Digital Commons Network^™

Defying Conscription: The Social, Political, And Military Consequences Of Draft Evasion In The Union And Confederacy, Orlando R. Pagan

GLI MA in American History Student Works

This research paper examines draft evasion during the American Civil War as a reflection of deep social, economic, and political divides within the Union and Confederacy. It argues that draft resistance stemmed not from individual cowardice but structural inequalities and resentment among the poor and working class. Wealthy citizens could evade service through legal mechanisms like commutation fees, fueling the perception of the war as a “rich man’s war but a poor man’s fight.”

Drawing on primary and secondary sources from scholars like David Williams and Stephanie McCurry, the paper analyzes events such as the New York City Draft Riots …

The Death Of General John Reynolds And The Crisis Of Union Command, July 1, 1863, Reid E. Kirby

GLI MA in American History Student Works

This paper evaluates the extent to which the death of Union Major General John Reynolds on the morning of the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg influenced subsequent events throughout that day. It explores several key questions, including how Reynolds' death affected the chain of command within the Army of the Potomac, how it impacted the course of the battle on that first day, and how the Union I and XI Corps were reorganized due to the sudden loss of such a high-ranking officer. Additionally, this paper highlights the experiences of the soldiers formerly under Reynolds' command during this …

Murfreesboro, Tennessee, 1860-1862 The Effects Of Military Occupation On Unionist And Secessionist Convictions, Riley P. Bogema

GLI MA in American History Student Works

Local histories of Civil War occupation provide a human face to the larger history of the American Civil War. The interactions between citizens and outside occupiers furnishes greater clarity and revelations on the human cost of conflict. It also presents greater evidence, either supportive or not, on broader arguments expressed in scholarly works on the Civil War. This work examines how prior attitudes towards the Unionism and secessionism were provoked during the process of military occupation. It argues that in the town of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, the citizens’ allegiances and relationships were challenged by the occupation of both Union and Confederate …

The Overlooked Civil Rights Movement In South Carolina, Brooks R. Hammett

GLI MA in American History Student Works

This paper examines the overlooked but critical role of South Carolina in the Civil Rights Movement, highlighting the contributions of student-led activism, landmark legal cases, and influential grassroots leaders. Focusing on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) like Claflin University, Allen University, Benedict College, South Carolina State University, and the Avery Institute, the study explores how students catalyzed local movements through sit-ins, marches, and organized protests. It also investigates the legal and social ramifications of desegregation efforts following Brown v. Board of Education, including the resistance from public institutions and the emergence of segregation academies. Key civil rights events—such as …

Harnessing Habeas Corpus: Women's Battles Against Coercive Psychiatric Institutionalization, Andy Knopik

Digital Legal Research Lab

No abstract provided.

A Quarter Century Of Scholarship: Trends In The St Mary’S Law Scholar’S Journal, Trenton Boudreaux

Capstone Projects

This project catalogs the trends of the articles published in The Scholar: St Mary’s Law Review on Race and Social Justice. Over its 25-year history, The Scholar has published 26 volumes discussing issues related specifically to minority and social justice issues. The project catalogs the topics covered in the volumes, and explores this data for historical trends. The project posts these results on the St. Mary’s Law School History page and provides historical context for some of the topics covered. This information provides a valuable resource for researchers into The Scholar as a publication.

“Plenty Of Heart And Plenty Of Hope”: An Analysis Of Social And Historical Implications In Post-Wwii Western Musical Films, Katelyn N. Lister

Selected Honors Theses

World War II had a profound and significant impact on American life and culture. Hollywood and film production was one area that was notably different after the war with themes and settings that promoted patriotism and American values being seen more frequently. Film lends itself to analysis due to its recorded and preserved nature that allows audiences today to view the same thing that audiences in the early 1950s were seeing, albeit with a different worldview. Western movies made in the late 1940s and early 1950s perfectly encapsulate the feelings of most Americans during the postwar period. Additionally, a new …

Healthy Habits Group Supports Student Wellness At Lindenwood, James Zugmaier

Lindenlink (2012- )

No abstract provided.

