History Commons^™

The Moral Hygiene Movement In The United States, 1840s—1920s, Marissa Seib

History Theses

During the 19th and 20th centuries, the mental health care system in the United States underwent a series of reforms in an effort to better care for some of the country’s frailest citizens. This period, called the moral hygiene era of mental health care, emerged from a further understanding of psychiatry and psychology which led to structural changes in the mental health care system.

This thesis examines the beginnings of the Kirkbride system, which sought to reform the whole of American mental health care through landscaping and architecture as well as the specific treatment plan for each individual. Using case …

The Significance Of Abolitionism And The Underground Railroad, In The Buffalo Area, 1840-1860, Timothy J. Nixon

History Theses

The movement to end slavery is commonly known as the abolitionist movement. As a city located next to the Canadian border, Buffalo was a major route on the Underground Railroad. Sadly, when researching abolitionism and the Underground Railroad, national research seems to gloss over Buffalo. If Buffalo makes an appearance in national history books on this topic it is usually only a mention of being an Underground Railroad route into Canada. If historians mention Upstate New York, they usually focus on Frederick Douglass’s home of Rochester. Using the accounts of abolitionists, fugitive slaves, newspapers, community activists, and guest speakers, it …

A Select Examination Of The Historiography Of The Causes Of The War Of 1812, Shiva Czuba

History Theses

This thesis examines a selection of literature concerning the causes of the War of 1812. While named America’s “forgotten” war, many historians have attempted to examine the political landscape that led to the newly formed United States to declare war on England in 1812. While maritime concerns have primarily been seen as the cause, this thesis will examine how that historiography has changed throughout the past two hundred years.

Chapter one, entitled “Early Interpretations: Maritime Grievances” examines the works of Alexander James Dallas, Henry Marie Brackenridge, Richard Hildreth, Gilbert Auchinleck, and Henry Adams. Chapter two, entitled “Changing Interpretations” looks at …

Distinctly American: The Roots Of Secessionism And Nullification In The United States, Patrick F. Ryan

History Theses

A retrospective study of the role that secessionism played throughout American history, beginning in the late 18th century. The purpose of this work is to show how John C. Calhoun's (and other Southerners') ideas and rhetoric were not novel. This paper investigates the early whispers of nullification and secessionism in the United States; the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions, Essex Junto, Hartford Convention, indecision by the founders, and how they shaped later American politicians in the mid-19th century.

Failoure On All Fronts: The United States Army In The First Year Of The War Of 1812, Gary H. Nobbs Jr.

History Theses

The United States declared war on the United Kingdom in the hopes of defending the nation's national honor. However, the United States Army was unprepared to go wage war. The army's supply system, militia system, and field commanders failed and led to a disastrous first year of conflict.

The Challenge Of E. Pluribus Unum: Waterfront Workers During The Civil War In Buffalo, New York, Anthony E. Gil

History Theses

This work is pioneering in that it opens discussion and historical inquiry into events of civil unrest in the U.S., both during the Civil War and in 1860s Buffalo, New York. It is the position of this study that events of early civil unrest are boiling points in the development of our great melting pot. Indeed, the more historians explore and understand these moments in American history, the easier it is to see profound epochs relative to America's growing pains. And, although there are many epochs that tell the story of those growing pains, "The Challenge of E. Pluribus Unum: …

Missed Moments: Kodak’S Failure To Define The Consumer Market For Digital Photography, Paul T. Moon Jr

History Theses

The focus of this thesis is to provide an expanded interpretation of the decline of the Eastman Kodak Company. Kodak is a company synonymous with cameras, pictures, and photography. The American photographic giant created a vast empire that was able to dominate the industry for the better part of the Twentieth Century. Yet, it missed the opportunity to develop its digital camera technology. This makes Kodak an interesting study in business decision making in the face of advancing disruptive technology.

In a historical context, there is a lack of work that deeply inspects the fall of the Kodak company in …

The Bully Pulpit And The Pulpit Bully: A Comparison Of How Presidents Theodore Roosevelt And Donald Trump Used The Media To Propel Their Careers And Political Agendas., Scott E. Miller

History Theses

This thesis compares and contrasts how two of the more media savvy American presidents, Theodore Roosevelt and Donald Trump, utilized the press/media to advance their careers and promote their agendas. Both men’s ascent to power coincided with and benefited from the rise of new media outlets; Roosevelt’s with the newspaper revolution and Trump’s with the social media/networking explosion, specifically that of Twitter. Their groundbreaking mastery of these and other media formats share several common devices including trial balloons, manipulating news cycles and creating news distractions. However, a deeper dive reveals distinct differences as well.

