Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Race Before Nation: African American Activists And Their Response To The War In Vietnam, Nicholas L. Busby

Grand Valley Journal of History

The escalation of America’s war in Vietnam coincided with the culmination of the long-fought civil rights movement. Most, if not all, Black leaders voiced opposition to the Vietnam War before the end of the 1960s. However, it was the racially disproportionate statistics in the military in the early years of the conflict to activists fracture within the movement. Regardless of when individual Black leaders spoke out, what they specifically spoke out against, and how radically they voiced opposition, Black leaders put race before nation when voicing an opinion on Vietnam.

Divorce And Family Life In Nineteenth-Century Vanderburgh County, Megan Owens

Grand Valley Journal of History

In the nineteenth century, private family life was meant to mimic the ideal republican society, providing the necessary foundation for future patriotic citizens. When families failed to adhere to the idealistic notions of the private sphere and descended into conflict or divorce, however, the very foundation of American society was in danger. An analysis of divorce and family disputes in local contexts like Vanderburgh County can provide a window into the realities of private conflict within American families, especially in comparison to wider national trends.

This paper uses a small sample of divorce records from Vanderburgh County in Indiana to …

Were They Spat On? Understanding The Homecoming Experience Of Vietnam Veterans, Heather Vlieg

Grand Valley Journal of History

This project investigates the contentious question of how American Vietnam veterans were received by family, friends, and society in general upon their return home from the Vietnam War. The goal is to discover how accurately published literature has portrayed the veterans' individual experiences. This has been done by comparing a large number of Vietnam veteran oral history interviews gathered by, and archived with, the Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project to that which has been written on the subject. This comparison clearly reveals that although there is a fair amount of published material on this topic, the majority of …

Ohio, Evangelical Religion, And The Merging Of The Antislavery Movement: Joshua R. Giddings, Salmon P. Chase, And Their Remarkable Crusades Against Slavery, Douglas Montagna

Studies in Midwestern History

This article will treat the antislavery careers of Joshua R. Giddings and Salmon P. Chase in three parts. The first part will show that they were exposed to evangelical religion early in their lives and that their religious lives continued to develop throughout their childhoods and young adulthoods. The second part will show what experiences inspired each to become antislavery activists. And the third part will show how religion remained the cornerstones of both of their fights against slavery while working within the American political system. Both themes of this essay—the importance of the Ohio society and environment in fostering …

The Historiography Of Black Workers In The Urban Midwest: Toward A Regional Synthesis, Joe William Trotter, Jr.

Studies in Midwestern History

Focusing on Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, St. Louis, and Milwaukee, this article explores the transformation of research on black workers in the urban Midwest from the foundational years of the early 20th century through recent times. While much work remains to be done, a century of innovative research on different time periods, topics, and themes provides an excellent opportunity to craft a regional Midwestern synthesis of black labor and working class history.

This article is based upon Professor Trotter's keynote address, "Toward a Regional Synthesis of the Black Working Class: The Urban Midwest from the American Revolution to the Postindustrial Age," …

Ike’S Constitutional Venturing: The Institutionalization Of The Cia, Covert Action, And American Interventionism, Jacob A. Bruggeman

Grand Valley Journal of History

U.S. covert action from the 1950s onward was shaped, in part, by the success a CIA-orchestrated coup d'état in which the United States deposed the popular Iranian nationalist Mohammed Mossadegh. Ordered by president Eisenhower, the coup in Iran set the precedent for utilizing covert action as a means of achieving State goals. In so doing, President Eisenhower overturned the precedent set by his immediate predecessor, President Truman: that is, the precedent of using the CIA in its intended function, gathering and evaluating intelligence. The coup, then, is an exemplary case of venture constitutionalism. Eisenhower, in ordering the coup, extended his …

A “Self-Made Town”: Semi-Annual Furniture Expositions And The Development Of Civic Identity In Grand Rapids, 1878–1965, Scott St. Louis

Peer Reviewed Articles

In the later decades of the nineteenth century, prominent business figures in the city of Grand Rapids had reason to be both ambitious and optimistic. Striving to pull every last cent of profit out of available resources, they rationalized production workflows and integrated the latest technologies into their factories. They also perceptively discerned that a maturing railroad network connecting Grand Rapids to an emerging Victorian consumer economy would empower the city to achieve new levels of prosperity and fame through an industry on the verge of unprecedented growth: domestic furniture production.

