Arts and Humanities Commons^™

A "Relatively Northern Southern State:" Civil Rights Protest In Richmond And Danville, Virginia, 1959-1963, Sally Ryan Burgess

Master's Theses

This thesis reveals the historical narrative of the civil rights campaigns in Richmond and Danville, Virginia, from 1959 to 1963, emphasizing how protesters experienced the movement through direct action and examining the way an inherited philosophy and strategy of non-violent protest was employed by demonstrators. Furthermore, it analyzes the role of Virginia as an Upper South state during the movement. The evidence presented verifies a direct correlation between community size, economic foundations, and social outlooks and the community's level of resistance to direct action tactics and youth leadership of the movement. Protests were successful in urban areas such as Richmond …

The Impact Of The 1918-1919 Influenza Epidemic On Virginia, Stephanie Forrest Barker

Master's Theses

In the fall of 1918 an unparalleled influenza pandemic spread throughout the world. More than a quarter of Americans became ill, and at least 600,000 died. For many Virginians, this was a time of acute crisis that only could be compared to the days of the Civil War. This thesis describes Spanish influenza's impact on Virginia, primarily focusing on the cities of Newport News, Richmond, and Roanoke. It details influenza's emergence in Virginia and explores how state and city officials dealt with this unprecedented epidemic. This study examines how the epidemic disrupted daily routines of life and overwhelmed the state's …

The Struggle Of The Lippian State Church During The Third Reich, 1933-1936, Stefanie Glasel Gordinier

Master's Theses

This thesis examines the struggle (Kirchenkampf) of the Protestant state church of Lippe during the Third Reich, concentrating on the years 1933 to 1936. During this period, the Lippian church struggled to maintain its autonomy in the face of a concerted effort on the part of Nazi authorities to create a united - and Nazi-controlled - German Evangelical Church. This work addresses a number of important questions, such as how the Lippian church tried to confront the threat to its existence, how its pastors reacted to the Nazi regime as well as how they were influenced by various …

The Re-Emergenge Of A Tory-Court Party : Peers Of The Bloomsbury Gang And Founders Of Modern British Conservatism, Matthew Thomas Locy Corkern

Master's Theses

From October 1768 to April 1784, the "Bloomsbury Gang," a political faction of intermarried, aristocratic families dedicated to conservative principles and patriotic sentiments, led the re-emergence of a Tory-Court party that developed into the modern Conservative party in Great Britain. These leaders founded a party of "Conservative Whigs" that was not ruled by, but worked in cooperation with, the monarch and his allies for almost three decades. In so doing, political opportunists such as the Duke of Bedford and the Lords Gower, Sandwich, and Weymouth, restored the English two-party system through which they maintained their dominance of eighteenth-century British society …

The First Fifty Years Of Professional Baseball In Richmond, Virginia : 1883-1932, Scott P. Mayer

Master's Theses

A detailed history of Richmond, Virginia's relationship with professional baseball has never been chronicled, especially the turbulent, early years of its development. This study explores Richmond's relationship with baseball from 1883-1932. It includes information about the men who played on the field, the team owners, and also comments on the relationship shared by the team and the city.

The most reliable source of information regarding early baseball is the local newspaper. A detailed reading of the Richmond Daily Dispatch, and the successive Richmond Dispatch and Richmond Times-Dispatch, was undertaken for this project. While several newspapers have existed in Richmond's history, …

Wounded Women: A Study Of Central Virginia's Civil War Pension Widows, Heather R. Racer

Master's Theses

This thesis investigates the lives of Civil War widows who applied for pensions under the 1888 law in Virginia, concentrating on Albemarle, Buckingham, Cumberland, Fluvanna, Goochland, Louisa, and Nelson Counties. The focus of the study centers on both their pre- and post-war lives to determine who these women were before and after the loss of their husbands. Using the Confederate Pension Applications, a group of 156 widows emerged from these counties. The Manuscript Census of 1860 presented a picture of pre-war life while the censuses of 1870, 1880, and 1900, along with the pension applications, helped reveal their lives after …

Carolina Chameleons : North Carolina Confederate Soldiers Who Joined The Union Army, David E. Arthur

Master's Theses

This thesis traces 862 North Carolina Civil War soldiers who fought for the Confederacy, deserted or were taken prisoner, and then enrolled in the United States army. The pre-war lives, Confederate and United States military service, and post-war experiences of these men are examined to discover why they chose to enlist in the Union army. A sample of 226 soldiers was compiled by selecting every fourth county in the state in which these "Carolina Chameleons" lived. Their pre-war lives were revealed in the 1860 Population Census and their Southern service in Confederate military records compiled in Louis H. Manarin and …

