History Commons^™

Autumn In New York: Gotham And The Decline Of The New Deal Order (1967-1975), Lisle Jamieson

Political Science Senior Theses

In 1975, the city of New York looked out on the precipice of fiscal collapse. Years of borrowing, a fleeting tax base, deindustrialization, and the thinning of federal investment streams left the city short-changed and vulnerable, reliant on banks with waning interest in funding New York’s robust network of social services. [1] The conversations, contestations, and political resolutions that followed would reshape and remake the politics of a city that had, for four decades, represented a beacon of “social democracy.” [2] New York ultimately surrendered its commitment to urban liberalism and embraced a neoliberal politics of austerity, mirroring shifts taking …

Weihnachten In Industrialized America: Christmas And The Making Of German-American Identity In Philadelphia, 1880-1920, Chloe Hanrahan

History Honors Theses

Christmas in the United States has been heavily influenced by immigrant communities. German-immigrants specifically have had a major impact on Christmas in America, as they brought with them an extensive history with Christmas and its motifs, emotions, and traditions. Christmastime in America at the turn of the 20th century, reveals a larger story of German immigration, assimilation, and also resistance to the loss of cultural markers. The first section of the thesis examines the history of Christmas in “Germany,” followed by a section focused on the emotional ties German Americans and Germans have with Christmas. The thesis next demonstrates how …

The “Evil” Of Railway Gauge Breaks: A Study Of Causes In Britain, India, Japan, And Manchuria, Miles Herman

History Honors Theses

A railroad gauge is defined as the width between two rails on a track. In the earliest days of railroading, many companies adopted different gauges, often resulting in chaos where incompatible lines met up. By the 20^thcentury, most countries selected a single national gauge, but the fallout from the ‘battle of the gauges’ can still be felt today, making the issue of gauge breaks more than an historical footnote. This thesis suggests that the study of track width can provide meaningful insight into why Britain and Japan differed so greatly in constructing their own railroad lines—differences that impacted …

Woven Together: Women Creating Stories Through Textiles, Jamie Eason

Self-Determined Majors Final Projects

A series of textile art pieces exploring the relationship between women, textiles, and storytelling.

Against The Establishment: How The Campaigns Of Ross Perot And Jesse Ventura Were Antecedents To Donald Trump, William Kertzman

History Honors Theses

In 2016, the United States elected Donald Trump, a former businessman and reality star, as president. How did that happen? Why did that happen? There are many who have tried to answer this question in the years following his election, some of whom have offered variations on a similar idea: Trump's style of politics is part of the larger trend of conservatism that has been taking over since Ronald Reagan was elected in 1980. This idea has been propagated both on the left and on the right, and while at first it may seem apt to compare Trump and Reagan, …

Looking Butch Through The Years: Intergenerationality And Gazing In Lesbian Literature And Photography, Miriam Harrow

English Honors Theses

This thesis uses literature and photography by butch lesbian artists and writers to argue that there is a particular mode of being as well as gazing for butches. It explores female masculinity in various contexts, with one chapter dedicated to Radclyffe Hall's The Well of Loneliness (1928) and Leslie Feinberg's Stone Butch Blues (1993) and the second chapter studying Alison Bechdel's Fun Home (2005). Making a nuanced argument about the relationship between image and text, this thesis brings the politics of gazing into a queer context following theorists like Paul Preciado and Jack Halberstam.

The Hungarian Radical Right And Holocaust Memory, James F. Bleecker

History Honors Theses

This thesis studies the role of the Hungarian government's museums, monuments, and speeches in supporting its nationalistic narrative of twentieth century history and its contemporary policies. It brings together history of the interwar period, the Second World War, the Holocaust, and Hungarian communism.