Relying heavily on primary resources, including …

Whose Monster? A Study In The Rise To Power Of Al Qaeda And The Taliban, Nicholas Kotarski

History Theses

This thesis seeks to determine which factors and parties were most responsible for the transformation of the Mujahedeen who pushed the Soviet Union out of Afghanistan into what would eventually become al Qaeda and the Taliban in the 1990s. First brought to America's attention due to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, they would gain increased notoriety as the decade progressed due to the Taliban's treatment of Afghan women, and finally culminating in the tragic terrorist attacks on September 11th 2001.

The Seventeenth Amendment: The United States Senate And The Transformation From Legislative Selection To Direct Popular Election, John Joseph Janora

History Theses

The passage of the Seventeenth Amendment helped to democratize the United States Senate and tied the legislative branch closer to the people, but it undermined the links between the state and the federal systems. Any thoughtful discussion on the Progressive Era will generally lead towards the idea of increased involvement of both the government, at all levels, in the lives of the general population, and the increased involvement of the general population in the functioning of the government at large. One seemingly obvious decision made in the early part of the 20^th century was the implementation of the Seventeenth …

The Stamp Act: Revolutionary Resistance In New York, Ryan L. Wagner

History Theses

Prior to the first battles of the American Revolution, the BritishParliament imposed several duties on the American colonies to fund the expenses of the French and Indian War, continued attacks on the American frontier, taxed American colonists to assist with British finances, and garrisoned troops throughout America. One of these duties, the American Stamp Act, was passed and enacted in early 1765 throughout the North American British colonies. The correlation between battles, campaigns, and acts such as imposed duties, are all interrelated. Many historians traditionally view the colonial reaction to the Stamp Act as one singular political event or overshadowed …

When Ink Turned Into Bullets: The Effect Of The Press In Buffalo, New York And The Nation Along With Its Role In Igniting A Civil War, Nicole C. Kondziela

History Theses

The American Civil War was a multi-faceted conflict: North versus South, states’ rights versus federal law, slavery versus abolition. Due to increasing and constant advancements in technology, this was the first war in American history that developed in full view of the public through newspapers. The Industrial Revolution and capitalism allowed the press to evolve into rich and powerful soap boxes for political bosses and editors alike to voice their opinions far beyond the village square. Unbeknownst to much of the public at the time, the Union had been at the mercy of newspaper editors and politicians in a grand …

Raymond E. Jackson And Segregation In The American Federation Of Musicians, 1900-1944, Lance Boos

History Theses

In 1944, the American Federation of Musicians abolished the practice of subsidiary local chapters, granting autonomous charters to the twelve chapters of African American musicians who were bound to a white parent chapter in their respective cities. While most black musicians in the AFM were organized in “separate but equal” chapters, those under subsidiary status were obligated to pay dues to the white local but generally had no access to union offices, voting rights in union elections, control over booking of and payment for jobs, or representation at the national convention. This change was prompted by years of advocacy by …

Urban Undertaking: Changes In The Land And The Decline Of Spatial Quality In Buffalo, Ny, 1951-2011, Timothy Tielman

History Theses

The City of Buffalo in 1880 was a densely developed city of 180,000 people. Its success was built upon reducing the friction of space between it (and its Great lakes hinterland) and the Atlantic seaboard, first with the Erie Canal, then with railroads. Within the city, people walked or used carriages or streetcars pulled by horses on iron rails. Freight was moved mostly with horse and wagon. These were centripetal forces, concentrating people and economic activity in an ever-denser core as the city grew. Changes to this landscape began to be seen in fundamental ways in the early 1950s, and …

Revolution, Rebellion And Subversion In Us History: Government And Public Response, Christie F. Andrle

History Theses

The main objective of this thesis is to identify and examine the trends throughout American history regarding how the government has responded to internal conflicts. From the Revolution to the post-9/11 years, the United States government has dealt with numerous instances of tension and conflict with its citizens, often resulting in restrictive legislation or other measures suppressing liberty.

The primary methods used in exploring this subject include comparison and evaluation of the public and government responses to such conflicts. Previous historical analysis of events and laws, public commentary, and firsthand accounts of individual experiences are drawn upon to illustrate the …

Wartime Art: A Study Of Political Propaganda And Individual Expression In American Commercial And Combat Art During World War Ii, Jennifer M. Wilcott

History Theses

This thesis will explore the mediums and functions of American art during World War II. The purpose of exploring art during World War II is not simply to provide an overview of the multiple media of art produced during the war, but to investigate the role that commercial artwork and combat soldiers’ artwork had on the lasting interpretation of the war. Themes addressed are propaganda, the role of posters, comic books, and cartoons along with their influence on American society at the time. Further analysis examines the role of three artists: Howard Brodie, Edward Reep, and Robert N. Blair. Their …

Fraunces Tavern Museum: Revolutionizing Collections Care In A Small Museum Environment, Suzanne Prabucki

History Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to present a comprehensive history of the Fraunces Tavern Museum and its collection along with an official catalogue comprising approximately 5,000 artifacts. It documents the Museum’s own experience with the collections care remediation process so that other institutions may use this Museum’s success story as a model for their own collections care issues.

