History Commons^™

How Paul Became The Straight Word: Protestant Biblicism And The Twentieth-Century Invention Of Biblical Heteronormativity, Heather White

All Faculty Scholarship

This essay traces out how a seemingly ancient truth of antihomosexual condemnation came to be implanted in American Bibles and lodged—in particular—in the epistles of the apostle Paul. The Pauline texts of Romans and 1 Corinthians are the most frequently cited proof texts for biblical condemnation of homosexuality. The same-sex meanings of these passages are often not perceived as interpretations; they are imputed to the text and its historical context as the timeless, original meaning. Viewed historically, however, there are many things that are puzzlingly new about this plain biblical speech.

The Setauket Gang: The American Revolutionary Spy Ring You've Never Heard About, Fran Leskovar

Summer Research

Why would some people choose to overlook their apparent differences, ethnicity, religion, gender, and race, and risked being hung to participate in something (spying) where the outcome was not certain? Could they have sensed a moment in history was larger than they were and felt premonition of the new country before it was born?

Due to the complex and vibrant environment, a single answer is not possible. The Anglo-American conflict was not as French nor Russian Revolution; instead, it was a gradual transformation of individual social and political views, as Bernard Bailyn argues. The British aggressive imperial policies had a …

"Hail Hydra": Marvel's Captain America And White Nationalism In The United States, Erin Budrow

Summer Research

In 2016, Captain America brought comic books to the forefront of national discussion with a single phrase: “Hail Hydra.” These two words proclaimed Captain America’s allegiance to Hydra, one of Marvel Comics most recognizable villains which has historically been used as an allegory for the Nazi Party. The moment incited a riot not only among comic book super fans, but casual onlookers as well. Many claimed that by aligning Captain America with Hydra author Nick Spencer disregarded the character’s origin as an anti-Nazi propaganda piece and later history as a defender of American values, and gave fuel to the growing …