Queen In Peril : The Elizabethan Parliament Of 1584-85, James Vernon Madison

Master's Theses

In November 1584 Queen Elizabeth I summoned her fifth Parliament. Over twelve years had elapsed since Parliamentary elections had been conducted, which resulted in a young and inexperienced House of Commons in 1584. Normally Parliaments addressed the granting of a subsidy, local issues, and concerns of the realm. However, this Parliament's primary concerns were with the protection of Elizabeth and the safety of the realm. In the months preceding the Parliamentary session London began receiving signatures to the Bond of Association. This unique document implemented a unified front against any person or persons involved with the untimely death of Elizabeth. …

White Savages In Hunting Shirts : The Rifleman's Costume Of National Identity And Rebellion In The American Revolution, Byron C. Smith

Master's Theses

This thesis relies on primary sources to address the significance of clothing and accoutrements worn by backwoods riflemen during the era of the American Revolution. As North America's rebellious colonies became a nation, they struggled to find cultural symbols that distinguished them from their European cousins. As Europeans often identified America symbolically as the "noble savage," in turn some Americans looked to the Indian for inspiration in their new search for national identity. During the Revolution many Americans from backwoods regions of the middle and southern colonies, wearing uniquely American garments called hunting shirts, openly rebelled against their European heritage …

Lord Lansdowne's Peace Letter And The Controversy It Caused, Mary Virginia Burton Cash

Master's Theses

This study analyzes the letter Lord Lansdowne published in the 29 November 1917 Daily Telegraph and the varied reactions to it. The letter and his Cabinet Memorandum, which preceded it by a year, give no evidence of the traitorous, cowardly, sick, or tired old man his detractors portrayed. The detractors naturally included his political opponents, but also Americans such as Theodore Roosevelt and William Jennings Bryan. Interestingly, most abuse came from those of his own party with whom he had served his country in a variety of offices. This thesis explores the mystery of how a statesman could, by the …

The Virginia Supreme Court Of Appeals, 1861-1865, Mary Pat Buckenmeyer

Master's Theses

Despite the abundant material available on the Civil War, little research has been dedicated to the court system of Virginia as it operated during the conflict. This thesis delves into this unchartered [sic] area by sorting out the cases heard by the Virginia Supreme Court from 1861 to 1865 and analyzing connections between the cases and the war. The results offer insight into the social and political circumstances of Virginia. The Confederate States of America, lacking a Supreme Court, relied on each state to sustain a high court of appeals. Three cases directly related to the war reached the court …

A Profile Of Virginia Businesswomen During The Civil War Era, Robyn Mundy

Master's Theses

This thesis examines the role of white Virginia businesswomen during the Civil War era, focusing on the three specific communities of Norfolk, Lynchburg, and Staunton. The primary questions addressed are: who were these women; why did they own their own businesses; and how successful were they? After searching the available business directories for each city, the R. G. Dun & Company credit ledgers provide descriptions of business owners, including some of these women, which, along with the manuscript census, give a socio-economic profile of Virginia businesswomen. After the conflict, the numbers of businesswomen increased and the firms they owned became …

Faith And Understanding: The Reforms Of Nikolaus Cusanus, Joseph Eric Sych

Master's Theses

This paper explores the reform ideas of Nikolaus Cusanus, Bishop of Brixen, and Cardinal of St. Peter in Chains. It demonstrates the centrality of reform to the life of Cusanus, and traces the development of his reform ideas. To accomplish this, several of Cusanus' works are utilized, including De concordantia catholica, De dicta ignorant, De quaerendo Deum, several of his sermons, as well as Reformatio genera/is, which contains his reform ideas in their most mature stage of development. The paper argues that Cusanus' reform concept was formulated early, but was later influenced by the emergence of mystical and nominalistic forces.

The Elkhart County Guards : Company G, 19th Indiana Volunteer Infantry, Eugene D. Watkins

Master's Theses

In July 1861, 101 farm boys and shopkeepers left northern Indiana to do their part to save the Union. These men, who formed Company G, 19th Indiana Infantry, served with distinction in the famed Iron Brigade. They received their baptism of fire at Brawner's Farm in August 1862. They served for four years, suffering on such battlefields as Antietam, Gettysburg, and the Wilderness. Twenty-five soldiers never returned home as they died during their service. The rest scattered across the country, living out their lives struggling with disabling illnesses and wounds. This study provides a micro-history focusing on a small group …

United States - Indonesian Relations, 1945-1949: Negative Consequences Of Early American Cold War Policy, Robert Earl Patterson

Master's Theses

From 1945 to 1949, Indonesian nationalists struggled for independence against their Dutch colonial rulers. For most of the period, American foreign policy favored the Netherlands in its desire to reign once again over the archipelago. American foreign policy strategy advocated a "Europe first" position, and possessed finite resources to contain Soviet expansion in the developing cold war. State Department policy planners sided with European powers as they attempted to resume the status quo ante in Southeast Asia following World War II. Colonies were considered essential to the recoveries of Western European powers economically, politically, and psychologically.

