History Commons^™

Armed And Dangerous: The Ascendance Of The National Rifle Association, Alexander David Lynch

Senior Projects Spring 2020

My project, Armed and Dangerous: The Ascendance of the National Rifle Association focuses on the history of the National Rifle Association (NRA). I attempt to chart the NRA’s progression from a fairly apolitical organization into the vitriolic, single issue lobbying/business group that it has been since 1977. My first chapter provides an overview of the NRA in its contemporary iteration. My second chapter will focus on the social and cultural myths that have allowed the NRA to prosper in the face of harsh criticism. In this chapter, I also try to identify the ontological roots of the gun rights argument …

Educating Strategic Lieutenants At West Point, Scott A. Silverstone

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

This article argues West Point responded to the changing strategic environment from the end of the Cold War through the post-9/11 period by innovating its curriculum. Over the past several decades, however, the academy’s educational model has remained remarkably stable, rooted in an enduring commitment to a rigorous liberal education as the best preparation for officers confronting the inherent uncertainties of future wars.

From King To Mandela And Beyond: A Personal History Of Black Economic Empowerment, Aisha Asare

The Journal of Traditions & Beliefs

No abstract provided.

Madiba And Martin: A Bibliography Compiled By Martha Ruff, Martha Huff

The Journal of Traditions & Beliefs

No abstract provided.

Home Of The Menominee Nation

St. Norbert Times

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Public Financing Of Elections In The States, Nicholas Meixsell

Honors Theses

In the US, there is a history of the courts striking down campaign finance reform measures as unconstitutional. As such, there are few avenues remaining for someone who is interested in 'clean government' reforms. One such avenue is publicly financed elections, where the state actually provides funding for campaigns. These systems can be quite varied in the restrictions and contingencies they attach to the money, and for examples one has to look no further than the states There are many states that have some form of public financing for elections, and by looking at the different states' systems we are …

Raising America Racist: How 1920’S Klanswomen Used Education To Implement Systemic Racism, Kathleen Borchard Schoen

Theses and Dissertations

Although not widely known by the modern public, during the height of the Ku Klux Klan's second rise to power in the 1920's, a women's auxiliary was formed – The WKKK, or Women of the Ku Klux Klan. The WKKK was a crucial component in the normalization of the Klan in this era, as they organized public events such as picnics, parades, and ceremonies to draw in the masses. It is imperative however, to move beyond the typical historiographical depiction of Klanswomen’s impact as public event planning because it downplays and ignores their foundational role in creating modern racism. One …

‘A Spirit Of Faction’: The Essex Junto And The Decline Of The Federalist Party, Julia Brown

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

Early American politics was largely characterized by fear, distrust, and blatant propaganda. There is perhaps no political faction that more fully embodies this fact than the Essex Junto. This essay delves into the history of this secretive faction from Essex County, Massachusetts and their impact on the post-Revolutionary period. Through analysis of both primary and secondary source material, this study seeks to decipher the true nature of the Junto, whether they wielded significant political influence or merely functioned as a useful propaganda tool for opportunistic Jeffersonians. This paper also examines the existing scholarship on this topic, mainly works created by …

The American Phantasmagoria: The Rise Of Spiritualism In Nineteenth-Century America, Daniel Bowlin

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Spiritualism, or the belief in spirit communications through mediums, was a movement in the nineteenth century which gained popularity within America. This thesis aims to widen the scope of spiritualism’s historiography by exploring spiritualists’ lives to reveal a more complex answer to why this movement gained a large following in antebellum America. The stories of spiritualists show that spiritualism rose in nineteenth century America because the culture placed death in the periphery, leaving certain Americans unresolved and therefore looking to the Victorian death culture for closure from a lost relationship. Additionally, spiritualists saw the muddled religious system as proof of …

New Australia, Un Nuevo Mundo, Elizabeth Christensen

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

I focus on the diaspora of the Australian immigration to the South American colony known as New Australia. My project addresses the question of identity. I address questions such as: how much do the surviving descendants of the New Australia colony identify with the homeland of Australia or the hostland of South America? How has their identities influenced the way they raise their children

Fighting For Their Lives: Why The Marginalized Irish From The 1840s-1910 Dominated American Prizefighting, Owen Marshall

Honors Program Theses and Projects

One of the most recognizable figures in the world during his lifetime, heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, previously Cassius Clay and Cassius X, put his self-esteem on display with the simple declaration “I am the greatest.” This was a phrase he told himself long before he truly was the greatest, but he proved it to the world in 1964 when he defeated defending champion Sonny Liston. Upon knocking out his dangerous, violent, and cheating opponent, Ali whipped himself into a frenzy, as onlookers saw him fall over the ropes, scream at the ringside reporters who had previously doubted him, and …

