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Full-Text Articles in History

From Desegregation To Desexigration In Richmond, Virginia, 1954-1973, Leslee Key Dec 2011

From Desegregation To Desexigration In Richmond, Virginia, 1954-1973, Leslee Key

Theses and Dissertations

This investigation explores the relationships and experiences in the urban community that connected black and white women to understand the complexities of Jim Crow, its breakdown, and the subsequent expansion of female activism in Richmond, Virginia. By examining the South’s famous department stores, Thalhimers and Miller & Rhoads, this research attempts to focus on female-created and female-oriented spaces within downtown Richmond, from 1954 until 1973, and draws a line from the Thalhimer boycott staged by African-American women in 1961 to the sit-in performed by white women in the Thalhimers male-only soup bar in 1970. Historical context is developed to show …


Mary Wingfield Scott: A Rebel With A Rubble Cause, Kay Peninger Dec 2011

Mary Wingfield Scott: A Rebel With A Rubble Cause, Kay Peninger

Theses and Dissertations

Mary Wingfield Scott (1895-1983) was a leading figure in the historic preservation movement in Richmond, Virginia. Scott demonstrated a preservation philosophy that transitioned from the sentimental, patriotic focus of early preservation efforts to a modern, academic approach that valued the built environment for its relationship to the city and its history. Scott educated persons on the value of preserving houses that were architecturally significant or connected to the city’s heritage. She documented the antebellum housing of Richmond in two books, founded the William Byrd Branch of the APVA, conducted walking tours throughout the city, wrote a newsletter for the William …


The Reconstruction Of Historical Buildings: A Visitor And Historical Site Study, Alyssa Holland Dec 2011

The Reconstruction Of Historical Buildings: A Visitor And Historical Site Study, Alyssa Holland

Theses and Dissertations

The reconstruction of historical buildings has been debated by preservationists, archeologists and historians, both with each other and within their own fields. But no matter how intensely scholars discuss and disagree on the subject, professionals at historic sites still continue to reconstruct historical buildings. The questions surrounding historical reconstruction include: is it ethical to reconstruct historical buildings? Is it worthwhile to reconstruct historical buildings for the benefit of the general public? I surveyed historical site workers from across the country and visitors from Red Hill National Memorial, the last home of Patrick Henry. From the survey, visitors seem to remember …


Ewiges Deutschland As An Examination Of Popular Political Culture In National Socialist Germany 1939-1940, Howard Joseph Sherrick Jr. May 2011

Ewiges Deutschland As An Examination Of Popular Political Culture In National Socialist Germany 1939-1940, Howard Joseph Sherrick Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Under the Reich Ministry of Propaganda and Popular Enlightenment functioned the Winterhilfswerk des deutschen Volkes (the “WHW”), or Winter Assistance Program of the German people. Initially designated in 1933 to assist the unemployed, the WHW expanded its reach by disseminating propaganda in the form of an annual edition of the Ewiges Deutschland:Ein deutsches Hausbuch household book from 1939 through 1943, intended to entertain and politically educate German family members throughout the year. Decidedly more comprehensible than Mein Kampf, another widely popularly disseminated book in Nazi Germany for weddings, Ewiges Deutschland likely enjoyed a more satisfied audience of readers. A study …


Unfamiliar Streets: The Chattanooga Sit-Ins, The Local Press, And The Concern For Civilities, Jessie Harris May 2011

Unfamiliar Streets: The Chattanooga Sit-Ins, The Local Press, And The Concern For Civilities, Jessie Harris

Theses and Dissertations

Gene Roberts and Hank Klibanoff in their breakthrough work, The Race Beat, contended that mainstream newspapers—white newspapers—largely ignored the black community until the 1950s and 1960s when editors gradually began opening their pages to reports of racial discrimination and the emerging protest against segregation. This coverage significantly shaped the civil rights movement, Roberts and Klibanoff argued. “Unfamiliar Streets” offers nuance to their narrative. Examining the local coverage of the 1960 Chattanooga sit-in movement as a case study, Jessie Harris contends that reporters and editors, although they should be credited for extensively covering the sit-ins, ultimately cared more for civilities than …


The Answer To A Maiden’S Prayer: Homer Cummings And The Origins Of The 1937 Court Packing Plan, Jason Carmichael Apr 2011

The Answer To A Maiden’S Prayer: Homer Cummings And The Origins Of The 1937 Court Packing Plan, Jason Carmichael

Theses and Dissertations

On February 5, 1937, President Franklin Roosevelt submitted to Congress “The Judiciary Reorganization Act of 1937,” often simply called the Court-packing bill. The president hoped to circumvent the Court, which for years had been overturning New Deal programs, by appointing six new justices. However, the bill disguised its true intentions behind a veil of improving judicial efficiency. This misdirection backfired; the bill failed and Roosevelt’s popularity plummeted just months after a landslide reelection. This thesis examines the origins of the infamous Court-packing bill. It argues that Roosevelt was largely a background figure in the development of the plan, as he …


Cold War Educational Propaganda And Instructional Films, 1945-1965, Claire Hope Apr 2011

Cold War Educational Propaganda And Instructional Films, 1945-1965, Claire Hope

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis will examine the response of educators to the use of the American public school system for ideological management during the early Cold War period. Through an assessment of instructional films, this work will show that the objectives of educational propaganda fell into three main categories: to promote Americanism as the national ideology, to deter students from communism or communist sympathy, and to link the potential for nuclear warfare to ideological lassitude. It will be argued that although the majority of educators accepted these goals, as films became increasingly extreme in their presentations, a critical minority revealed discontent with …


An Iron Catalyst: Virginia’S Roadside Historical Markers And The Shaping Of A Historical Consciousness, Joseph Bayless Feb 2011

An Iron Catalyst: Virginia’S Roadside Historical Markers And The Shaping Of A Historical Consciousness, Joseph Bayless

Theses and Dissertations

The thesis analyzes the origins and the formative period of Virginia’s historical marker program. It shows that historical markers were critical to the success of Harry Flood Byrd’s administration and his Commission on Conservation and Development. The thesis also examines how Virginia’s marker program set the standard for roadside commemoration across the entire United States. Lastly, the work appraises the influence of Dr. Hamilton James Eckenrode, his pioneering methods of historical commemoration, and his central role in the success of Virginia’s marker program.