Laval 1931 : A Diplomatic Study, Sebastian Volcker

Master's Theses

This thesis sheds light on a hitherto neglected chapter in the life of Pierre Laval, one of France's most controversial political figures in the twentieth century. Widely remembered as Vice-Premier (Vice-President du Conseil des Ministres) of the Vichy government during World War II, Laval is less known as the premier (President du Conseil des Ministres) who attempted to solve the grave financial and diplomatic dilemmas dividing France, Great Britain, the United States, and Germany in 1931. In that year, he engaged in one last grand diplomatic effort, before Adolf Hitler came to power, traveling to London, Berlin and Washington, D.C., …

"Over The Hills And Far Away..." : A Study Of The 95th Rifles : Their Background, Discipline, Doctrine, And Combat Employment During The Defense Of Portugal, 1810-1811, Ryan Jason Talley

Master's Theses

The first chapter of this study of the 95th examines the long struggle through the eighteenth century to create an adequately trained and equipped corps of riflemen in the British Army, culminating in the creation of the Experimental Rifle Corps in 1800. Experiences in North America, the West Indies and Europe that bear relevance will be examined along with those individuals whose experience or works influenced the creation of the 95th. The second chapter investigates the organization and new discipline of the Experimental Rifle Corps, its drafting into the line as the 95th, Sir John Moore's camp at Shorncliffe and …

"An Ill-Timed Conservatism": Tactical Instruction At The Royal Military College, Sandhurst, 1874-1914, Joseph David Prestia

Master's Theses

From a military and strategic standpoint, the First World War was, for the British and most other belligerents, a disaster: economies were pressured to their limits and few events exemplified tactical, operational, and ·strategic futility more than the Western Front. Since 1918, politicians, journalists, and historians alike have endeavored to assess the reasons for the catastrophe that was the Great War and to place blame on anyone's shoulders but their own. Although the British government made an inquiry into the adequacy of training at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, shortly after the war, historians have largely forgotten military education as …

A Tale Of Two Houses, Transported : Virginia House And Agecroft Hall, Heather Lynn Skilton

Master's Theses

This thesis examines why and how two couples in Richmond, Virginia came to purchase and transport from England to America two ancient English manor homes. A brief overvie\v of the backgrounds and ideas of Alexander and Virginia Weddell and Thomas C. and Elizabeth Williams, Jr. is offered, along with a look at the Richmond of the 1920s into which they brought these homes. As with any major undertaking such as this, the press and public had opinions to share, both in England and America, many of which are found in newspapers of the day. Articles, editorials, and letters to the …

An Arm And A Leg For The Confederacy : Virginia's Disabled Veteran Legislation, 1865 To 1888, W. Jackson Dickens Jr.

Master's Theses

The Civil War, more than any other conflict in American history, left a legacy of maimed and disabled veterans. In Virginia a social consciousness began to develop during the war which led to both private and public attempts to aid these men. Following the war this philanthropy was continued by the General Assembly with a series of acts intended to provide for the disabled veterans of the Commonwealth. Initially a small scale program to provide artificial limbs to amputees, this initiative quickly expanded to include disabled veterans of all types. It was from this aid program that a general state …

The Civil War And Social Change : White Women In Fredericksburg, Virginia, Edward John Harcourt

Master's Theses

This thesis concerns the white women of Fredericksburg, Virginia, during and immediately after the Civil War. Between 1861-1865, Fredericksburg existed in the no-man's land between Washington, D.C. and Richmond, Virginia. The town was bombarded, occupied by enemy forces, and ransacked. Military control of the town changed hands 10 times. Four major battles were fought around Fredericksburg, resulting in over 100,000 casualties. Throughout the conflict, Fredericksburg's white women were in the thick of the action - supporting their troops, nursing the wounded, and managing the increasingly desperate struggle to provide food and shelter for their families. By 1865, many lives were …

Gentlemen Of The Family : General George Washington's Aides-De-Camp And Military Secretaries, Gerald Edward Kahler

Master's Theses

Thirty-two men were members of General George Washington's military "family" during the Revolutionary War, serving as his aides-de-camp and military secretaries. Washington personally selected these men, applying high selection criteria regarding their education, intellectual ability, and writing skills. Representing the American gentry, the gentlemen of the family had influential political, military, or family connections. Washington's family usually consisted of six to eight aides and secretaries who typically served about sixteen months. Those who survived the Revolution became prominent leaders of the new nation, serving as Cabinet officers, executive branch officials, senators, congressmen, governors, and mayors. The thesis provides a narrative …