Peter Maurin As The New St. Benedict: A Review Essay, William J. Collinge

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Research In Indigenous Historiographies: Oral History As Evidence For Federal Recognition Of Indian Tribes, Colette Haworth

Graduate Research Conference (GSIS)

Significant to the field of cultural studies is the identification of cultural artifacts, which enable scholars to analyze the complexities of societies, comprehend cultural dynamics, and investigate the ways in which individuals and communities construct meaning and identity in cultural contexts. Oral history, an intangible cultural artifact, has been an important cultural identifier, particularly for marginalized individuals and communities. The development of critical oral history (COH) methodology has alleviated some of the criticism toward oral history as a valid methodology. In fact, some scholars contend that COH has moved beyond the realm of academic research to “provide a policy relevant …

P'Simer Genealogy, Kaitlyn P'Simer

Carter County Genealogy Collection

Genealogy of the P'Simer family in Carter County, Kentucky.

Stifled Voices: World War Ii From The Upper Peninsula, Elijah H. Croschere

HS 390 Primary Research Papers

Academic scholarship on World War II is primarily based around letters and correspondence between soldiers and their families. A large body of such correspondence exists for both the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of Michigan; yet, most scholarship on the state’s connection to World War II is centered around strictly the Lower Peninsula. This is especially strange when comparing the data on enlisted soldiers from both Peninsulas, as we find the percentage of the population who enlisted in the US Army from the Upper Peninsula is roughly double that of the percentage for Lower Peninsula enlistments. There are clear reasons as …

Resistance, Adaptation, And Assimilation: Native American Responses To Christianization In The Great Lakes Region, 1800-1900, Noah S. Danforth

HS 390 Primary Research Papers

Analysis of the relationship between Native Americans and missionaries shifted from an early broad, sweeping praise of the missionaries, to overwhelming condemnation of their actions in the post Civil Rights political climate. Since the time of European contact, histories often fell into Hagiography; extolling the virtues of the missionaries, and their God-ordained work to save the soul of the perceived heathen Native. In the mind of many, the conversion of the Native was merely a natural result of the superiority of European-descended American culture. However, as a result of the Civil Rights Movement, a pivot away from lauditive analysis took …

Making Waves: Depression Era Violent Crime In The Upper Peninsula And The United States, Zoe Jancek

HS 390 Primary Research Papers

The Great Depression overlaps with several other important historical eras, all of which had their own impact on crime. This study looks at stressors throughout the decade of the Great Depression to attempt to understand how they affect people and therefore, how they affect the amount of violent crimes committed in both a broad and specific sense. Using statistics and historical accounts, this research analyzes topics such as culture, mental and physical health, substance abuse, gangs, and the effects of Prohibition. The fluctuations can be attributed to economic, social, and cultural factors such as Prohibition and the rise of organized …

Life, Liberty And Property: Property As A Weapon Utilized Against Native Peoples And As A Tool To Strengthen Native Sovereignty In The Upper Midwest, Jacob R A Ludwig

HS 390 Primary Research Papers

While many Americans today recognize the continuing paternalism of the federal government towards Tribal governments, much still remains unknown to the public regarding the specific laws, policies and treaties that have provided the continuing legal authority for this paternalism. Throughout American history, the relationship between the federal government and Native American tribes can be seen through the use of violence both in law, and outside of it. Treaties, the basis for removal, have been used by both the federal government and subsequently tribal governments to assert their authority over land. In the Upper Midwest, various Anishinaabe tribes signed several treaties …

The March Of The Naples Soldier: A Look Into The Spanish Flu Pandemic 1918-1920, Javier Pena Reyes

HS 390 Primary Research Papers

This paper dives into the memory of Spanish Influenza from 1918 to 1920. It will analyze and deconstruct the fear caused or absent during that time and later in the records and literature. The comparison of the time of the Spanish Flu will be contrasted with the memory of the time period with the including of Pale Horse, Pale Rider, which was written in 1939. It will compare these two times and conclude with the recent COVID-19 pandemic from 2019 to 2021.

