History Commons^™

From Parsley And Sugarcane, Jennifer Celeste

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The Dominican Republic is the most travelled-to island in the Caribbean, attracting over 6.6 million travelers per year. However, according to renowned scholar and writer Frank Moya Pons, author of The Dominican Republic: A National History, The Dominican Republic is also “one of the least studied countries in Latin America and the Caribbean despite the fact that it is the longest European-inhabited territory in the hemisphere” (Moya Pons 9). To me, this says two things: first, that there is a hunger to explore the Dominican Republic, its culture, and its landscape, and second, that, despite the acknowledgment of all its …

An Ominous Horizon: Fascism On The Rise, Matt Bergh, Carol Helstosky

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

The notorious dictator, Bentio Mussolini, became Prime Minister of Italy in 1922- 3 years after the Treaty of Versailles concluded the settlements for World War I in the summer of 1919. Shortly thereafter, Mussolini established his formidable dictatorship that would last 23 years. Post-war Italy experienced economic stagnation, high unemployment, inflation, frequent labor strikes, and stalled production and output among other problems. Many Italians were also frustrated that their country did not receive more recognition in the Versailles Treaty for its contribution to the Allied Cause in the Great War. Interestingly, though, the situation in Italy was very similar to …

The Broken Edge: Violence, Kinship, And Nation In The U.S.-Mexico Borderlands, 1820-1890, Patrick Troester

History Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a study of how people experienced and gave meaning to the violent conflicts that transformed the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands from a multipolar region into one dominated by two modern nation-states. As multiple imperial and national projects converged here between 1821-1890, borderland violence became a central way in which local people interacted with and participated in nation- and state-making. Using archival evidence from both sides of the modern border, I examine how borderlands people used gendered, racialized, and familial ideologies to organize, understand, and politicize these conflicts as well as to reckon their shifting positions within emerging nation-states. With …

The Barmen Declaration And The American Church: A Warning And Guidance From History, Johnny Davis

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

The Barmen Declaration serves as a great example that the American Church should heed.[1] The American Church faces a hostile secular culture and a government that is increasingly statist and anti-Christian. The state has become an idol in an American culture that rejects truth and righteousness. A bold stance for truth and Christ is required by scripture and is the key to transforming the culture and saving the American Republic.

Nothing New Under The Sun: Augustine And Cicero’S Visions Of How Human Nature Relates To Justice, Virtue, Biblical Wisdom, And The State, Faith Chudkowski

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

Social issues today stand at the forefront of civil discourse, global injustice abounds, and the average citizen seems to be more invested in molding a better future than ever before. In the 2020 presidential election, nearly two-thirds of America voted, a percentage that has not been reached since 1900.[1] In recent years, social media has become a primary avenue for rallying support and spreading ideas that range from domestic policy to new notions of justice. Yet, where passionate debate has erupted, levels of polarization and division have risen as well. Where one finds genuine concern for the state of …

Overland Trail Game: A Lesson Plan, Alexandria Weber

Arts & Sciences Undergraduate Showcase

Educators of all levels are continuously looking for new ways to engage students with the content. Some post-secondary level instructors have embraced a unique method of role-playing games in their classrooms. Specially, many of these teachers have begun using Mark Carnes's pedagogy of Reacting to the Past. This method gamifies historical content to make it easier for students to relate to a diverse array of historical actors. To play these games, students must achieve a specific goal while pretending to be an assigned historical figure. Reacting to the Past lesson plans are one of a kind, high quality, peer-reviewed teaching …

History In Crisis: Museum Programming During The Covid-19 Outbreak, Lindsay Mcconnell

Honors Thesis

The subject of my research is how museums adapted their public programming in response to COVID-19. The goal of my research is to analyze how successfully museums shifted their community engagement programming to online platforms. Since I hope to work in the museum field of programming, I was motivated to conduct this research. Not much research can be found on this topic because COVID-19’s effects on museums are still unfolding. My research could provide a foundation of ideas to build on. To begin, I read articles about the relationship between museums and technology. I applied this knowledge to analyze how …

Has Maize Overtaken Our Reality? A Personal Briefing, Biochemical Comparison, Agrigenomics, And History Of Maize, Nader Pahlevan

