History Commons^™

Pedro Mexía And The Politics Of Translation In The Early Modern World, Erin Fairweather, Robert Fritz

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Spanish humanist Pedro Mexía (1497-1551) wrote two highly influential texts in the sixteenth century, the Silva de varia lección (1540) and the Historia imperial y cesárea (1545), which were, notably, written in Spanish, a vernacular language, as opposed to Latin, the academic language of the age. As these books presented previously inaccessible scientific and historical knowledge to the common person, they were soon translated into several languages, achieving widespread fame and influence. However, the texts have been mostly forgotten and have seen little study in recent times. Nevertheless, the Silva and the Historia can help us better understand the politics …

Memories Of The Great War: An Analysis Of Jackson Purchase Veterans’ Oral Histories Of Wwi, David Wallace, David Pizzo

Posters-at-the-Capitol

The First World War affected the lives of millions, creating collective memories of hardships, uncertainty, political tension, and animosity toward foreign enemies. In the United States, World War I was a turning point in the nation’s growth and development, but on a smaller scale it was a critical historical moment in the individual lives of the veterans who served. This research project will showcase the experiences of the Jackson Purchase’s WWI veterans with an emphasis on their perceptions during the war, their reasons for enlisting, the countless once-in-a-lifetime experiences they had along the way, the hardships they faced, and the …

Russian Language Use In The United States: Demographics And Implications, Julie Brock, Sadia Zoubir-Shaw

Posters-at-the-Capitol

As a large nation covering 1/9 of the Earth’s surface, Russia and its language necessarily draw linguistic attention. Between the time of the Russian Revolution (1917) until now, Russian speakers (both from Russia itself and former Soviet territories) immigrated to the United States in four or five waves. Russian is currently identified as one of the world’s Critical Languages, according to the U.S. State Department. U.S. Census data indicate that Russian language spoken in respondents’ homes increased by 393% between 1980-2010, with just under a million people speaking Russian in their homes in 2011. English language use among this population …

American Bolsheviki: The Beginnings Of The First Red Scare, 1917 To 1918, Jonathan Dunning

Scholars Week

A consensus has developed among historians that in the early months of 1919, widespread panic consumed the American public and government as many came to fear a Bolshevik coup of the United States government and the undermining of the American way of life, and this fear persisted until 1920. Known as the First Red Scare, this period became one of the most well-known episodes of American fear of Communism in US history. With this focus on the events of 1919 to 1920, however, historians of the First Red Scare have often ignored the initial American reaction to the October Revolution …

Exalted And Debased: Psychological/Sexual Conflict As Bildungsroman In Half Of A Yellow Sun, Anne Lance

Scholars Week

While many still view the Bildungsroman, novels of formation or coming of age stories, as the purview of stuffy formation novels like Dickens’ Great Expectations or Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, there is significant scholarship that suggests a recent revolution in the genre that centers women, people of color, and males in post-colonial or war-torn spaces.

My paper examines Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s 2006 novel Half of a Yellow Sun as an example of a Bildungsroman through the focalization of one of the main characters, Ugwu, as he endures two psychologically conflicting sexual experiences, one …

The Imperial Legacy: An Examination Of The Trends Of Empire And Genocide From German Southwest Africa To The General Government, Laura Guebert

Scholars Week

This project is an examination of the correlations between imperial enterprises of the Second German Empire and the Nazi Reich through the lenses of global and imperial critiques. By studying the realities and experiences of German Southwest Africa, the Ober Ost, and Nazi-occupied Easter Europe, this paper attempts to identify the common elements of German imperialism: pathos, frantic improvisation, cognizance of contemporaries, and industrial modernity. To help elucidate these elements, this research studied the themes and theories developed by leading historians of modern German and Eastern European history, including Timothy Snyder, Ben Kiernan, Shelley Baranowski, Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius, and Christopher …

Republicans, Rivers, And Racism: The French Revolution And The Early American South, Andrew Landreth

Scholars Week

This paper examines the political impact of the French Revolution and related events on the development of the American South in the early republic, roughly from 1789-1815. This paper argues that the French Revolution and its offshoots helped to sharpen early Southern sectionalism by reinforcing three characteristics that would soon define the region: republicanism, expansionism, and white racism.

Family Structure In Early Modern Scotland, Chloe Chaplin

Posters-at-the-Capitol

This research project will explore interpersonal relationships in early modern Scotland. The early modern period is commonly defined at 1500-1750. Under Dr. Callahan's guidance, we looked at archival evidence from the early modern period in the National Records of Scotland which primarily consisted of personal correspondence. Since this project will focus on the upper classes and the depictions of family structures in personal correspondence, these letters between family members provide critical evidence to draw conclusions about family life in early modern Europe. By studying personal correspondence conclusions can be drawn regarding family structure along the lines of economic activity, domestic …

Oral History In A Journalism Course: Sharing Stories And Reporting News About Public Education In Kentucky, Rochele Rosa

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Oral history as a method of gathering information is nothing new. However, in journalism, the method is gaining acceptance as a new, enriching way to report news, showing how issues and topics impact people.