It was November 2019, and reports of a new respiratory disease from Wuhan, China, began to trickle …

Syncretic Spirits / Espíritus Sincréticos, Angelica Tapia - Estrada

School of Art, Art History, and Design: Theses and Student Creative Work

Syncretic Spirits / Espíritus Sincréticos is a multimedia exhibition that invites viewers into a fantastical space where cultural identity and perception intertwine. Colorful shaped panels, sculptural installations, prints, and drawings bridge physical and metaphysical realms. Personal archetypes intuitively inspired by natural forms drive the work.

Influenced by the dualities of my upbringing as a first-generation Mexican American, I was immersed in Mexican culture through my family traditions while finding a home in the nurturing embrace of the heartland. The work has become a means of reclaiming a new layered sense of self, disentangling from my Catholic upbringing, embracing indigenous healing …

The Grizzly, February 27, 2025, Kate Horan, Caitlin Cunnane, Renee Washart, Nathaniel Nerone, Claudia Tracy, Emily Veasey, Adam Denn, Jesse Cherone

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

The Fateful Fire of Elliott House • Mother Mold: A Cosmogony • Couldn't Have Been an Email • Grubhub: Convenience or Chaos? • Opinions: Where Are My Fabulous Friends? • Bears Going to Battle: Men's Wrestling • Bears' Basketball Squads Make Conference Playoffs

The Grizzly, February 20, 2025, Kate Horan, Sidney Belleroche, Renee Washart, Claudia Tracy, Adam Denn, Ashley Adam

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Sigma Gamma Rho: Semester of Service • The UC Tonight Modern Band • BearShare Now Open! • After the Career Fair: Checklist • Bird is the Word! • El Gordo Bros: Adding Flavor to Collegeville • Opinions: Bear-Bones • Ursinus Swimming Set for Championships! • A Wonderful Weekend of Sports: February 15-16th

Discretion, Deference, And Dysfunction: U.S. Refugee Resettlement From Egypt, Cassandra Mcclellan

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates refugee resettlement from Egypt to the U.S., as facilitated by UNHCR Egypt and the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). Accordingly, the research questions ask what factors determine the volume and profile of refugees UNHCR Egypt submits to USRAP for resettlement, as well as the related determining factors for refugees rejected from and accepted to USRAP. A fourth research question examines the impacts of U.S. refugee policy on the resettlement system in Egypt, including on UNHCR Egypt and refugees. To answer these questions, the thesis first delves into the history of U.S. immigration and refugee policies, with a …

The Grizzly, February 13, 2025, Kate Horan, Sidney Belleroche, Renee Washart, Nathaniel Nerone, Claudia Tracy, Emily Veasey, Hadley Whitman, Jesse Cherone

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

The Launch of Soulful Creations • Annual UC Career Fair Coming Soon! • CIE Syllabus Change Proposals • Professor Pairs • Behind Their Doors: Meet the New Staff of Ursinus • Valentine's Day: Friend or Foe? • Shattering Limits: Bears Break School Records • Basketball Bears Push Towards Playoffs!

For The Purpose Of Instruction And Diversion: The Library At The South Dakota State Penitentiary, Lisa R. Lindell

Hilton M. Briggs Library Faculty Publications

The library at the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls played an important role within the institution’s history and can serve as a lens into wider cultural dynamics. This article examines the development of the library and how its use reflected societal perceptions of reading. In connection to the library, it explores the introduction and influence of entertainment and educational programs at the penitentiary. Many historical insights about reading at the penitentiary come from the inmates who oversaw the library. Notably, the study discloses the committed efforts of these library caretakers in advocating for the transformative power of reading. …

The Enlightenment In Early America, Annette Gordon-Reed

William & Mary Law Review

The founding of the United States of America is often said to have been the product of Enlightenment ideals that emphasized reason, individual liberty, and notions of progress. During this same era, however, racially based slavery, which confounded reason, denied individual liberty to millions, and challenged ideas about progress, existed in all of the colonies of North America.

The third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, embodied this seeming contradiction at the heart of the American founding. The principal author of the American Declaration of Independence enslaved hundreds of people over the course of his long life.

