History Commons^™

Borglum’S Horse Flies: The Early Opposition To Mount Rushmore, Riley Merritt

Honors College Theses

This thesis explores the evolution of opposition to Mount Rushmore from 1923-1927—the period before carving began. The resistance was led by a group of preservationists who were concerned about the potential ecological and societal impacts of the project. While much of the existing scholarship has focused on the relationship between the local Indigenous community and the monument, I argue that the preservationists, who opposed the site for their own reasons, deserve similar attention. I aim to reframe the Mount Rushmore controversy within the broader context of the conservation movement, thereby contributing to wider environmental and historical debates. I also emphasize …

Unilateralism And Strategic Ambiguity In American Foreign Policy: Contextualizing The Taiwan Relations Act, James L. Landers

Honors College Theses

The goal of this thesis is to examine the unique historical context surrounding the enactment of the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act in order to demonstrate how congressional unilateralism, a core component of enacting the TRA, led the United States to strengthen a policy of strategic ambiguity toward Taiwan and China. As a result of its enactment, the TRA has been criticized by the mainland Chinese government as an example of foreign policy that is contrary to the traditional values promoted by the United States. This study examines the creation of the TRA through government documents, legislation, and speeches and aims …

Bearing The Benefit: An Evolution Of Passing To Trespassing & How We Got Here, Kennedi J. Williams

Honors College Theses

In recent years, we have seen a shift in the social treatment of white people in America. The desire to be politically correct at all times, in hopes of avoiding becoming the next viral “Karen” or racist has become imperative. The following thesis will explore the latest trend of white women buying racial capital by producing mixed-race children. At first glance, this idea can be a bit problematic. How can we assume the reasoning behind a woman choosing to bear a child? With this in mind, I would like to emphasize that individuals do not have to consciously be racist …

The Lynching Of Perry Norman: Anti-Queer Violence In Early Twentieth Century America, Sydney Rigdon

Honors College Theses

For the purpose of this thesis, I examine the violence inflicted upon Perry Norman and the factors that led to his tragic death by lynching in 1915. My research includes an assessment of nationwide components that contributed to the perception of Queer individuals and the violence inflicted upon Queer people during this time period in the United States. In addition, the thesis will interrogate the public’s perception on a more local scale by examining the reaction of Dent County, Missouri in the wake of Perry Norman's murder through careful research of available local records of the time. It is a …

A Persecuted Minority To Wealthy Merchants And Planters: A Study Of A Huguenot Family And Shifts In Identity, Garrett Gay

Honors College Theses

This project takes a look at an interwoven system of familial, religious, social, and economic ties known as the Protestant International. By analyzing genealogies, correspondence, business records, and transactions of the Mazyck Family from the early eighteenth century, it is seen that these international connections often led to the further material success of these families. This project also takes a look at how the Protestant International aided in shifting the vast majority of Huguenots’ identity from being religiously persecuted refugees to being wealthy merchants and planters who formed trade relations both domestically and internationally.

The Forgotten Activists Of Georgia: The Black Women Of Savannah, Emily Zanieski

Honors College Theses

Historians of the Civil Rights Movement in Georgia have primarily focused on how the national movement unfolded in the city of Atlanta. More recent scholarship has highlighted the role Martin Luther King Jr. played in Albany; however, many of these analyses focus on figures within the larger movement rather than focusing on local, grassroots organizers. Additionally, their primary focus tends to be on the role of Black men, leaving behind the voices of Black women who led alongside them. Through a Long Civil Rights Movement (LCRM) approach, I argue that Black women in Savannah, Georgia played an instrumental role in …

"Shakedown Street: The Grateful Dead And The Commodification Of Hippie Culture", Zachary A. Graham

Honors College Theses

The Grateful Dead were one of the most successful and enduring bands to come out of the original hippie counterculture of the late 1960’s. Beginning as a small, experimental blues-rock group with no desire to pursue commercial success, fame and fortune nonetheless found the Dead over the course of their three decades on the road. Through constant touring, a consistent level of apathy towards business and making money, and with the help of arguably the most dedicated fanbase in music history, the Grateful Dead became more than just a band, they were the face of a new cultural phenomenon that …

The Tide Is Coming In: Fort Pulaski's Historical Relationship With Water, Sadie Ingram

Honors College Theses

Savannah, Georgia is the fourth busiest port in the United States, processing approximately 4.35 million standard shipping containers every year. The port’s protector Fort Pulaski towers among the coastal marshlands and estuaries of the Savannah River. Located on Cockspur Island at the mouth of the Savannah River, this strategic location allowed the fort to protect Savannah’s vital harbor. Built as part of the United States’ Third System plan to build fortifications along the eastern seaboard, construction of Fort Pulaski began in 1827 and finished twenty years later.

Water has played a pivotal role in the history of Fort Pulaski and …

The Clean Wehrmacht: Myths About German War Crimes Then And Now, Narayan J. Saviskas Jr.