Serbo-American Relations, 1903-1913, Jason C. Vuic

Master's Theses

Of the available studies concerning pre-World War I Serbia, few have shown more than a passing interest in that country's relations with the United States. Indeed, no books have appeared on the subject, while only four articles examine Serbo-American affairs during the kingdom's most dynamic decade, from 1903 to 1913. Though each is in some way valuable, these works fail to give an adequate account of the relations existing between Serbia and the United States. Therefore the following chapters explore Serbo-American affairs from the death of King Alexander I Obrenovic in June 1903, to the conclusion of the Second Balkan …

Britain And The French Resistance 1940-1942 : A False Start, Laurie West Van Hook

Master's Theses

During the Second World War, the French Resistance failed to unify or work effectively with Charles de Gaulle, the movement's symbolic leader. The Resistance maintained a troublesome relations with Great Britain. Neither side overcame a series of conflicts, battling egos, and internal confusion. As a result, Britain and the Resistance never developed a mature relationship that could aid the Allied invasion of French North Africa in November 1942 (Torch) and Normandy in June 1955 (Overlord). The British lacked a unified policy toward the French Resistance. Acting out a sense of desperation and isolation, the British clung …

The United States And The Fascist Threat In Latin America During World War Ii, Larry Brent Ward

Master's Theses

This thesis is the author's attempt to locate the origins of policies employed by the United States during World War II to control, through confinement, deportation and repatriation, German and German Jewish nationals living in Latin America. It also recounts the difficulties that several German nationals faced at the hands of a somewhat intransigent but entirely apathetic United States government. Through an examination of select State Department records, memoirs of government officials and letters of Axis nationals interned by the United States during World War II, one can better understand the reasons behind this little known aspect of American foreign …

A Study Of Fraud In African-American Civil War Pensions : Augustus Parlett Lloyd, Pension Attorney, 1882-1909, Carrie Kiewitt

Master's Theses

This work examines fraud in the United States Civil War Military Pension system from 1882-1909 by showing how one attorney, Augustus Parlett Lloyd, defrauded the government on numerous occasions without ever being punished. Research for this work was conducted by studying a group of seventy-three African-American veterans who relied on Lloyd to assist in the application process and by using federal pension records, the manuscript census records, vital statistics, records of the federal Pension Bureau, and several secondary works to explore how Lloyd related to his clients, his associates and the Pension Bureau. This study concludes that Lloyd, the most …

Prohibition In Richmond, Joseph George Era

Master's Theses

The effort to abolish Virginia's liquor trade was a failed experiment in Richmond. The city's liquor industry prospered at the turn of the century, as anti-liquor forces gradually drove saloons from the rural areas of the state. From 1916 until 1933, the political influence of groups like the Anti-Saloon League of Virginia and the Women's Christian Temperance Union led to state-wide prohibition. For seventeen years, various state and federal laws were enacted to stop the flow of ardent spirits. Despite tremendous costs for enforcement, and constant pressure by prohibitionists on the city's courts and juries, many Richmonders flouted the liquor …

"Old Flu's" Artillerymen In War And Peacetime, Matthew Glenn Hall

Master's Theses

Using a unique approach to study the 218 members of Snead's Battery, a Civil War artillery unit from Fluvanna County, Virginia, this thesis draws upon material from a variety of public and private records to describe the lives of its members before, during, and after the Civil War. Included in a narrative for the first time, some of the findings provide new insights into the experiences of the soldiers. Through six chapters, their story is presented by addressing three questions: What was the background of the Artillerymen?, What did they experience during the war?, What happened to the surviving veterans …

A Political And Economic History Of Fredericksburg, Virginia, 1840-1860, Christopher Robert Finley

Master's Theses

This thesis explores the political and economic factors in the growth of Fredericksburg, Virginia during the twenty years preceding the Civil War. The town's population growth is examined in relation to occupations, wealth, status, and both the political and economic patterns of living during the period. The impact of the competition with other Virginia towns and the successes and failures of the town as it slowly moved away from being a commercial center toward becoming chiefly concerned with manufacturing is explored. Information on Fredericksburg was obtained primarily from the United States census, public documents, memoirs and newspapers. The data was …

Practicing What He Preached : How Martin Luther Lived Out His "Universal Priesthood Of All Believers", David C. Mayes

Master's Theses

When Martin Luther entered the monastery in 1505 as an Augustinian monk, he left the corrupted, inherently less-spiritual "world" for the religiously-oriented, celibate life in a cloister-the highest, most holy road one could take as a Christian. After a number of years he discovered that he was no more certain about his salvation or God's acceptance of him than the day he had become a monk. The only way to please God came through faith, which a farmer or housewife could have as equally as a monk or a nun. Therefore, he left the monastery to return to the world …