The Murray State University JMC 397 Reporting for Print Media class recorded community oral history as part of an intensive focus on education reporting in fall 2017. Although many facets of the education “beat” were explored, students devoted much of the semester investigating and reporting the issues and challenges facing public education in Kentucky, from the K-12 to higher education levels. For the project to become …

"Ever True And Loyal:" Mary Todd Lincoln As A Kentuckian, Andrew Landreth

Scholars Week

This paper considers Mary Todd Lincoln from the perspective of her relationship with her home state of Kentucky. Utilizing her own writings and those of her contemporaries, as well as secondary studies, this paper argues that Mary Todd Lincoln's life and relationships embodied many of the same contradictions of her home state and that important aspects of her public and private life were influenced by her upbringing in antebellum Kentucky. Particular emphasis is placed on her views of slavery and on her relationship with the Todd family during the Civil War.

Puritanism In Mid-Seventeenth Century England, Matthew J. Buchanan

Scholars Week

England experienced great societal changes in the seventeenth-century. Deep rooted tensions between the monarchy and Parliament cumulated in a Civil War and the decapitation of a king. In the end, an oppressive Puritan led regime would take control of English politics. This presentation seeks to answer the question of what characteristics of the Puritans allowed them to achieve increased political power? A review of both primary and secondary sources demonstrates that the rise of Puritan political influence was brought about by combining the already divisive climate of English society with the Puritan’s unique religious ideology, political preferences, and socioeconomic standing.

Research And Study Of Fashion And Costume History Spanning From Ancient Egypt To Modern Day, Kaitlyn E. Dennis Miss

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Through a generous donation to Morehead State University, research has been conducted on thousands of slides containing images of artwork and artifacts of historical significance. These images span from Egyptian hieroglyphs to the inaugural dress of every first lady of the United States. The slides are in the process of being recorded and catalogued for future use by students in hopes of furthering academic comprehension and awareness of the influence of fashion and costume history through the ages. Special thanks to the family of Gretel Geist Rutledge, faculty mentor Denise Watkins, as well as the Department of Music, Theatre, and …

Education And Literature In The Third Reich, Maegann L. Hardison

Posters-at-the-Capitol

This research examines education in the Third Reich and specifically focuses on children's literature. German children were exposed to different persuasive techniques and influences that dramatically impacted their culture and mindset. The purpose of this research is to explain how the propaganda used in the educational system was directed towards the German youth. The use of this propaganda reveals the reasons why many children grew to defend the Führer and their Volk.

Imperial Correlations Between The German Kaiserreich In Eastern Europe And The Third Reich In Eastern Europe, Laura Guebert

Posters-at-the-Capitol

This project is an examination of correlations between imperial enterprises of the Second German Empire and the Nazi Reich through the lenses of global and imperial critiques. The two primary case studies are the German Ober Ost and Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe, particularly the General Government. This research draws heavily on certain themes and theories developed by leading historians of modern German and Eastern European history, including Timothy Snyder, Alexander Watson, Ben Kiernan, Shelley Baranowski, and Peter Fritzsche. By understanding the shared trends of empire and genocide, it is my aim to bring the actions of the National Socialists out of …

Witchcraft In Scotland In Early Modern Europe, Chloe Chaplin

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Chloe Chaplin

Dr. Kathy Callahan, Faculty Mentor

Dept. of History

Witchcraft in Scotland

This research project centered around witchcraft in Scotland and England in Early Modern Europe (roughly late 15^th century to mid 18^th century). The witch hunts characterized Europe during this time; our research initially looked at how England and Scotland compared to the European continent in the frequency of witch hunts, victimhood, and the specific details of the hunt. Scotland and England differed in that Scotland resembled the witch hunts of the continent whereas England was less prone to witch hunts. England suffered less witch hunts …

Transnational Influences Of Early Jesuit Scholars And Explorers In The New World From 1560-1700, Lydia K. Biggs Ms.

Scholars Week

Expansion and exploration of foreign territories such as the New World and the Far East by Europeans grew rapidly during the 16^th and 17^thcenturies. Exploration of these new area lead to developments in understanding of the new places, and the Society of Jesus was one of the forces that facilitated this worldwide social exchange. The purpose of this research is to explore how The Society of Jesus had transnational influences due to their early explorations and scholarly work done within New France in the 1600s. The Society of Jesus has been studied repeatedly from a Eurocentric point …