Honors Theses

Maize (Zea mays ssp. Mays) is a revolutionary cereal grain that has raced to the world’s most popular staple crop, transforming societies and impacting history. This paper aims to build and portray the story maize has created through its journey to world domination. The important details that encompass this literature are maize’s cultural significance in my life’s story, the comparison of various starches broken down into amylose and amylopectin ratios, a summative historical account on maize’s spread throughout numerous parts of the old world, and the genetical analysis of maize that explains the key features that have led …

Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind: Analyzing Inhumane Practices In Mississippi’S Correctional Institutions Due To Overcrowding, Understaffing, And Diminished Funding, Ariel A. Williams

Honors Theses

The purpose of this research is to examine the political, social, and economic factors which have led to inhumane conditions in Mississippi’s correctional facilities. Several methods were employed, including a comparison of the historical and current methods of funding, staffing, and rehabilitating prisoners based on literature reviews. State-sponsored reports from various departments and the legislature were analyzed to provide insight into budgetary restrictions and political will to allocate funds. Statistical surveys and data were reviewed to determine how overcrowding and understaffing negatively affect administrative capacity and prisoners’ mental and physical well-being. Ultimately, it may be concluded that Mississippi has high …

Perceptions Of Roane State Community College Presidents On The Events Shaping The Institution’S Leadership History, John Norris Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A major focus of policymakers in recent years has been community colleges, which have been viewed as potential engines for economic advancement and student success. I examined the leadership history of Roane State Community College, a two-year institution of higher learning serving a nine-county service area mostly in rural East Tennessee as perceived by individuals who have served as the college’s presidents. Five current and former presidents were interviewed about their experiences as president and their perceptions of the college’s history. Narrative research was used to recount a history of Roane State Community College, and the key events and factors …

Surviving Through The Lessons Of Sports, Ryan Fabre

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

In the years before World War II, young Jewish athletes in Nazi Germany as well as German-occupied Austria and Czechoslovakia pursued individual and team competitions in the face of state-sponsored persecution. This research project seeks to understand how Jewish athletes organized and competed under the Nazi regime prior to the outbreak of war, and how their prewar experiences of athletic competition and team cooperation shaped their survival in ghettos and concentration camps during the Holocaust. Years before the Nazis took power in Germany, sporting clubs were established within the context Zionist and other Jewish organizations. Young Jews, who originally wanted …

Remembering Jacob: The Literary Representation Of Memory In The Jacob Narrative, Isaac Borbon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis seeks to describe the Jacob narrative through the lens of memory. Taking Gen 28:10-22 as a case study, the objective is to place Jacob’s visit to Bethel alongside other ancient referential claims, analyzing it for authentic memories. However, the complex nature of memory is susceptible to preservation and revision. That is to say, having no desire to comport to modern historical-critical sensibilities, memory’s epistemological underpinnings are concerned primarily with reconstructing a remembered past for subsequent generations of Israelite tradents. In order to understand the historical background to the Jacob narrative in its entirety, a formal analysis of Iron …

Public History: An Effort To Increase Indonesian Historical Consciousness During Covid-19 Pandemi, Abdurakhman Abdurakhman, Syahidah Sumayyah Rahman

International Review of Humanities Studies

The writing of public history has become one of the methods of history that have developed and are in great demand. The difference between history in general and public history is the selection of groups that are used as research sources. Through this research, the author find that public history can be used as a way to raise historical consciousness in Indonesia. Historical Consciousness relates to thinking of ourself in time as historical beings and being aware of belonging to a specific group with a particular history and identity. The current global pandemic presents a challenge for historians. Documenting the …

Sovereignty, Statehood, And Subjugation: Native Hawaiian And Japanese American Discourse Over Hawaiian Statehood, Nicole Saito

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Although discourse over Hawaiian statehood has increasingly been described by scholars as a racial conflict between Japanese Americans and Native Hawaiians, there existed a broad spectrum of interactions between the two groups. Both communities were forced to confront the prejudices they had against each other while recognizing their shared experiences with discrimination, creating a paradoxical political culture of competition and solidarity up until the conclusion of World War Two. From 1946 to 1950, however, the country’s collective understanding of Japanese American citizenship began to shift with recognition of the community’s military service record and an increased proportion of veterans elected …

More Than Sectarianism: How Have State And Non-State Institutions Used Violence To Form The Current Iraqi State And What Is The Effect?, Caitlyn Perkins

Honors Theses

This thesis examines the role of violence in Iraq in establishing the current Iraqi state. My chapters provide historical and theoretical context to the subject before getting into the analysis. The goal of this thesis is to show that violence in Iraq is not only caused by sectarian differences, but has been used and influenced by leaders, outside governments, and non-state institutions for personal gain and political goals at the cost of the Iraqi people.

