Digital Commons Network^™

Full Issue

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

No abstract provided.

Debunking 'Pfeiffer' S Bacillus': Twentieth Century Germ Theory And The 1918 Influenza Epidemic, Conor Tyson

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

In the midst of World War I, a scourge swept the world that proved more deadly than any military battle. Between June 1918 and May 1919, three waves of influenza struck in a worldwide pandemic. The origins of this particular influenza strain remain mysterious even today, but it spread so far and fast that only St. Helena in the Atlantic and several south Pacific islands avoided any infection of this flu. The rest of the globe witnessed a deadly killer. Scientists estimate that 50 to 100 million people died from this pandemic, far more deaths than from the five years …

To Boldly Go Where No President Has Gone Before: Why Nixon Went To China, Aaron Anderson

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

President Nixon himself dubbed it "the week that changed the world." Minutes after he strode from steps to tarmac, hand outstretched to grasp Premier Chou's hand, Chou, also realizing the magnitude of the occasion, turned to him and remarked, "your handshake came over the vastest ocean in the world-twenty-five years of no communication." If we take the chief players at their word-and the chroniclers of history have done so-it is no exaggeration to say that President Richard Nixon's historic visit to the People's Republic of China in February of 1972 was one of the most significant events of the Cold …

Eisenhower, Kennedy, And America's Covert Military Operations In Laos, Russell Stevenson

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

Summer 1963: Roger Hilsman's plane pierced the clouds to reveal the Plaines des Jarres, a flat area strewn with the remains of age-old rock jars. The plains below showed signs of the batterings of war: slit trenches, bunkers, and a network of roads. The weather was dry and arid, and the terrain resembled a ghost town in the American West more than the "land of a million elephants"-an allusion to the tremendous war machine of a medieval Lao king.

A Historiographical Look At The New Soviet Woman, Liberty Sproat

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

Prior to 1917, the character of the ideal woman throughout Russian history was that of wife and mother. This cultural image for women had been upheld by centuries of legislation and tradition. During and immediately after the Bolshevik Revolution, though, the relegation of women to the home began to be considered bourgeois. Consequently, from the revolutionary era to the rise of Stalinism, the Soviets sought to drastically transform gender roles in Russia. Establishing equality between economic classes, the Bolsheviks believed, would likewise establish equality between genders. Thus, they began to promote a new image of Soviet womanhood. The New Soviet …

All Dese Years Of Busy Livin': A Case Study Of Freedwomen In Athens, Georgia, Hollijane Dailey Litchfield

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

A bright-eyed little girl about the age of four or five, dressed adorably in a lacy dress with matching shoes, carried a basket of fruit as she circled the crowded dining-room breakfast table. "Anna, Anna," they called out as she cheerfully brought the basket to each person who requested fruit. Her small hands could not yet perform the laborious tasks required of a house servant but still, she was working, doing her small yet important part. Though what she was doing may seem like a minor task, it symbolized the fact that Anna, despite her young age, was a slave, …

"Such A Mixt Company Among Us": The Huguenot Experience In Puritan Boston, 1686-1748, Christopher Jones

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

Preaching to his Boston congregation in 1670, prominent Puritan theologian Increase Mather told his listeners that "the Toleration of all Religions and Perswasions [sic], is the way to have no Religion at all." This teaching, notoriously applied in the form of persecution and discrimination to any outsiders or dissenters, illustrates one-half of an interesting paradox that existed within seventeenth- century New England Puritan society. The other half of the paradox can be seen in a sermon delivered by Mather in 1682. In this address, Mather spoke to his listeners of the French Reformists who suffered intense persecution under Catholic rule …

The Logic Of Toleration: Pierre Bayle' S Christianity And Religious Tolerance, Michael J. Walker

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

In 1598, after the pronouncement of the Edict of Nantes by French king Henry lV, some French Catholics obeyed the edict and afforded religious tolerance to Huguenots (French Protestants} in parts of France. For the most part, ruling elites tolerated small Protestant communities that did not challenge their authority. However, as the seventeenth century progressed, issues of religious tolerance, concord and persecution became increasingly pertinent. Catholic communities often ignored many of the concessions afforded to religious minonttes by the Edict. Protestants throughout Europe had experienced varying degrees of tolerance and persecution during the sixteenth century, but by the seventeenth century …

