognized for its resistance to the Royal Governor of North Carolina, William Tryon, and his oppressive actions against the colony's residents. Many Regulators shared a common bond through their affiliation with the Sandy Creek Baptist Association in present-day Liberty, North Carolina. Under the leadership of Reverend Shubal Stearns and Reverend Daniel Marshall, the Sandy Creek Baptist Association helped establish a network of Baptist churches throughout the state. As political …

Influences Of The Declaration: Common Sense And Virginia Declaration Of Rights, Brendan Harris

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

This paper will examine the interplay among key figures, events, and political documents of the Founding era to demonstrate how Thomas Paine’s Common Sense and the Virginia Declaration of Rights directly shaped the philosophical foundations and rhetorical structure of the Declaration of Independence. Published in January 1776, Paine’s pamphlet rapidly became the most influential political text of the revolutionary moment, reframing colonial grievances as part of a larger moral struggle against hereditary monarchy and political corruption. Paine’s accessible style and uncompromising argument for popular sovereignty catalyzed public support for independence at a time when many colonial leaders remained uncertain. His …

“We Will Soon Have Both”: Charles Lynch And Virginia’S Forgotten Struggle For Gunpowder In The American Revolution, Wyatt Golden

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

This paper examines the overlooked but decisive role of gunpowder in Virginia’s entry into the American Revolution, arguing that material scarcity helped to shape the colony’s revolutionary trajectory between 1775 and 1778. Beginning with the Gunpowder Incident in Williamsburg just days after Lexington and Concord, this paper argues that the contest for control over Virginia’s gunpowder supply irreparably damaged relations between Virginians and royal authority and marked the effective beginning of revolutionary conflict in the colony. Situating the incident within the broader imperial struggle for military resources, the paper highlights Britain’s mercantilist policies and the colonies’ dependence on imported gunpowder. …

Religious Liberty In The American Republic: How A Catholic Family Influenced Religious Freedom In The United States, Darien J. Garland

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

The American Revolution was a call for both individual freedom and freedom from British Rule. Tyrannical rule, taxation without representation in Parliament, and British military control of the colonies were all central to the Revolution, as was the emphasis on individual rights. One such right sought by the American colonists was the right to practice a religion of their choosing – but there was much debate about how freedom of religion would apply in the colonies. Ironically, the same freedom of religion which was central to the Revolution was not equally applied to all religions – in the colonies, Catholicism …

Rome Goes West: The Influence Of Classical Antiquity Upon The American Founding, Rebecca Felton

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

To the American founding generation, the history of classical antiquity—of Rome in particular—not only supplied a common vernacular capable of transcending geographical and social boundaries, but also imparted important lessons regarding statecraft and the destinies of nations. Over the course of the 1760s and 1770s, the founders increasingly regarded America as the inheritor of Roman imperium, politically, culturally, and even religiously. Thus, alongside British constitutionalism, Enlightenment philosophy, and Christian resistance theory, the memory of Rome contributed to the declaration of American independence from Great Britain.

“King George And Broadswords”: An Assessment Of Governor Josiah Martin’S Military Plan In North Carolina, Christopher Dyer

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

In the early morning of February 27, 1776, the cold dark swamp surrounding the Moore’s Creek Bridge in southeast North Carolina came alive with the roar of combat to quickly be replaced with the silence of the dead. In moments, the political, military, and social structure of North Carolina in the early years of the Revolutionary War would be cemented until the Cornwallis-led Southern Campaign of 1780-1781. While considerable research has been expended on the later campaign, the crucial battle at Moore’s Creek set the conditions for the partisan struggle of the later years of the conflict with less concerted …

Forgotten Founder: The Life And Death Of Dr. Joseph Warren, Katie Cassady

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

While thousands of pages have been written about the American Revolution, minimal attention has been devoted to earlier aspects of this critical time period. Historiography hesitates to analyze figures such as Dr. Joseph Warren, whose tragic death in the early days of the war consigned him to relative oblivion in the contemporary American psyche. While Warren’s legacy has largely been forgotten, historians rediscovering this critical figure argue that his contributions to the revolution loom as large as those of Thomas Jefferson or George Washington. His untold story reveals a life of dedicated service to his country in the medical, political, …

Foundations Of Power: The Early Continental Navy, Dawson Baber

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

Before there was the United States Navy, there existed a small, comparatively ramshackle force that faced off against the most powerful fighting force of its time. This force was known as the Continental Navy, and it played an important but often overlooked role in our nation’s founding. Authorized by the Continental Congress in 1775, the navy emerged not from a coherent maritime doctrine but from immediate strategic necessity. The Royal Navy was the largest and most powerful fleet in the world while the thirteen colonies had no warships to speak of. As a maritime trade nation, access to the seas …

Weekly Published Magazine Covers During World War Ii: Cover Photos Used To Represent The Wartime Experience, Annika B. Larson

Theses and Dissertations

Weekly published magazines served largely as news outlets during World War II, and the images on the covers of these magazines were not only an attention catcher and tone setter, but were images chosen to represent the ever-changing landscape both on the homefront and internationally. In addition, these publications often used photographs that represented the developments their allies and enemies were making in tandem with domestic coverage. The entities publishing the magazines were managed by both the government and independent civilians, dependent on the country, thus providing different views of the war. The coverage in the United States and United …

Let Freedom Read: Exploring Mississippi’S Defiance Of National Book Banning Trends, Olivia S. Hoover

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Why have book bans have surged so dramatically across the United States in recent years, especially as they have become a defining political project for conservative lawmakers? At the center of this uptick in book bans lies a confusing puzzle: while book bans overwhelmingly occur in Republican-dominated states, Mississippi, despite its conservative political landscape, has seen almost none, even as states like Florida have enacted more than a thousand in a single year. Much of the existing scholarship on book bans focuses on national patterns of them or on the lawmakers and advocacy groups driving these bans, leaving a gap …

The New Deal In Georgia: Oral History Research Collection, Zach S. Henderson Library Special Collections

Finding Aids

This collection contains materials from an oral history research project on the New Deal in Georgia conducted in 1987 by Marchanita R. Coleman as part of Dr. R. Frank Saunders’ historiography course. Materials include a typed final report, oral history interview audiocassette tapes, and one photograph. Interviews are with African American residents of Liberty and Chatham County who lived during the Great Depression or remember the New Deal era in Georgia.