Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Stirring Up The Fires : John Spencer Bassett, "The Negro Question" Ansd Southern History, Robert Spencer Dicks

Master's Theses

In 1903 John Spencer Bassett, a young history professor at Trinity College, took to his pen to produce, "Stirring up the Fires of Racial Antipathy," a bold article intended to provoke discussion about southern race relations. An intense public backlash followed, nearly costing Bassett his job . The event, known as the "Bassett Affair," made national headlines. Many scholars have referenced the "Bassett Affair" as a triumph for academic freedom or as a part of a larger story about southern dissent. The 1903 controversy, however, was just one episode in the story of this iconoclastic historian. Delving into Bassett's personal …

Sold To The Highest Bidder? : An Investigation Of The Diplomacy Regarding Bulgaria's Entry Into World War I, Matthew A. Yokell

Master's Theses

This thesis explores the multi-faceted and complex negotiations that took place between Bulgaria and Europe’s major alliance systems at the start of World War I as both groups attempted to convince Bulgaria to enter the conflict on their side. Drawing on published document collections from the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary) and the Allies (Great Britain, France, and Russia), as well as unpublished materials from the German Foreign Office, this work explores the evolution of the interest of both power groups in Bulgaria and the nature of their negotiations for an alliance with it, looking at the reasons why Bulgaria ultimately …

The Treaty Of Helgoland-Zanzibar : The Beginning Of The End For The Anglo-German Friendship?, Marshall A. Yokell Iv

Master's Theses

In 1890, Germany and Great Britain concluded the Treaty of Helgoland-Zanzibar, which settled many of their numerous and complex colonial issues in Africa. The territorial exchange of British-held Helgoland and German-held Zanzibar, which was part of this agreement, had a major impact in its finalization. Indeed, without the Helgoland- Zanzibar swap, such a treaty most likely would never have occurred. Many hoped that the Helgoland-Zanzibar agreement would usher in a new era in Anglo-German friendship and, perhaps, lead to a formal alliance. Hence, during the 1880s, the seemingly unrelated questing of a North Sea island and imperialist jostling in East …

"A Change Has Swept Over Our Land": American Moravians And The Civil War, Adrienne E. Robertson

Master's Theses

When they first came to North America, the Moravians—a pietistic, Germanic Christian sect—settled in isolated communities where only a few people ventured out to do missionary work for the community. They separated themselves from their non-Moravian neighbors, one missionary community serving the North from its seat in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and the other serving the South from Salem, North Carolina, and neither participating in civic or military life. Then, over the course of a few decades, economic and civic circumstances forced the Moravians in North America to adapt their ways to be more like those of their non-Moravian neighbors, adopting styles …

The Reluctant Colonization Of The Falkland Islands, 1833-1851 : A Study Of British Imperialism In The Southwest Atlantic, Shannon Warnick

Master's Theses

After the Napoleonic Wars, British leaders increasingly objected to large burdensome formal annexations. Hence, when South American markets opened in the 1820s British leaders considered using nearby island bases to ward off regional rivals. Britain therefore occupied the Falkland Islands in 1833. Despite governing the world’s strongest industrial and naval power however, British leaders neglected the Falklands’ progress as a colony from 1833 to 1851. Dogmatic faith in “efficiency” and free trade in the 1840s led to modest commercial progress by largely unfettered private interests in the islands, but led to little improvement in defense or society. This study uses …

"Carry Me Back To Old Virginny" : Virginia And The Bonus March Of 1932, Steven Patrick Schultz

Master's Theses

On 6 May 1932 the Ways and Means Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives declined to pass along for a full vote in the House a bill that would have provided for immediate and complete payment of the Soldiers' Bonus, a small sum of money due in 1945 to veterans of World War I. In doing so it set in motion a chain of events that led to one of the most sordid affairs in American history, the Bonus March of 1932, when tens of thousands of World War I veterans traveled to Washington to ask their government for …

A Defense Of The 63rd New York State Volunteer Regiment Of The Irish Brigade, Patricia Vaticano

Master's Theses

During the American Civil War, New York State’s irrepressible Irish Brigade was alternately composed of a number of infantry regiments hailing both from within New York City and from within and without the state, not all of them Irish, or even predominantly so. The Brigade’s core structure, however, remained constant throughout the war years and consisted of three all-Irish volunteer regiments with names corresponding to fighting units made famous in the annuals of Ireland’s history: the 69th, the 88th, and the 63rd. The 69th, or Fighting 69th, having won praise and homage for its actions at First Bull Run, was …

The Burning And Reconstruction Of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania 1864-1870, Gordon Boyer Lawrence

Master's Theses

Although many studies of Chambersburg's devastation during the American Civil War have been researched, all have focused on the military actions taken by both sides during the conflict. This thesis instead attempts to explore some of the effects of military actions upon the permanent civilian population.