Honors College Theses

On October 1st, 1946, the Nuremberg high command trails ended. The executions and life sentences of representatives of the German military and political elite were carried out by the Allied powers. At the time, the Soviet Union posed a greater threat than the Germans tried at Nuremberg. Years later, on October 9th, 1950, former officers of the German military gathered in Himmerod Abbey. Together they wrote the Himmerod Memorandum, which laid the foundation of the German rearmament and called for the release of German soldiers (Wehrmacht) and Schutzstaffel (SS) members convicted of war crimes. The Allies, desperate for another line …

Shackles And Servitude: Jails And The Enslaved In Antebellum Savannah, Haley E. Osborne

Honors College Theses

My research centers around the use of jails in relation to the African American community in Savannah. I will describe the evolution of the publicly funded jail system and explain how it was used to sustain the institution of slavery.

The Power Of The Press In The South’S Battle Against The Freedmen’S Bureau, Rachel E. Gay Ms.

Honors College Theses

Since the invention of the printing press in the 15^th century, people have been using the power of the press to enforce their political opinion. When the Freedmen’s Bureau entered the South following the end of the Civil War, it was met with much opposition by the white Georgians. The newspapers in Georgia began their attacks on the Bureau using methods that would appeal to the audience and create a sense of tension between the locals and the Bureau agents.

Genocide Masquerading: The Politics Of The Sharpeville Massacre And Soweto Uprising, Jessica P. Forsee

Honors College Theses

Apartheid South Africa represented a paradox as a US ally and human rights pariah. “Genocide Masquerading” uncovers the implications of US foreign policy on the rise and decline of apartheid, looking specifically at the 1960 Sharpeville Massacre and the 1976 Soweto Uprising. By comparing Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Ford, and Carter foreign policy responses, this thesis creates a comparative analysis of how effective, or ineffective, the United States was during pivotal moments in apartheid history. This thesis will not only expand on the developing South African literature but add to the conversation of international aid, diplomacy practices, and North-South relationships.

Honor, Courage, Commitment: Navy Recruitment Posters In World War Ii, Shelby A. Georges

Honors College Theses

Navy recruitment posters from World War II are an important piece of American culture. The iconic signage can be seen in antique stores and textbooks alike. However, these posters provide more than just bold imagery and vintage decor. By analyzing recruitment posters as if they were advertisements and placing them in the context of the time period, many facets of American identity can be understood, especially regarding race, gender, and patriotism. These posters, while they almost never stated the specific outlined duties of Naval careers or requirements for enlisting, advertised to readers under the premise that they understood the guidelines …

Free Speech In Wartime: Sedition Acts During The Presidencies Of John Adams And Woodrow Wilson, Juliana M. Hafner

Honors College Theses

This paper analyzes two time eras in which the United States federal government created and passed two sedition acts: in 1798 with President John Adams and in 1918 with President Woodrow Wilson. Both ultimately affected American’s freedom of speech during wartime, as well as during times of peace. This analysis addresses the specific acts themselves, the overall political atmosphere in each time period, including who were considered the country’s “enemies,” in-depth consideration of one court case per era, the government and public reaction to the acts, and the overall impact that both eras had on the development of American Constitutionalism. …

Lost Boys And Girls: Navigating Experience And Identity During Operation Pedro Pan, Caleb M. Still

Honors College Theses

Over 14,000 unaccompanied children came from Cuba to the United States during Operation Pedro Pan. Once they arrived they were faced with an entirely new living situation and were forced to adapt. One of the remaining similarities to their Cuban home was the Catholic Church. The Church played a significant role in shaping these children’s fluid concept of their ethnic, national, and religious identities. Previous scholarship has not addressed the role of the Church in the program or the issue of the fluidity of identity among these children. This study builds on the existing scholarship and aims to fill in …

Gloria Anzaldúa’S El Mundo Zurdo: The Necessity Of A Historical Assessment, Malik Raymond

Honors College Theses

This thesis revolves around Chicana lesbian feminist Gloria Anzaldúa and one of her more important theories, El Mundo Zurdo. El Mundo Zurdo was a theory that focused on the marginalized people and the need for unity amongst them; however, up to this point, no historical analysis has been done on this theory. Through piecing together information from interviews and Anzaldúa’s literature, this thesis serves as a biography of her first forty years of life to address from where the theory came and becomes a bridge to link Anzaldúa to the wider Chicana, Third World feminist, and gay and lesbian …

Full Circle: The New Deal And The Great Recession, Donald Lewis Roberts

Honors College Theses

In this paper I will show how the mindset of liberalism has evolved since the Great Depression. It merged with progressive movement of the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries to become a politically left ideology that intertwined with power hungry politicians who perverted liberalism and used sudden economic and social phenomena to engineer a new type of American government. One that has constantly expanded, reaching and entrenching itself further and further into the lives of Americans, starting with President Franklin Roosevelt. Roosevelt’s work would be expanded in the name of progress and equality by several of his …

The Original Progressive Farmer: The Agricultural Legacy Of Thomas Spalding Of Sapelo, Dylan E. Mulligan

Honors College Theses

During the first half of the nineteenth century, a thriving plantation emerged on Sapelo Island, Georgia. The plantation’s owner was Thomas Spalding (1774-1851), who was one of Georgia’s foremost planters, and yet his substantial contributions to Georgia’s agricultural development have gone unnoticed by most historians. Spalding built a prosperous enterprise around staple crops such as Sea Island cotton; however, he was better known for his experiments with novel crops such as sugar cane, as well as his innovations in the areas of crop rotation and diversification and the successful implementation of tabby as a viable construction material on the Georgia …