Richard's Bones: Inside The Body Of Richard Iii And The Twenty-First Century Discovery Of A Medieval King, Isabel M.R. Long

History Honors Theses

One does not simply find the long-lost bones of a fifteenth century monarch on the very first day in the very first trench of an archeological excavation, unless those bones belong to England's Richard III. Richard III, a monarch with a much-debated legacy, remains an enigma in part due to a scarcity of contemporary sources on his life. With the discovery of his remains in a parking lot in Leicester, England, scientific analysis of Richard's bones and the location of their burial provides new insights into his life and death, such as providing new information on the manner of his …

"Learning By Doing, By Wondering, By Figuring Things Out:" A New Look At Contemporary Homeschooling And Pedagogical Progressivism, Jacques Klapisch

History Honors Theses

Pedagogical progressive education, as defined through the work of John Dewey, Helen Parkhurst, and Carleton Washburne was the precursor to the contemporary homeschooling movement in ideology, practice, and rhetoric as defined by the writing and pedagogy of John Holt. Their shared beliefs in community, student freedom, and good experience as pertinent to education marked the relationship between these two pedagogical methods. Despite Holt's departure from the classroom through his unschooling method, the ideological consistencies between the movement are undeniable, suggesting we rethink the relationship between progressive education and homeschooling and our basic assumptions about the legacy of both movements.

"Tropics Are Tropics Wherever Found": Performing Empire In The Travel Writings Of Mary Kingsley And Mary Gaunt, Kate Wilson

History Honors Theses

Much of the scholarship regarding Mary Kingsley and Mary Gaunt has argued that these two women, in traveling to West Africa, disrupted patriarchal discourse and expanded opportunities for women. However, these arguments fail to grasp the ways in which their gender intersected with discourses of race, nationality, and empire. In reading that Mary Kingsley's Travels in West Africa and Mary Gaunt's Alone in West Africa were performances, rather than than statements of objective fact, one can better understand this intersectionality. Because readers do not know for sure whether anything these women said about West Africa was true, one must instead …

National Anthem: Reimagining Whales, Whaling And Political Theory Through Song, Amalia Krause

History Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

From Constantinople To Cairo: A Zionist Newspaper Across National Boundaries, Juliette Rosenthal

History Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Monsters, Marvels, And Medicine: A “Disturbingly Informative” Exploration Of The Mütter Museum And The Monstrous On Display, Jessica Shapiro

History Honors Theses

Among the dimly lit and crowded glass cases that cradle wet specimens in chemically-induced states of suspension and bald human skulls staring emptily outward, the visitor to the Mütter Museum steps into a world of morbid curiosity that changed the course of medicine in the United States in the nineteenth century. The Museum’s history, purpose, and function, though at times oppositional and divergent, unite in the momentary and physical space of the Museum’s main gallery where the present-day viewer meets odd and unusual human specimens long preserved, where the nineteenth-century notion of the monstrous is reimagined by the twenty-first century …

Written From The Margins: The Power Of Chicana Voices In Defining Their Own Feminism, Mackenzie Little

History Honors Theses

Chicana feminist organizing, beginning in the 1970s and continuing as a movement today, exposes the exclusionary nature of the various currents of White feminism at the time, and the structures of racism and classism faced by Mexican-American women. Why would the cause of feminism, the pursuit of women’s equality as seen by White feminists, ignore the intersection of oppressions present in marginalized women’s lives? White women’s focus on gender identity, setting aside other parts of identity such as race, ethnicity, class, education, religion, or citizenship, causes undue detriment to identity-based empowerment. The rhetoric and understandings of positionality circulating through Chicana …

Exposed By Phoenix: Veterans Health Care In The Age Of Operations Enduring Freedom And Iraqi Freedom, Andrew Bogardus

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

When the scandal at the Phoenix Veterans Health Administration facilities came to light in 2014, it exposed systemic problems throughout the VHS, some of which had existed for long periods of time and some more recent. This essay explores why the VHA was ill- equipped to handle effectively the challenges in veterans’ health presented by Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, both of which were much more protracted than initially expected. Both conflicts generated more veterans with more challenges than anticipated by the U.S. government. The Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014, an example of motivated b-partisan …

Ghost Soldiers, Elaine Lynch

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

No abstract provided.