The Introduction develops a sense of the events which transpired in the town on the fateful day of July 30, 1864, provides an overview of potential research subjects, and details sources available to complete successfully the research parameters outlined. The early development of the community is explored in Chapter 1. This data is necessary …

Putting On The Armor Of The Lord : The Role Of Virginia Methodists During The Civil War, Margaret Diane Turman Kidd

Master's Theses

This thesis covers the involvement and influence of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South in Virginia during the Civil War. Because the Methodists were the largest religious denomination in the South at the onset of the war, the Church was in a position to offer support and to shape the opinions of the Confederate people. Using sermons, religious tracts, newspapers, and letters, this study demonstrates that the majority of the Church supported the Confederacy and its aims. It begins with a brief overview of Methodism in the United States and the Schism of 1844 and then explores the interaction of the …

An Unlikely Alliance : The Generals Who Won The American Revolution, Patrick Michael Elgin

Master's Theses

Seventy-seven men were asked to serve as Generals during the Revolutionary War by the Continental Congress. These men came from such disparate backgrounds that it may seem surprising that they could unite in such a dangerous venture as a rebellion against Great Britain. This thesis explores the military history of the Revolutionary War through the framework of these seventy-seven men by providing biographical sketches of each and drawing from these sketches to create a list of factors which affected their service in the war. Specifically, the thesis focuses on where these men came from, how they earned a livelihood, and …

When Religion And Philosophy Meet : A Comparison Of The Theology Of The Unity School Of Christianity With The Classical Aristotelian Worldview, Jeffrey Michael Jackson

Master's Theses

The Unity School of Christianity's theology shares key characteristics with Aristotle's philosophical worldview, which have enabled it to meet the challenges of twentieth century America. Unity was founded in 1889 by Charles and Myrtle Fillmore in Kansas CIty, and has become a thriving religious movement in the United States and worldwide. A comparison of Unity's theology with Aristotle's philosophy finds that both share a pragmatic focus on physical life and its attributes instead of an afterlife; both accept the world as inherently good in nature; and both see underlying order and interconnection in the world. Both also see purpose in …

Slaveowners And Southern Soldiers : The Military Participation Of The Slaveholding Community In Civil War Lunenburg County, Virginia, Glenn Seiler

Master's Theses

Before the final shot of the Civil War rang out, the phrase "a rich man's war, poor man's fight" was well embedded in the psyche of Confederate citizens. Many historians credit such perceptions with ultimately condemning the Confederacy to failure. While numerous government policies seemed to emphasize a sense of protection toward the men of affluent Southern families, Confederate leaders disputed such claims. To the common Southerner the rich did not contribute in an equitable share of the fighting and often sought personal gain while the masses endured hardships. There can be no doubt internal class dissent plagued the Confederacy …

The Marketing Of Mussolini : American Magazines And Mussolini, 1922-1935, Anthony F. Ambrogi

Master's Theses

Until the Halo-Ethiopian War, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and the American press had a symbiotic relationship. Mussolini used his charisma and journalistic skills to put himself in the limelight of the American foreign press, and whether they loved him or hated him, American periodicals relished the constant flow of news and sensationalism from Rome. This analysis examines the rise of Fascism and Mussolini in Italy and his efforts to market himself to the press, especially the American press. It then reviews American magazines from 1922 until Italy's invasion of Ethiopia in 1935 and their varying attitudes toward II Duce. Popular …

"Whoso Sheddeth" : Execution Sermons And Narratives In 18th Century New England, Adrienne H. Thornblom

Master's Theses

Murder, theft, and infanticide in eighteenth-century New England were all treated with the same punishment, public execution. The executions were not just public displays, but also a time for sermons and life lessons to teach those who witness the criminal's death to refrain from sinful behavior. At the core of every sermon was the Biblical passages used to warn the onlookers to be careful in life and a pea for the criminal to repent. In addition to the sermons, some of the criminals provided confessions to their crimes and even indicated their newfound salvation for their sins.

This thesis closely …

The Virginia War Department During The American Revolution, Thomas Gregory Tune

Master's Theses

This thesis will provide a comprehensive analysis of the Virginia War Office during the American Revolution. A study of the War Office must start with its origin and, therefore, with the legislation that created it. This thesis will explore the reasons for the creation of the War Office and its legislative evolution into one of the most powerful agencies in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It will also discuss the War Office's legislative demise near the end of the war as the Virginia General Assembly began to shrink the government in cost-saving measures.