Satanic Verses?: An Analysis Of The Explanations For The Return Of The Muslim Community From Abyssinia, Andrew D. Magnusson

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

When Muhammad began preaching publicly in 613 CE, he encountered little opposition from local Arabian tribes. It was not until the Prophet began to denigrate the tribal deities-al-Lat, al-'Uzza, and Manat-that opinion turned against him. Meccan leaders from the influential Quraysh tribe worried that Muhammad's vociferous call for monotheism would decrease the number of travelers making the lucrative pilgrimage to pagan shrines at the sacred sanctuary of Ka'ba. They gave the Prophet several chances to recant or make peace, but he obstinately refused and their persecution of him continued. Although Muhammad's clan protected him, some of his followers were not …

Preface, Jaime Alley

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

Each year, the staff of The Thetean faces the challenge of narrowing down the dozens of excellent paper submissions we receive to a small group of those most worthy of publication. During this process, we evaluate each paper on its own merits, while aiming to represent a diversity of topics, periods, and cultures in the entries we ultimately choose. It surprised me, then, as editor-in-chief, to see how naturally the final candidates seemed to clump together into a few general categories. This year, our selections fall mainly under the broad themes of religious history, women's history, and twentieth-century international relations. …

Front Matter

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Educating Mas On Hpv Vaccination: A Pilot Project, Alexis Petersen, Karlen E. Luthy, Michael S. Robinson, Janelle L. B. Macintosh

Student Works

Background: The HPV vaccine protects patients against infection and cancers, yet it is underutilized. Medical Assistants (MAs) can play a pivotal role in vaccination and are the focus of this project.

Aim Statement: This project aims to examine whether one educational session can improve the perceptions, knowledge, and comfort level of MAs regarding HPV vaccination.

Methods: The project took place at three separate clinics of one pediatric organization in Utah.

Interventions: A 10–15-minute educational session about the HPV vaccine was presented to the MAs at each clinic, and a pre- and post-survey method was used to analyze the effect of …

The Impact Of Divided Attention Tasks On Stress: Insights From Heart Rate Variability And Galvanic Skin Response, Kira Stefanie Uluave

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the impact of divided attention tasks on stress using physiologic measures. The divided attention conditions included speech tasks (conversation or procedural discourse) and non-speech computer-based tasks (visuospatial, mathematical, language, data entry, or text editing). Participants included 60 adults divided into two groups of 30 by age. The young adult group ranged in age from 18-30 years and the older adults ranged from 55-82 years. Participants were required to perform the speech task and the non-speech task in isolation as well as a speech task performed concurrently with each of the non-speech tasks. The order of the tasks …

Digitally Beamformed 2d Scanning Phased Array Radar For Networked Unmanned Air Vehicle Detection And Tracking, Carson Reed Brown

Theses and Dissertations

Radar systems vary significantly in size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) characteristics with many high SWaP-C models being inaccessible to consumers. Recognizing this, we have engineered an effective but low SWaP-C networked radar system tailored for detecting and tracking unmanned air vehicle (UAV) traffic. Using field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and custom-designed printed circuit boards (PCBs), our system achieves remarkable efficiency without compromising performance. We use patch antennas for our transmitter and in our 4x4 receiver array. With our low SWaP-C system we have successfully concluded outdoor range testing, detecting corner reflector targets at a remarkable 10dB above our noise floor …

Dna-Templated Nanofabrication Of Metal-Semiconductor Heterojunctions And Their Electrical Characterization, Chao Pang