This Article …

A Pragmatic Legacy: Charles Wilson’S Politics And The Battle For His Archival Heritage, Jordan Coleman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Congressman Charlie Wilson served Texas and the United States with distinction throughout his political career, leaving a profound impact on East Texas and the global stage. Known for his progressive policies in the Texas Legislature and his influential role in U.S. foreign policy during his tenure in Congress, Wilson’s pragmatic political career and legacy is preserved in the Charlie Wilson Congressional Papers collection at the East Texas Research Center (ETRC). Despite its historical significance, the collection faced decades of delayed processing, disorganization, and neglect of archival best practices. This public history thesis confronts these challenges by detailing the efforts to …

Labor And Beet Sugar, A "Modern Commodity" In The United States Between 1890 And 1920, Melanie H. Zelle

Swarthmore Undergraduate History Journal

The turn of the twentieth century saw a booming American beet sugar industry. For the first time beet sugar rivaled cane sugar in feeding growing domestic demand. Examined here are numerous factors considered significant in the sudden explosion of an industry which had previously failed to establish itself on the continent, including trade policy, monopolization, and advancements in industrial technology. However, in returning to contemporaneous primary literature on the subject, including grower’s manuals, histories of the plant, and economic analysis, I locate labor as a significant and often overlooked base of growth in the industry. Thus it was through innovations …

Towards The Non-Spectacle: Responses To Necropolitics In The Artwork Of Teresa Margolles And Maya Watanabe, Leslie Anne Condon

Masters Theses

How do we engage with artwork that addresses complicated histories

of colonialism and political violence, specifically intangible and

incomprehensible violence? Mexican artist Teresa Margolles’ 2005 work, Lote

Bravo, is named after and composed of the soil from a mass grave site

discovered in 1995 in the southeastern corner of Ciudad Juárez, a city known

internationally for the femicide that has continued to haunt its streets and

peripheries since the 1990s. Peruvian filmmaker Maya Watanabe’s 2019 film

Liminal cinematically documents the official exhumation of two mass graves

in the Ayacucho and Huánuco regions of the Andes highlands, where

thousands of …

Issue No. 122: Spring 2025

La Crónica de Nuevo México

2 A Letter from the President

3 Conejos Indian Agency, 1862-1864: Agent Lafayette Head’s Ute, Military and Civilian Problems by Virginia Sánchez

10 Five Remarkable Women of Lea County, New Mexico’s Little Texas Frontier by Jim Harris

15 Donaciano Vigil Maurilio E. Vigil and Helene Boudreau

19 Jewish Community in Las Vegas Reclaimed Historic Temple Montefiore by Dianne Layden

22 New Books

23 HSNM Remembers

Down The Bay Oral History Project Newsletter - Winter 2025, Center For Archaeological Studies, Mccall Library

Down the Bay Oral History Project Newsletter

Public newsletter sharing information about progress and discoveries during the Down The Bay Project.

Heroes Or Tyrants? Using The Leadership Of Chiang Kai-Shek To Re-Examine The Legacy Of Abraham Lincoln, Edward Woolery

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Today, reappraisal of history has become paramount in society. Scholars seek to contextualize building names, statues, and the land we live on. However, historians time and time again fail to reappraise popular figures in American history and misrepresent them by placing them on a pedestal. This thesis will analyze the existing body of scholarly work and primary historical sources to compare two such leaders from history in Chiang Kai-shek and Abraham Lincoln. Chiang Kai-shek is largely unfamiliar to American audiences; however, he provides a model in which Americans can reappraise Lincoln. Both Lincoln and Chiang led their nations through civil …

Frances E. W. Harper, “We Are All Bound Up Together” (10 May 1866), Garth Pauley

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Frances Harper’s address at the 1866 National Woman’s Rights Convention was a visionary speech on civil rights, citizenship, and civic identity. In it, Harper skillfully negotiated the context of nineteenth-century reform politics while remaining true to her vision. The message of her speech was grounded in both her experience as a Black woman and her theological convictions. A close reading of the speech shows that key elements—including its signature line—have been misunderstood and unappreciated.