The Displacement Of Nineteenth-Century Ideals Of Womanhood As Seen By Portrayals Of Young Women In Short Fiction Stories In Collier’S Magazine From 1902-1924, Patricia De Haven

History & Classics Student Scholarship

Major: History and Political Science
Minor: Asian Studies
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Darra Mulderry

Mapping Renewal: How An Unexpected Interdisciplinary Collaboration Transformed A Digital Humanities Project, Elise Tanner, Geoffrey Joseph

Digital Initiatives Symposium

Funded by a National Endowment for Humanities (NEH) Humanities Collections and Reference Resources Foundations Grant, the UA Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture’s “Mapping Renewal” pilot project focused on creating access to and providing spatial context to archival materials related to racial segregation and urban renewal in the city of Little Rock, Arkansas, from 1954-1989. An unplanned interdisciplinary collaboration with the UA Little Rock Arkansas Economic Development Institute (AEDI) has proven to be an invaluable partnership. One team member from each department will demonstrate the Mapping Renewal website and discuss how the collaborative process has changed and shaped …

Sporting Houses, Soiled Doves, And Bad Repute: Houses Of Ill Fame In Marquette, 1870-1943, Emily Tinder

Upper Country: A Journal of the Lake Superior Region

Within the male-dominated economic landscape of Marquette's founding era, many women turned to the illicit business of selling sex to make a living. In the absence of self-created primary sources, court case records and newspaper accounts dating between 1870 and 1943 reveal small pieces of the lives of dozens of such women. Yet while the stories of underground miners and northwoods lumberjacks have been studied in detail, these sex workers have been ignored and forgotten almost entirely; a broader social history, without moral bias, can account for many of the women who worked alongside the men who dominate our historical …

Italian Immigrants In The Lake Superior Basin, Russell Magnaghi

Upper Country: A Journal of the Lake Superior Region

From 1870 through 1920 hundreds of thousands of Italians arrived in the United States and Canada seeking economic opportunity and better lives. They were attracted to cities of the Midwest – Minneapolis-St. Paul, Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Cleveland – and eastern Canada – Montréal and Toronto -- where as cheap labor they found jobs in factories, railroads, urban construction, and service businesses and created new lives in the Midwest.

Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story? A Marxist Analysis Of "Hamilton" And Its Relationship To The Broadway Economic System, Alana Ritt

Honors Projects

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s mega-hit Hamilton: An American Musical has been both a critical and academic darling since its premiere in 2015. A historical retelling of America’s inception through the eyes of an oft-ignored founding father, the musical weaves together a diverse cast and hip-hop musical stylings in order to tell the story of “America then, as told by America now.” While many critics and scholars alike have praised the musical for putting an exciting and accessible twist to American history, others have argued that the musical is not nearly as “revolutionary” as it claims to be. This essay is designed to …

Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story? A Marxist Analysis Of "Hamilton" And Its Relationship To The Broadway Economic System, Alana Ritt

Honors Projects

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s mega-hit Hamilton: An American Musical has been both a critical and academic darling since its premiere in 2015. A historical retelling of America’s inception through the eyes of an oft-ignored founding father, the musical weaves together a diverse cast and hip-hop musical stylings in order to tell the story of “America then, as told by America now.” While many critics and scholars alike have praised the musical for putting an exciting and accessible twist to American history, others have argued that the musical is not nearly as “revolutionary” as it claims to be. This essay is designed to …

Teaching The Lessons Of The Vietnam War And Applying Them To The War In Afghanistan: Lesson Plans For A Sophomore Us History Class, Zoe Bond

Honors Projects

This project is a series of lesson plans for a 10^th grade US History class detailing the lessons of the Vietnam War and how they have and haven’t been used by President Obama in his decisions during the War in Afghanistan. The lesson plan uses Differentiation and Universal Design for Learning to accommodate every student in the class. The goal of this project was to teach original research in a way that promotes inquiry even if there is no correct answer at that time.