Theses and Dissertations

Bottom-up nanofabrication, although still in its early stages with formidable challenges, is considered a potential alternative method to address the limitations of traditional top-down techniques by offering benefits including process simplification, cost reduction, and environmental friendliness. DNA-templated nanofabrication, one of the most powerful bottom-up methods, presents an innovative way to create advanced nanoelectronics. In this approach, nanomaterials with specific electronic, photonic, or other functions are precisely and programmably positioned on DNA nanostructures from a disordered collection of smaller parts. These self-assembled structures offer significant potential for improving many fields such as biosensing, drug delivery and electronic device manufacturing. This dissertation …

Psychological Safety Of Pre-Licensure Nursing Students: A Longitudinal, Qualitative Study, Laura Butler

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Previous studies have explored the concept of psychological safety among pre-licensure nursing students; however, the literature is notably sparse on personal descriptions of pre-licensure nursing students' experiences of psychological safety in clinical settings. Individual descriptions of psychological safety will provide added insight and understanding about the elements that shape psychological safety in pre-licensure nursing students. Objectives: This research aimed to longitudinally explore pre-licensure nursing students' experiences of psychological safety during clinical rotations and how their experiences of psychological safety change over time. Methods: This study used a longitudinal, qualitative, descriptive approach. Participants were recruited from a nursing program in …

Full Issue

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

No abstract provided.

Covered Wagons To Ski Slopes: State Promoting Tourism During The 1947 Utah Prioneer Centennial, Jenny Showalter

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

Crowds of skiers and ski enthusiasts gathered at a Utah resort on March 2, 1947. Excitement filled the brisk air as spectators watched professionals cut through the lingering winter snow to compete in the U.S. Slalom Ski Championships. Skiers from all over the nation were a blur as they expertly weaved between the gates. "Romantic Alta" provided the perfect spot for the championships with her "great white blankets" of "lavish and dependable" snow nestled in the heights of the Utah mountains. The Slalom Ski Championships were only one of several athletic events held as part of the Pioneer Centennial celebrations …

Bernadotte: Behind His Decisions And Their Timing, 1810-1812, Timothy Wright

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

In politics, sire, there is no friendship or hate-there are only duties to fulfill towards those people Providence has called upon us to rule." For Swedish Crown Prince Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, this constituted his public reason for joining the Fifth Coalition against his former master as he marched against the French Army in 1813. Bernadotte needed to meet the requirements of his adopted country, untainted by his personal opinions. However, in addition to public considerations, friendship and hate play an important role in politics.

Nur Al-Din: Al-Malik Al-'Adil, Drew Mecham

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

Though Saladin typically dominates discussion on Muslim resistance to the European Crusades, historian Carole Hillenbrand has noted that it was not Saladin but Nur al-Din Abu al-Qasim Mahmud Ibn 'lmad al-Din Zangi, hereafter Nur al-Din, who had a "reputation ... most glorious in the succeeding centuries in the Islamic world" Writing in the thirteenth century, Abu Shama noted that Saladin "modeled himself on all Nur al-Din's qualities of piety, chastity, decency, nobility and statecraft." The great Arab historian 'Ali 'izz al-Din lbn alAthir al-Jazari lbn al-Athir, known as lbn al-Athir, stated that his epitaph for Nur al-Din is written "in …

German Speakers In America During The Revolutionary War: Action, Assimilation, And Liberty, Heather Fife

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

In 1768, Joseph II, afraid oflosing manpower and wealth within his own country, issued a decree forbidding his people to immigrate to lands outside the Holy Roman Empire. This effort to stem the tide of the American Auswanderung showed little result, as the annual number of German speaking emigrants to the New World remained in the thousands until 1775. At this time, the relationship between Great Britain and her subjects across the Atlantic was rapidly deteriorating. Although the reasons for this decay are numerous and varied, many British colonists resented the actions of the mother country. The end result, of …

No Dog In The Fight: East Tennessee And Its Response To The Succession Crisis, Douglas Marsh

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

Despite arguments that the South fought in the 'War Of Northern Aggression' to protect the rights of the states, or to defend their homes and their freedom from a foreign power, it is clear slavery was the central issue of the American Civil War. Even the Confederate Vice-President Alexander Stephens declared that the inferiority of the Negro was the "immediate cause of the late rupture and present revolution" and the "cornerstone" of the Confederacy. The centrality of the slave issue becomes even clearer when noting that where slavery was not so engrained in the socioeconomic system, Confederate sympathy diminished.