The second part of this thesis will examine …

"King Harvest (Has Surely Come)" : Rural Populist Imagery In Roots Rock Music, 1967-1973, Christopher Lee Witte

Master's Theses

Through a detailed focus on these five groups and their music, with an added emphasis on their lyrics, this thesis attempts to create a meaningful tie between Slotkin' s study of American myth-making and story creation with a key area of popular culture - music - that he did not focus on. The thesis itself is separated into three key chapters - the first reveals how nature and landscape are presented in these songs and how they viewed modern twentieth century America with idealized notions of a rural past. The second discusses their presentations of heroes and anti-heroes as musical …

The Old College Goes To War : The Civil War Experiences Of William And Mary Students, Faculty, And Alumni, Sean Michael Heuvel

Master's Theses

A stroll around the modem-day William and Mary campus offers visitors many links to the college's colonial history. The re-created town of Colonial Williamsburg, the Wren Building, and statues and portraits of famous alumni, such as Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe, all conjure up images of William and Mary's eighteenth century grandeur. Conversely, evidence of the college's rich Civil War history is more obscure. Although scholars have recently examined Williamsburg's role in the War Between the States; little is known about the wartime activities of those individuals linked to William and Mary. This study examines the wartime service of …

The Battle Of The Crater, William Mahone, And Civil War Memory, 1864-1937, Kevin Michael Levin

Master's Theses

The battle of the Crater, which took place outside Petersburg, Virginia on July 30, 1864, proved to be one of the bloodiest engagements in the final year of the Civil War. The attempt on the part of Union commanders to break the growing siege between the two armies by tunneling under a Confederate position and exploding 8,000 pounds of explosives created a battle environment unseen elsewhere. The novelty of the mine explosion, the close hand-to-hand fighting, extensive casualties, the decision to include United State Colored Troops in the attacking columns, and a decisive Confederate victory guaranteed that the battle would …

Blindsided By Catholicism : R. W. Seton-Watson And The Surprising Strength Behind Interwar Slovak Nationalism, Marty Elizabeth Manor

Master's Theses

Although many historians have studied the topic of nationalism--even interwar Czechoslovak nationalism--none has analyzed it as seen through the eyes of R. W. Seton-Watson, the foremost scholar on Central and Eastern Europe before, during, and after World War I. He possessed a unique relationship with the Slovak people, yet he underestimated the influence religiously-inspired nationalism had on the Slovak masses. This study proposes that it was diverging religious institutions, namely Protestantism and Catholicism, which determined the convictions of the Czech and Slovak intelligentsia and thus the direction of Slovak nationalism in interwar Czechoslovakia. Protestantism's Czechoslovakist national theory gave way to …

Richmond, Virginia's Every Monday Club, 1889-1919, Maureen Elizabeth Salmon

Master's Theses

This thesis examines the formation and growth of the Every Monday Club, a woman's literary club in Richmond, Virginia in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Since the group has never been researched before, most of the study concentrates on untouched archives. The study uses the extensive Every Monday Club papers which include club meeting minutes, letters, papers, pictures, yearbooks, and newspaper clippings. This information is also supplemented with obituaries, census, and other primary data. The records disclose issues of class, race and education.

The Troubled Intersection Of The Interests Of Christ And Commerce : Appellate-Court Review Of Virginia Sunday Closing Laws In Historical Overview Through 1942, William Robert Vanderkloot

Master's Theses

Virginia's Supreme Court of Appeals, between 1900 and the conclusion of this thesis in 1942, consistently narrowed Virginia's Sunday closing law, enacted in 1786 to prevent Sunday labor. While paying lip service to the statute's purpose, the court almost unhesitatingly chose statutory interpretations encouraging more Sunday labor, particularly by expanding its ''necessity" and "charity" exceptions. The legislature also granted additional statutory closing law exceptions. This reflected the preferences of the public as well, which increasingly depended on the services of others laboring on Sunday. These results were also due, in part, to inherent confusions and contradictions in the law itself, …

Learning To Lead And To Serve On Their Own Terms As A Means Of Transforming The Reservation : Female American Indians At Hampton Institute, 1878-1923, Elaine Tzu-Hsing Chou

Master's Theses

Female American Indian students who attended Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute defined their level of empowerment, playing pertinent roles within tribal communities during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. While the Institute left an important legacy in the cause for federally-funded American Indian education, student behavior further determined the lasting effects of vocational training and socializing efforts. Organized topically, Chapter One summarizes the Indian Program's philosophy. Chapters Two through Four investigate the academic curriculum and vocational training, while exploring the ways in which the youth experienced and interpreted extracurricular and personal relationships. Chapter Five analyzes activities of Hampton alumnae …

The Battle For Women's Suffrage In The Old Dominion, Amanda Garrett

Master's Theses

In 1909, twenty women launched an eleven-year campaign to win the vote in the Old Dominion. In 1920, the necessary number of states ratified the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution. However, Virginia was not among these states; her General Assembly rejected the "Anthony Amendment" by a wide margin. This study attempts to answer the following question: What was the woman's suffrage movement like in Virginia? By exploring the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia, its leaders, arguments for and against suffrage, the public's reaction, the reaction of the legislature and the conclusion, the answer(s) to this multi-dimensional question can be discovered. …