Actions Above Words: A Biography Of Vice Admiral Clifton “Ziggy” Sprague, John Kirwan

Undergraduate Theses

Among the many larger than life and fascinating figures of the Second World War, one who is seldom spoken of is the late Vice Admiral Clifton A.F. "Ziggy" Sprague. A quiet man from New England, Admiral Sprague was an accomplished pilot, administrator, and commander. From service during the First World War to assisting in the testing of nuclear devices following the end of the Second World War, Sprague was a force behind the scenes. He was devoted to his profession and refused to play the political game those above him did, preferring that his actions speak greater volumes than any …

Crisis And Catalonia: An Analysis On The Impact Of Crisis On The Public Opinion Of The Secessionist Movement In Catalonia, Rachel Ducker

Honors Theses

Catalonia, the autonomous region of Spain has seen an increase in secessionist sentiments in recent years. While the past inclination toward independence has been centered on economic autonomy and cultural identity, there has been a recent emphasis on political independence, particularly in the times of crisis. In this thesis. I analyze the relationship between the economic changes during the period of a crisis and the public opinion about the potential Catalan secession. Specifically, it investigates the relationships between the economic change and public sentiment during the financial crisis of 2008, the political crisis of 2017, and the pandemic crisis of …

Risk Transfer Militarism And The Iraq War, Kathleen H. Bannon

Honors Projects in History and Social Sciences

President Barack Obama's military and political strategies during the withdrawal period from January 2009 to December 2011 of Operation Iraqi Freedom (IOF) effectively mitigated the risks of the U.S. forces stationed within the region while also ensuring influence over regional actors' trained military counterparts. By restructuring core military programs, leveraging civilian partnerships, and enacting new military doctrines, the U.S. engaged within the latest iteration of risk-transfer militarism

A Study Of Undergraduate Major On The Youth Electorate Within The Bryant Community, Jenna Birnbohm-Kaminski

Honors Projects in History and Social Sciences

This thesis will carefully explore the relationship between undergraduate college major, and political participation and affiliation of young voters (ages 18-29). There has been a great deal of research in the field of voter behavior about this generation of young voters, and how they will impact the new electorate and overall political climate. An increasing commonality amongst young people is an undergraduate education of some kind. However, undergraduate students can choose their area of study, thus differentiating the exposure to information and experience of each student at a very impressionable time in their lives. A study of the political behavior …

The Changes In The Impact Of Presidential Impeachment: Nixon To Trump, Paige Diforte

Honors Projects in History and Social Sciences

The ability to impeach a sitting president is granted to Congress in the U.S. Constitution as part of the system of checks and balances. The process can have a wide scope of impact on our society and other political processes. This study analyzes the impeachment processes of Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump through the lenses of media coverage, changes in approval polls and the results of midterm elections. By identifying and comparing the emerging trends in each instance, a better understanding of the relationships between impeachment, its portrayal in the media, presidential approval and election results can be …

Change Happens Here, Musselman Library, Gettysburg College

Other Exhibits & Events

The posters in this series focus on parts of the Gettysburg College story that have been minimized or neglected altogether in previous histories – particularly with respect to underrepresented groups, issues, and activisms. Based on sometimes incomplete sources, they represent imperfect knowledge and are not comprehensive. They are a beginning, not an ending.

For that reason, we invite your feedback – corrections, additional information, people and events not pictured. We also invite contributions of relevant documents, photos, etc. to the College Archives, or via our digital repository, “What We Did Here: Activism at Gettysburg College.”

The story of …

The Longest Sin And Deepest Silence, Cierra White

Spring Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

The focus for this project will be analyzing the relevance of the civil rights movement today. Such as how the foundations and scarifies of the civil rights movement let to the social climate of the Black Live Matter movement. This project will explore topics of racism, discrimination, inequality, suburbanization, and the divide of racial lines. Also, this project will focus on Civil Resistance and civil disobedience. This project will compare the ideas of Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X, and other prominent civil rights leaders during this time. I believe that by exploring and analyzing the causes of the Civil …

Reactions And Responses To The American Chestnut Blight In The Twentieth Century, Sarah Heavren

Undergraduate Craft of Research Prize Papers

Chapter from The Perfect Tree: The American Chestnut Tree in American Culture, Economics, and Science in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries

The tale of the American chestnut tree offers incredible insight on Americans’ changing relationship with their environment and the complications added by economic motivations and scientific advancements. The American chestnut tree was known for its favorable timber and delectable nuts, which allowed the tree to assume a level of economic and cultural significance in twentieth century America. The timber was versatile and durable, and picking chestnuts and roasting them during the holidays were common seasonal traditions. However, the arrival …