Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Black Bahamas : Political Constructions Of Bahamian National Identity, Maria A. Lee

Honors Theses

On Tuesday, 27 April 1965, in the House of Assembly an event known as “Black Tuesday” struck the capital city of Nassau, New Providence in The Bahamas. A political furor arose in response to the failure of the ruling government to accurately determine voter distribution and boundaries. In frustration, the leader of the opposition motioned towards the mace, shouting, “This is the symbol of authority, and authority in this island belongs to the people.” With a burgeoning crowd below, he then lifted the mace in front of the Speaker, and threw it down from the window of the House. “Yes, …

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. …

Henry Taylor Wickham And The Virginia Senate, 1888-1907, Steven A. Colvin

Master's Theses

The decade of the 1890s was a complex period in the political history of Virginia. Virginia had experienced prosperity because of the development of railroads after the Civil War. Because of this contribution to statewide growth, the railroads had developed monopolistic characteristics which prompted an ambivalent response from most Virginians. It was said that during the 1890s Virginia's railroads controlled the state legislature through the medium of the Democratic Party. During this period before the creation of laws dealing with political conflicts of interests, Henry Taylor Wickham represented the counties of Caroline and Hanover in the Virginia Senate. In 1937, …

The Farmer's Revolt: The Election Of 1896 In Virginia, James D. Wright

Honors Theses

The United States during the nineteenth century passed from its infancy toward its ultimate role as a world power. Delayed by the bitter Civil War, the nation regained its footing moving rapidly toward a goal blurred by the distant future. With the development of a strong industrial backbone, the country was destined to compete with the major powers, France, Great Britain, Germany and Russia. By 1890 the United States lead the world in the production of iron and steel and soon surpassed all nations in the mining of coal. With an increased demand for industrial products the need for better …

The "City On A Hill" : Tom Johnson And Cleveland 1901-1909, Keith Dean Dickson

Master's Theses

Tom Loftin Johnson, mayor of Cleveland, Ohio from 1901 to 1909, was once hailed by a contemporary as "The outstanding municipal executive so far produced in United States history." Indeed, this judgment probably holds true even to the present day. Johnson's drive, combined with his uncompromising dedication to justice, dominated Cleveland politics and invigorated a city which had lost all sense of civic pride and responsibility. Johnson also brought a new vitality to American reform in the cities. His battles for three cent fares on the municipal street railway system, municipal ownership of public utilities, home rule, equal taxation and …

The Tudors And Their Parliaments, Mark W. Cummins

Honors Theses

Up to the reign of the Tudors and in some respects to the Stuarts, Parliament was controlled by the King. Under the Tudors, a change came about between these two "branches" of the English government. The Parliament, especially the Commons, began to assert their authority. They began to "flex their muscles" and the crown began to lose its dominance in Parliament.

This conflict between the crown and Parliament would result in the English Civil War and the establishment of constitutional monarchy in England.

The Southern Attitude Towards Texas, 1844-1846, Kenneth H. Clevenger

Honors Theses

The purpose of this paper is to study the Southern attitude towards Texas between 1844 and 1846. To understand the range of Southern opinions it is necessary to realize that Texas was a political issue in national affairs at this time, and national politics were extremely fractious during this era. Both Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun had a hand in the in the controversy as did the lesser luminaries of the day, Presidents John Tyler, James K. Polk and Martin Van Buren. Because some national overview is vital for a proper perspective on the problem, the first section of …

The Virginia Resolutions Of 1798 : A Study Of The Contemporary Debate, Alice J. Retzer

Honors Theses

The Virginia Resolutions of 1798 have been praised as a defense of the basic freedoms of person, speech, and press and equally denounced as an early precedent for the principles of states rights, nullification and interposition. Involved in the crisis which arose over the Alien and Sedition Laws were such outstanding Virginians and national figures as Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John Taylor, William Branch Giles, John Marshall, Patrick Henry, and Henry Lee. Without major emphasis upon the contributions or activities of these statesmen or the historical implications of the Resolutions, the purpose of this paper is to examine the contemporary …

The Council Of Colonial Virginia : 1700-1750, Esther Campbell Walsh

Honors Theses

1660 is the date conveniently accepted as marking the turn of Virginia society away from its early democratic character. After that date, colonial society became clearly stratified, and by the turn of the century had received its set firmly in the mold of aristocracy. The institution in which all the elements of aristocracy concentrated was the Governor's Council, which exhibited social, political, and economic power centered in the hands of a ruling few. The period from 1700 to 1750 is the high tide of councillor power. In the years before 1700, the steady rise of its power was interrupted by …