Friedrich Nietzsche's Reception As A Marker Of American Intellectual Culture : Crane Brinton And Walter Kaufmann's Interpretations During The World War Ii And Postwar Eras, David Marshall Schilling

Master's Theses

Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy has endured a torrent of both insightful analysis and faulty interpretation in America. This thesis seeks to examine a comer of this intellectual history, specifically some of the connections between political events and American readers' reception of Nietzsche's work. Chapter 1 introduces the study, arguing that an intellectual row created during the World War I era persisted into the Depression and World War II years. Chapter 2 analyzes Crane Brinton's Nietzsche and that historian's attempts to explain Nietzsche in terms of World War II politics, namely fascist thought. Brinton's efforts to establish a link between Nietzsche and …

Forging The Anvil Of Victory : The British Combined Operations Command At The Start Of The Second World War (1940-42), Timothy Michael Gilhool

Master's Theses

The story of British combined operations is one too often overlooked in the study of World War II. For the Allies, success, perhaps survival, could only be achieved by developing and perfecting the techniques and equipment required for amphibious landings. In British parlance, the marrying of the ground, naval, and air components of such a landing was called combined operations. The organization built to accomplish this task was the Directorate for Combined Operations (DCO). Created in a time of great desperation (July 1940), the DCO represented the first and only ground offensive tool in the British arsenal, employing the legendary …

The History Of The One Hundred And Thirtieth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, Terrence W. Beltz

Master's Theses

In August 1862, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania quickly responded to President Lincoln's request for more troops. An overwhelming number of Pennsylvania volunteers promptly answered the call that supplied the Union Army eighteen new infantry regiments who were to serve for a period of nine months. This devoted group of central Pennsylvanians, rendezvoused at Camp Simmons, Pennsylvania, in mid-August 1862, was to become soldiers of 130th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers who, with no military experience and little training, would face hardened Confederate veterans at "Bloody Lane" at the Battle of Antietam and "Marye's Heights" at the Battle of Fredericksburg. They were to …

Beachheads : A Historical Reconsideration Of The U.S. Landings At Anzio And Inchon, Travis James Hardy

Master's Theses

Traditional thinking in American military history holds that the amphibious Allied landing at Anzio, Italy, on 22 January 1944 was a complete failure and represents one of the biggest blunders of World War II. This is especially true when Anzio is compared to the American landing at Inchon, Korea, on 15 September 1950 during the Korean War, that has been widely hailed as being one of the unrivaled amphibious successes in American military history. This thesis addresses the issues of whether Anzio was truly a "failure" and whether Inchon was truly a "success." Relying upon the personal paper collections of …

"Enough Glory For Us All" : The "Negro Exhibit" At The Jamestown Tercentennial Exposition, 1907, John Thomas Wilkes

Master's Theses

The Jamestown Tercentennial Exposition of 1907 invited the United States and the world to display their progress in a way befitting the dawn of a new century. Though this exposition fell short of matching the notoriety of other Victorian fairs, African- Americans successfully presented their advancement and historic contributions to American society, despite the shortcomings of the exposition itself and the dismal state of the nation's race relations. Black organizers at Jamestown underscored the rise of their people by maintaining firm control over the entire "Negro" exhibit, an achievement viewed as untenable at earlier fairs. Records of the United States …

Restoring The Light : Ministry To German Prisoners Of War In America During The Second World War, Melissa Weldon

Master's Theses

In 1942, the United States committed itself to the retention of German prisoners of war on American soil. Over 350,000 German soldiers lived and worked in several hundred camps throughout the contiguous United States. These prisoners required not only food and shelter, but spiritual care as well. The Geneva Convention of 1929 granted prisoners of war the right to worship according to their faith. The United States government not only permitted, but also encouraged, ministry to the prisoners in its care. Relying on the assistance of international relief organizations and national church bodies, the Office of the Provost Marshal General …

Sufferers Of The Revolution : The Paper Money Movement In Brunswick County, Virginia, 1780-1787, David Alan Geraghty

Master's Theses

The years following the American War for Independence were marked by economic decline and political uncertainty. In the mid-1780s, Virginia was mired in a depression that gave rise to a vocal movement that called for a return to a policy of emitting paper currency to augment scarce supplies of gold and silver coin. While historians have discussed Virginia's monetary situation at length there has never been a satisfactory examination of the people who supported this particular movement. Petitions from Brunswick County residents who backed emissions of paper money provide an opportunity to develop a more accurate portrait of this group. …