She's Right On Time: Dorothy Love Coates And The Transformation Of Gospel Music In The Service Of The Civil Rights Movements, Randal Fippinger

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

Dorothy Love Coates' obituary in the New York Times declared that she provided "a subtle but substantial role in the civil rights movement" ("Dorothy Love Coates"). While widely acknowledged, this fact has scant documentation in the major literature on gospel music. I will examine how the efforts of gospel singer and civil rights activist Dorothy Love Coates (1928-2002) worked as a catalyst to activate modern gospel music to support the American Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and early 1960s. I will argue that Dorothy Love Coates acted as a vital link in the development of gospel music, taking it …

The Unique Nationalism Of Isaac Albeniz, Stephen A. Keyser

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

This paper examines the life and times of Isaac Albeniz, the nineteenth century Spanish piano virtuoso and composer. It will address the national debate surrounding the true nature of Spanish culture and describe the cultural, political and musical climate in late nineteenth century Spain. It will demonstrate how the expatriate Albeniz responded to these conditions to produce a remarkable body of music, primarily for the piano, that strove to express the depth of his love for the people, the land and the folk culture of Spain. The paper will finally demonstrate how his oeuvre can be included in the general …

From The Ground Up: The Historical Roots Of Umuganda In Rwandan Economic And Political Development, Sarah Bates

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

Umuganda, the ritual of communal labor practiced in Rwanda since pre-colonial kingdoms, has a long and varied history of implementation. Once an integral part of the patron-client relationship, umuganda originated as the exchange of cattle for feudal protection; currently, it is a system of mandatory labor being utilized for post-genocide political and economic development. Umuganda has been championed by both past and present presidential administrations as the foundational centerpiece of progress, yet it also served as an instrumental tool in mass participation during the genocide. This paper will focus on the historical roots and transformation of umuganda in order to …

Winning The Battle, Losing The War: The Forgotten But Enduring Legacy Of School Integration Efforts On Hempstead, New York, Carol L. Clarke

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

Although their repercussions continue to be felt today, knowledge of efforts taken during the Civil Rights movement of the nineteen sixties to desegregate public elementary schools in the Village of Hempstead, New York is absent from the community's historical narrative. This project, which is framed by two specific memories from my years attending Hempstead Public Schools, places these efforts within the historiographical context of the long fight against racially segregated education in the North and explores their long-term impact on Hempstead's educational system and the entire community. The project also considers reasons this history has been forgotten and asserts the …

From Fishing Weirs To Fancy Baskets: How Changes In Native American Basketry Forms Reflect Changes In The Economic Independence Of Native American Women During Colonization, Heidi J. Pickering

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

Contrary to the absence of Native American women in many reports and journals of early explorers and colonists, Native American women from the Coastal Algonquin and Wasco/Wishram communities played a central role in early trade with Euro-Americans through their traditional socioeconomic status as agricultural and subsistence gatherers and inter/intra-tribal tradeswomen. These native women harvested available natural resources for food, bark, and fiber with which they fed their communities and constructed baskets in standard units of measurement for trade reflecting that pre-contact trade networks and food value systems were well established and highly valued. Through an examination of scholarly research regarding …

Comparison And Contrast Of Eastern And Western Christian Civilizations, 325-1669, Through An Examination Of Two Contemporary Fourteenth Century Representations In The Mariological Cycle, James L. Whittle

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

This paper will examine the similarities and differences between Eastern and Western Christian civilizations, 325-1669, through the examination of two contemporary early fourteenth century interpretations of an episode in the infancy and betrothal narratives of the Mariological cycle. It will use the whole images and details of Giotto's The Betrothal of the Virgin in the Arena Chapel and The Virgin is Entrusted to Joseph in the narthex of Chora Church as lenses to reveal certain characteristics of Eastern and Western societies and the differences between them.