[Review Of] From Oligarchy To Republicanism: The Great Task Of Reconstruction. By Forrest A. Nabors (Columbia, University Of Missouri Press, 2017) 358 Pp. $45.00, Mark Wahlgren Summers

History Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The War To End All Wars On Ideal Female Figures: An Analysis Of Wwi And Its Effects On U.S. Women's Fashion From 1917-1927, Ayrika Johnson

Ursidae: The Undergraduate Research Journal at the University of Northern Colorado

This paper looks at fashion in America prior to, during, and after WWI to give a more holistic understanding of how war affected women's fashion. It will argue the trend towards the Flapper and "New Woman" movement were directly connected to war and how it affected women in the early 1900s. The paper will look specifically at propaganda posters and magazine ads from the time period to argue the correlation, as well as utilize supplemental material from U.S. and fashion historians.

Tanks And Tinsel: The American Celebration Of Christmas During World War Ii, Samantha Desroches

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

“Tanks and Tinsel: The American Celebration of Christmas during World War II” is an examination of the American celebration of Christmas during World War II. As the first comprehensive investigation into the most well-known holiday in Western culture and its role in shaping Americans’ experience and understanding of the war, it contributes to historical scholarship in three ways. First, it continues the trend of blending analyses of society into military-focused narratives of the war, and it expands the scope of this by fusing the literature of War and Society with that of Holiday History. Second, it challenges traditional views of …

Toward A Theology Of Transformation: Destroying The Sycamore Tree Of White Supremacy, Hannah Kathleen Griggs

Celebration of Learning

Black liberation theologians come to terms with white supremacy by collectively remembering the story of the Exodus and Jesus' crucifixion--affirming God's preference for freedom and in-the-world salvation. The particular history of white American Christianity requires a different story to provide the foundation for our social memory. As white American Christians, we have certain blind spots—blind spots created by historical and social privileges that have given white people unequal access to power and resources. The story of Zacchaeus has the potential to help reframe white Christianity’s conception of race relations in the United States, shifting from a reconciliation paradigm to a …

Handing Down History On The Beaches Of Normandy, Shawn Fisher Ph.D.

Tenor of Our Times

Assistant professor of history Dr. Shawn Fisher wrote a travel report on his time in Europe during the spring 2017 semester. He spent three months in Italy with the Harding University in Florence program. His visit to the beaches of Normandy led to reflections on the history of World War II and how the lessons of sacrifice learned there should be passed down to younger generations.

Reframing The Republic: Images And Art In Post-Revolutionary America, Lauren Lyons

History

Following the American Revolution the United States had to prove they deserved to be a player on the European world stage. Images were one method the infant nation used to make this claim and gain recognition from European powers. By examining early American portraits, eighteenth and nineteenth century plays, and American and European propaganda this paper will argue that images were used to show the United States as a world power. This argument will be presented with a particular emphasis on classic motifs and Republican imagery. By evoking the Golden Age of both Rome and Greece the United States was …

Revolution Is American Until It Isn't: A Study Of American Reactions To The French Revolution 1789 And The Russian Revolutionary Period Of 1917, Jonathan Dunning

Steeplechase: An ORCA Student Journal

This study compares American reactions to both the French Revolution of 1789 and the Russian revolutions of 1917, and it finds that there are striking similarities in American responses to both. Early Republic Americans supported the French Revolution when it began, as they believed the French were adopting democratic and liberal ideas. Likewise, World War I era Americans supported the February Revolution in Russia, as they thought the rise of the Provisional Government would create a bright democratic future for the Russian people. However, as the French Revolution turned increasing violent in the 1790s and the Bolsheviks brought about the …

German And American Transnational Spaces In Women's And Gender History, Shelley Rose

History Faculty Publications

Books Reviewed:

Michaela Bank. Women of Two Countries: German-American Women, Women’s Rights, and Nativism, 1848–1890. New York: Berghahn Books, 2012. vi.+ 192 pp. ISBN 978-0-85745-512-3 (cl).

Karen Hagemann and Sonya Michel, eds. Gender and the Long Postwar: The United States and the Two Germanys, 1945–1989. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014. vii. +397 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-1413-3 (pb).

Lynne Tatlock. German Writing, American Reading: Women and the Import of Fiction, 1866, 1917. Columbus: The Ohio State University Press, 2012. ix.+ 347 pp.; ill. ISBN 978-0-8142-1194-6 (cl).