These entrepreneurs acted upon their hopes for the community’s …

The Tet Offensive: Are We Mired In A Stalemate?, Colin A. Sawyer

Grand Valley Journal of History

The Tet Offensive of 1968 is commonly looked at as the "turning point" of the American Vietnam War. This leads to the question "what did the American and South Vietnamese militaries think about this 'turning point'?" Using the reports to the White House from General Westmoreland and the retrospective work by Colonel Hoang Ngoc Lung, the conclusion can be reached that the Tet Offensive did not change the military's perception on the course of the conflict.

Not Written In Letters Of Blood: The Forgotten Legacy Of The Army Of The Cumberland, Andrew R. Perkins

Grand Valley Journal of History

While the Army of the Potomac and the Army of the Tennessee have each rightly earned their spots in the annals of Civil War history, the Army of the Cumberland has fallen through the cracks into unfortunate neglect and undue malice, despite the large number of successes and triumphs achieved by its men. This paper advances four theories explaining why this has happened, including the timing of battles, conflict between Union generals, the failures of the army's commanders, and the unfortunate influence of Southern romanticism.

Thomas Jefferson, Slavery, And The Language Of The Textbook: Addressing Problematic Representations Of Race And Power, Sarah L. Thomson

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

This paper uses critical discourse analysis to demonstrate how two written texts about Thomas Jefferson and slavery construct very different representations of the past. The paper suggests methods that teachers can use to help students critique representations of marginalized groups in written texts, and develop a more authentic understanding of the experiences of enslaved African American men and women.

Competing Visions: Political Constructions Of Memory After World War I, 1919-1936, Scott R. St. Louis

Grand Valley Journal of History

This paper argues that officials at the Paris Peace Conference, in the White House, and in the U.S. Congress strove for the realization of competing visions for the international order following World War I, and thus were required to construct their own interpretations of how the conflict should be remembered and what must be learned from it. A pervasive sense of victors’ justice dominated the proceedings in Paris, leading to the creation of a settlement which would find lasting support from neither European nor American decision makers. The dubious postwar arrangements made at Versailles would contribute to the resurgence of …

Spartans In Vietnam: Michigan State University's Experience In South Vietnam, Jake T. Alster

Grand Valley Journal of History

In this article, the relations between various colleges (with special attention to Michigan State University) and the United States Government are explored in relation to America’s effort in nation building in South Vietnam in the late 1950s. During America’s efforts in Vietnam more reliance was put upon collegiate institutions to help negotiate foreign policy. One of the major issues regarding South Vietnam was technical assistance, and how we should implement assistance into the third world. Michigan State University, under the presidency of John Hannah, became the most important university in the technical assistance program. John Ernst argues that this was …

Education And Legislation: Affluent Women's Political Engagement In The Consumers' Leagues Of The Progressive Era, Scott R. St. Louis

Grand Valley Journal of History

This paper examines the extent to which the National Consumers’ League and similar localized leagues provided middle- and upper-class women with new opportunities for involvement in American politics during the early Progressive Era, or roughly the last decade of the nineteenth century and the first decade of the twentieth. These organizations undertook various efforts – including “list” and “label” campaigns – to educate the consuming public about the poor working conditions suffered by retail employees and especially factory workers in the garment industry, with a focus on employed women and child laborers. Later on, the leagues provided their female members …

Supporting Caste: The Origins Of Racism In Colonial Virginia, Patrick D. Anderson

Grand Valley Journal of History

In 17th century Virginia, lower class whites and blacks coordinated on multiple occasions to resist the power of the ruling class elites. By the late 19th century, white laborers viewed the newly freed slaves through racist precepts and the two groups clashed on a regular basis. The aim of this essay is to explain how the shift from racial solidarity to racial antagonism occurred. Racist ideology originated in the minds of the elites and they attempted to separate the restless lower class along racial lines, first, by legal reforms, second, by creating a separate class of enslaved blacks. Anti-black racism …

The Grand Rapids Public Museum: What’S In A Building?, Nicholas A. Claus

Grand Valley Journal of History

“The Grand Rapids Public Museum has provided educational and community opportunities to the local area before and after 1937, however, a split was made from amateurism to professionalism with the procurement of a permanent building in 1937.”