Ilya Repin And The Zaporozhe Cossacks, Kristina Pavlov-Leiching

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

Standing above other nineteenth-century century Russian painters, Ilya Repin has proven himself through his technical mastery and unrelenting quest for artistic exploration. Thi s has placed him among Russia' s most influential artists. This study examines Repin' s life and prolific career. The obj ective of thi s research i s to explore the unique marriage between art and politics in nineteenth-century Russia. This proj ect focuses on Repin' s 1 8 80 painting of the Zaporozhe Cossacks as a basis to explore the conflicting forces that befell Rep in, and also as a means to better understand the tempestuous …

In Partnership With The Land - An Environmentally Historic Overview Of The Ancestral Puebloan People Of Chaco Canyon During The Bonito Phase Ce 850-1140, Ilyse Goldman

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

This paper is an environmental history of the Ancestral Puebloan People of Chaco Canyon in northwestern New Mexico from 850 - 1 1 40 of the Common Era (CE), a period also known as the Bonito Phase. Environmental history explores the relationship between people and their landscape over time. To capture as complete a narrative as possible, this paper is written from three perspectives - the natural history of the desert southwest, how the Ancestral Puebloans adapted to these environmental conditions, and a discussion of how the Ancestral Puebloan religious cosmology assisted them in adapting to these conditions, enabling them …

Defining The Spiritual Aspects In The Pure Dance Of Bharata Natyam, Bevin Stark

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

Bharata natyam is herald as a sacred art. The goal of all traditional Indian arts is to evoke rasa (a tasting of spiritual bliss) in the artist as well as the spectator. I have personally experienced a spiritual power while performing and practicing this ancient dance form. Bharata natya has two main aspects to its dance presentation: natya (story-telling), and nrtta (pure dance technique). The natya portion clearly nurtures devotional feelings and religious contemplation by retelling stories of the gods, of the great Hindu epics and of myths. This study focuses on the subtle role that the nrtta portion of …

Walter Lippmann, John Dewey, And American Political Democracy, Jesse B. Markay

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

Journalist Walter Lippmann and philosopher John Dewey engaged in an extended dialogue in the 1 920s regarding the condition and future of American democracy. In a series of books and essays the two intellectuals confronted issues that have been debated since the creation of the American republic and that remain contested today: how public opinion is formed; the capacity of individual citizens to render judgments concerning public affairs; the role that public opinion ought to play in formulating public policy; the possibility of establishing a truly democratic community. This paper argues that the issues Lippmann and Dewey addressed and the …

Northwood School: The Survival Story Of An Educational Jewel In The Adirondacks, Perry Babcock

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

Northwood School is an example of a secondary boarding institution whose history mirrors the many changes in private education over the last one hundred years. As was the case with many of these private institutions, Northwood had to contend with the issue of isolation. The school's remote location caused it to evolve its own regional character. The school struggled financially as a not-for-profit institution that relied on tuition revenues and donations to maintain its stature in the competitive boarding school world. Northwood School also found itself challenged to sustain an educational philosophy when its market share dwindled and athletics became …

The Diffusion Of British Steam Technology And The First Creation Of America's Urban Proletariat, Mark Stephen Stanzione

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

The intent of this thesis project is to thoroughly analyze the effects of the transatlantic transfer of British steam engine machinery to the United States during the Antebellum and Gilded Ages. The American assimilation of British steam engine technology sustained improvements in industrial production, commerce, and transportation. In the process, transforming the work habits of native-born Americans and recent European immigrants by creating the need for a more mobile labor force while leading to the first urban proletariat in American society.

The transatlantic transfer of textile machine technology disseminated to America from England, during the Republic, had initiated the movement …

The Leadership Of Ernestine Rose 1848-1860, Joseph Haley

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

In my final project l will explore the leadership of Ernestine Rose in the context of contemporary transformational leadership theory. Although Rose was heavily involved in both woman's rights and social reform activities during her entire thirty-three year residence in the United States, I will focus on her woman's rights leadership initiatives between 1848-1860.

I will define transformational leadership and examine how it relates to a historical figure like Rose. I will also describe the status of the woman's rights movement and Rose's leadership within it. Finally, l will explore the relationship between Rose's leadership style and transformational leadership theory. …