Women And Children First: American Magazine Image Depictions Of Japan And The Japanese, 1951-1960, Alexander Adorjan Somogyi

Honors Papers

By the close of the American Occupation of Japan in 1952, Japan was a sovereign nation, a lingering World War II menace, and much needed Cold War ally of the United States. American magazine print media imagery and advertising therefore had to erase its earlier wartime propaganda depictions of the Japanese while rebranding Japan as a harmless friend to the U.S. In the hundred years after Commodore Matthew Perry’s opening of Japan in 1853, American magazines have utilized several visual trends, stereotypes, and tropes in order to cast the Japanese as peaceful, simple, and eager followers of U.S. culture and …

Jeanusnat, Jeanusnat, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

Jeanusnat’s father, who was chief of a Nigerian community, was murdered by an enemy community. The murderer intended to kill Jeanusnat and his mother as well, but they fled to neighboring Niger. There, Jeanusnat parted ways with his mother, who stayed at the church with a family, and Jeanusnat crossed into Libya in the back of a truck. But once in Libya, danger persisted. He was confronted by some robbers who stabbed him with a knife and beat him, leaving injuries on his legs and shoulder. In Tripoli, a man offered him temporary refuge, where Jeanusnat stayed until he decided …

Papers Of Harry Clifford Asbury, Ats Special Collections And Archives

Finding Aids

No abstract provided.

Spectacular Politics And Everyday Performance: Tracing Music From Ceauşescu’S Romania To Multicultural America, Benjamin Dumbauld

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Drawing from fieldwork conducted throughout the United States and Canada, this dissertation examines the continued performance of socialist-era music within the Romanian-American community. It addresses why a community largely made up of people who sought to leave the country during the authoritarian regime of Nicolae Ceauşescu continue to perform music tied to that period by tracing the historical performance and reception of multiple genres, ranging from traditional peasant music to folk rock. The dissertation begins by examining the nationalization of Romania’s music industry under the early socialist regime (1944-1965), and locates the difficulties Communist Party members confronted in delineating a …

Pushing The Protestant Culinary Agenda In Depression Era America, Brittany M. Millidge

The Exposition

No abstract provided.

Lawyers, The Public, And The Origins Of America’S Culture Wars, Haley Cook

History

In 1962 and 1963, the United States Supreme Court attempted to untangle religion . The Court decisions did not sit well with many Americans who feared subversion and juvenile delinquency as a result of mandatory school prayer and Bible reading being declared unconstitutional. This paper will argue that there was a mixed public reaction to Engel v. Vitale (1962) and Abington v. Schempp (1963). This paper will look at the mixed reactions of everyday Americans to examine the mid-twentieth century intersections of anti-Communist fear, the rise of Evangelical Christianity, and the fear of juvenile delinquency. It will do so by …

Murder Becomes Her: Media Representations Of Murderous Women In America From 1890-1920, Emily M. Crumpton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis explores the relationship between the media, murderous women, and the concept of separate spheres. Murderous women challenged established gender norms. They did not conform to the societal expectations of their gender, therefore, they were not considered “normal.” As such, women like Alice Mitchell, Jane Toppan, and Amy Archer Gilligan became objects of media, medical, and public curiosity. As defined by medical science and society, newspapers policed the boundaries of “normality” by sensationalizing the lives, actions, and trials of deadly damsels. Newspaper coverage of murderous women reminded the public of the consequences of “abnormality” and non-conformity. This thesis argues …

Movies, Memory, And Millennials: How Modern Films Have Influenced The Holocaust, Audrey M. Hehman

Undergraduate Theses

This thesis analyzes how modern Holocaust films affect what millennials know and learn about the Holocaust. In a world that is so technology driven, more and more millennials are turning to alternative methods of learning about a topic - this includes watching films. This thesis looks at how Holocaust films have changed since the late 1940s, and how films have grown less historically accurate. Overall, this thesis sees what millennials learn about the Holocaust through these films.

America's Discovery Of The Arts After The Industrial Revolution: The Evolution Of The Middle Class Through Music, Rachel Blizzard

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

Music in nineteenth century America was greatly influenced by the Industrial Revolution and brought about changes in society through the development of concert life, the introduction of the piano in the home, and the new role women were given in music. This paper seeks to address how the middle class in America drastically changed from exposure to music. This exposure occurred through the formation of the classical concert in Europe that spread to America and promoted an awareness for the arts. It also caused more families to incorporate music into their daily lives through the growing affordability and popularity of …

Fear And Media: An Examination Of Serial Killers In 19th Century America, Tatyanna Johnson

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

This research is focused on two serial killers in the late 1800s and comparing the amount of media coverage for each case. They are H.H. Holmes who was killing in Chicago, Illinois and the Servant Girl Annihilator in Austin, Texas. Holmes was caught and convicted, while the Servant Girl Annihilator was not. This research shows that this was due, in majority, to the amount of media coverage for both cases. The Servant Girl Annihilator had minimal media coverage, mostly because of racial issues at the time, and he was never caught. In contrast, Holmes was convicted for insurance fraud and …

The Centennial Of The Great War, Thomas J. Crafa

Student Publications

A personal reflection on the centennial of America's entry into The Great War.