"All Men Are Born Free And Equal:" Abolition Of Slavery In Revolutionary Massachusetts, Michael Lundberg

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

In 1795 a law professor at the College of William and Mary wrote a letter to a clergyman who lived in Massachusetts. The professor was Judge St. George Tucker; the clergyman was the Reverend Dr. Jeremy Belknap of the Massachusetts Historical Society. In more than just a routine correspondence between friends, Judge Tucker was seeking advice, not just for himself, but for the entire state of Virginia. As he explained in his letter, Tucker had "observed, with much pleasure, that [slavery] has been wholly exterminated from ... Massachusetts" and sought to "learn what methods are most likely to succeed in …

"Better Wayes And Means Amongst The English, For The Attaining Of ... Health And Life": Indian Powers Of Choice In Conversion On Martha's Vineyard, Christina Gentile

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

Nothing less than death was expected by herself and husband," English colonist Daniel Gookin wrote of a Wampanoag Indian in the mid-seventeenth century. The woman had been in labor for several days without sign of delivery, and, according to the other Indian residents of Martha's Vineyard, there was only one hope for her survival. "Send for a powow," the couple's relations exclaimed, "and use that help for release." The powwows, religious leaders known for their supernatural curing powers, often performed miracles in perilous circumstances and were thus always consulted in such situations. A powwow would be this woman's last chance, …

The Atlantic Charter And The Azerbaijan Crisis: An Analysis Of Lranian-U.S. Relations, Aren Sorensen

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

The Azerbaijan crisis of 1945-46 has been called the 'Bunker Hill' of the Cold War; however, despite its important role in the Cold War it is a comparatively unknown event. The crisis was a particularly complex event, whose players included superpowers, small nations and ethnic minorities. The Azerbaijan crisis simultaneously involved dimensions of local, state and international relations-a familiar scenario through the duration of the Cold War. Iran's geo-strategic position, valuable oil reserves and history of confrontation with the colonial Soviet and British powers served as the genesis of the Azerbaijan crisis; however, the emergence of the United States as …

"They Could Not Guard Against It": The Failed U.S. Policy Response To German Sabotage At Black Tom Island, Benjamin Smith

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

In the early morning hours of 31 July 1916, German agents successfully detonated a storage facility on an island in New York Harbor named Black Tom. The facility was filled with munitions meant for the Allied powers fighting against Germany in World War I. It was at that time the single most destructive subversive act ever perpetrated on U.S. soil. But it is not surprising that such an act occurred: the United States had no specialized counter-espionage agency and the area had relatively little protection. The remarkable thing is the miniscule amount of attention Black Tom, along with other instances …

Preface, Tara Westover

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

For the past thirty-seven volumes, The Thetean has showcased the work of history students at Brigham Young University. The selection process is difficult: often staff members disagree and engage in spirited debates as they defend or critique various submissions. There are many moments when it seems the group will never reach consensus. With this in mind, I am always surprised to see the polished and pristine finished product. The completed journal betrays no hint of the discord that created it.

Front Matter

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

No abstract provided.

Communication—The Development Of A Stable And Practical Saturated Reference Electrode For Molten Chloride Salt Systems, J. Marvin Torrie, Ranon Fuller, Devin Rappleye

Faculty Publications

A simply constructed, stable, Ni/Ni²⁺ saturated reference electrode (SRE) has potential to measure thermodynamic behavior of molten chloride salts more reliably. Like the Ag/Ag⁺ reference electrode (RE), the Ni/Ni²⁺ SRE is made of commercially available materials. Initial experiments in molten CaCl2 and LiCl show the Ag/Ag⁺ RE potential drifting two times faster than the SRE. Furthermore, experiments show the replicability of SREs by comparing two Ni/Ni²⁺ SREs with different compositions of NiCl₂ which is supportive of saturated phase behavior.

Full Issue

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

No abstract provided.