The Fraunces Tavern Museum, located in New York City, is best known as the site where George Washington bade farewell to his officers at the end of the American Revolutionary War. The lineage group, the Sons of the Revolution in the …

Ralph Raico: Champion Of Authentic Liberalism, Daniel P. Stanford

History Theses

ABSTRACT OF THESIS

Ralph Raico: Champion of Authentic Liberalism

This paper explores the intellectual life and writings of Professor Emeritus in History at Buffalo State College, Ralph Raico. The central thesis seeks to portray Professor Raico as the great modern libertarian revisionist historian, and the great modern champion of historical, classical liberalism. More broadly, the work attempts to solidify Professor Raico’s reputation as a major figure in the modern American libertarian movement.

Raico’s intellectual foundations are fully developed, beginning from grade school at Bronx High School of Science, to his attendance of Ludwig von Mises’s New York University seminar, to …

He Honored Death, Too: The Subterranean Life Of Jack Kerouac, Christopher Wayne

History Theses

Regarded as the founder of the Beat Generation, Jack Kerouac is upheld as a symbol of post-war freedom and opportunity in America, a precursor of the cultural shift of the 1960s. This paper is an exploration of the lesser known traits of Kerouac: qualities that are in conflict with the persona that is most closely associated with the author. The thesis begins with an examination of Kerouac’s childhood in Lowell, Massachusetts, and his exposure to those traits he adopted in adulthood, and chronicles events in his life that display his subversive character. The main argument of the thesis is that …

To Better Serve And Sustain The South: How Nineteenth Century Domestic Novelists Supported Southern Patriarchy Using The "Cult Of True Womanhood" And The Written Word, Daphne V. Wyse

History Theses

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, American women were subjected to restrictive societal expectations, providing them with a well-defined identity and role within the male-dominated culture. For elite southern women, more so than their northern sisters, this identity became integral to southern patriarchy and tradition. As the United States succumbed to sectional tension and eventually civil war, elite white southerners found their way of life threatened as the delicate web of gender, race, and class relations that the Old South was based upon began to crumble. Despite their repressed status in southern society, most elite southern women chose to support …

The Professionalization Of The American Army Through The War Of 1812, Robert L. Heiss

History Theses

The American military tradition stretches back to the militia of England. The English colonists brought a tradition of militia service and a fear of standing armies to America. Once in America, the colonies formed their own militias, using them for defense and then later for offensive operations. At the time of the American Revolution the American colonies had to combine the militia with an army. The fear of a standing army hindered the Continental Army, and then later the American Army, from being an effective force. By the time of the American Civil War, this had changed. There was a …

Motivations Of Civil War Soldiers From Western New York, Justin T. Howell

History Theses

The American Civil War was the bloodiest conflict in the history of the United States. Over 620,000 lives were lost during this war. Yet, what motivated volunteer soldiers to fight so valiantly for so long is the focus of this paper. After reading over 100 individual diaries and letters from volunteer Civil War soldiers from Western New York, who fought on the Union side, I have concluded that certain motivations influenced soldiers more than others to keep fighting. Motivations of the thrill of combat, adventure, and hatred of the enemy served as the initial motivations for Western New York Civil …

Buffalo, New York’S Citizen Soldiers: Personal Histories Of Combat, Trauma, And Returning Home After The Second World War, Drew H. Lewandowski

History Theses

Buffalo, New York’s Citizen Soldiers: Personal Histories of Combat, Trauma, and Returning Home after the Second World War

This thesis focuses on interviews from nine World War Two veterans who are from Buffalo, New York and the immediate surrounding areas. Included are three infantry men from the European theatre, including one paratrooper. Three who served in the Pacific theatre, including one medical officer, a medic, and one man served in the occupation of Japan. The remaining three served in the Air Corps in Europe, one pilot, one bombardier, and one fighter pilot.

Through extensive interviews, both written and filmed, this …

Fighting For Recognition: The Role African Americans Played In World Fairs, Andrew R. Valint

History Theses

ABSTRACT OF THESIS

Fighting for Recognition

The Role African Americans played in World Fairs

In the years following the Civil War African Americans were locked in a struggle for equality. Persevering through racism and the institution of Jim Crow laws, African Americans made advancements socially, economically, politically, and educationally.

As the U.S. ushered in the dawn of the 20^th century, World Fairs became the altar on which blacks could showcase their progress since Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. From the 1889 fair in Paris to Buffalo’s Pan American Exposition of 1901 African Americans fought for a ‘Negro Exhibit’ to factually …