History Commons^™

The Christmas Truce Of World War I: Futility Or Humanity, Jacob Breezeel

Tenor of Our Times

Many believe the Christmas Truce of 1914 to be a sign of rebellion and mutiny from the common TImmy. Without context these ideas are plausible but with a closer look at the conditions they were in, the feelings towards the enemy, and a common holiday, it becomes clear that the truce was a sign of humanity amidst an inhumane war.

True Law As Genre: Narrative Nonfiction And The Law, Jorge L. Contreras

Texas A&M Journal of Property Law

The Genome Defense, which offers a book-length narrative nonfiction account of the civil litigation that led to the elimination of patents on human genes in the United States, is a member of a distinct literary subgenre that I term True Law. Like the older and better-known True Crime genre, True Law narratives blend the conventions of journalism and novelistic writing to describe complex legal disputes in a manner that is engaging and accessible to the general public. True Law accounts, which have increased in number and popularity since the publication of Jonathan Harr’s A Civil Action in 1995, serve …

Economic Miracles And Their Hypes: An Africanist Disputation, Abou B. Bamba

History Faculty Publications

This essay argues that economic miracles are the result of particular processes and procedures to establish a regime of truth. Taking the example of Ivory Coast from the 1950s through the early 1980s as core evidence, the author shows the role of public relations in creating a particular perception of economic achievements. Using the emergence of both West Germany and Japan as early examples in the wake of postwar reconstruction, it is further underlined that the larger context of the Cold War facilitated the construction of economic miracles.

Duae Cypriani Soarez Praefationes Ad Opus De Arte Rhetorica Libri Tres Commentariis Rhetoricis Instructae, Marcus Porto

Theses and Dissertations--Modern and Classical Languages, Literature and Cultures

De Arte Rhetorica Libri Tres (1562) written by Cyprian Soarez (1524-1593), priest and teacher of the Society of Jesus, was the standard rhetorical manual in the Ratio Studiorum and thus was used for over two centuries in Jesuit colleges throughout the world. Concerned that young students of Latin were not yet ready for the major rhetorical texts of antiquity, such as Cicero’s and Quintilian’s, Soarez wrote this manual as a digest of ancient rhetoric to the beginner. This thesis uses the rhetorical precepts found in Cyprian’s work to analyze the work’s own two prefaces. Thus, it aims at providing …

A Comparative Analysis Of The Past Three Fifa World Cups: Nations’ Regulations, Policies, And Global Impact, Arturo Flores

History and Political Science | Senior Theses

The current study investigates the relationship between alcohol and sports marketing. Throughout this research paper, the primary focus is to look at the three previous World Cups and their hosting Countries: Brazil, Russia, and Qatar. To do this, the methods that are used to analyze the three countries will consist of a collection of digital archives consisting of YouTube ads, alcohol policies of the countries hosting the World Cup, and the effects of the World Cup on the hosts overall. In addition, the study goes into how the alcohol policies of each country have shifted before, during, and after being …

The Cycle Of Giving:, Sarai Brown

BYU Asian Studies Student Journal

On one hot summer day in the middle of a 3-month stint studying Mandarin Chinese at National Chung Hsing University (NCHU) in Taichung, Taiwan, my friends and I were desperate to sate our appetites after class, even in the atrociously hot and humid conditions. Most of our little group was drawn to a 牛肉麵 niúròu miàn (beef noodle) shop, but the thought of hot soup on a day like this drove me and a couple of others to continue our search. We stumbled upon another outdoor restaurant—though “restaurant” is perhaps a loose term for the holey-tent-covered food stand with mismatched …

The Shadow Of Exceptionalism: Morality, Pragmatism, And Covert Action In American Cold War Foreign Policy, Kyle Stacy

History Theses - Archive

The complex forces of national identity, economic ambition, and ideological justification created a dynamic and contested landscape that shaped America’s Cold War policies. A carefully curated useful past, bolstered by religious convictions, fostered a belief in American exceptionalism and moral leadership that provided both the impetus and justification for 11 America’s actions abroad. Yet, America’s stated ideals—freedom and democracy—existed in stark tension with the pursuit of its national interests, often clashing with its self-perceived moral superiority. The Cold War environment fostered a culture of secrecy within the highest levels of government. Here, transparency and accountability were readily sacrificed for strategic …

Including Black Farmers, Excluding Pests: Perspectives On Participation In The Cooperative Extension Service, Briana Bazile

Theses and Dissertations--Entomology

In recent years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has faced renewed scrutiny for documented discrimination against Black farmers, yet far less attention has focused on its century-old partner in public service delivery, the Cooperative Extension Service (CES). This gap is especially notable considering 1) federal parity mandates extant since 1972 in response to significant disparities between Black and White constituents and staff,2) public commitments to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in 2020 and, 3) the contributions of Black leaders at the origins of CES, at Tuskegee University in the late nineteenth century. Using the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service (KYCES) as a …

Iii.A.2 Displacement & Barriers To Home Ownership, Kim Rostan, Bria Harper, Jim Neighbors, Mark Byrnes

Crafting Democratic Futures

This document explains how systemic racism and discriminatory policies from the Civil War & Reconstruction period through the 20th century prevented African Americans in Spartanburg from building wealth through land ownership and home equity. It details barriers such as Black Codes, sharecropping, convict leasing, exclusion from New Deal programs, discriminatory housing policies, and urban renewal projects that displaced Black neighborhoods without providing equitable opportunities for economic advancement.

Iii.B.2 Educational Barriers, Kim Rostan, Bria Harper, Rylee Jorgensen

Crafting Democratic Futures

The document examines how historical segregation and systemic racism have shaped educational disparities in Spartanburg County, highlighting persistent inequities in school resources, teacher pay, and student outcomes. It concludes that these historical barriers continue to influence academic performance and post-secondary enrollment, with schools serving more diverse populations often facing lower proficiency rates despite high graduation rates.

Iii.F.2 Safety And Security, Kimberly Rostan, Bria Harper, Jim Neighbors

Crafting Democratic Futures

The document details the persistent and systemic violence against Black people in Spartanburg County from the end of the Civil War through the Civil Rights era, highlighting the role of groups like the Ku Klux Klan and Red Shirts in enforcing white supremacy through terror, intimidation, and murder. It emphasizes that this continuous threat of violence created lasting psychological trauma and served as a major barrier to economic and social progress for Black communities.

University Of Southern Maine Commencement Program 2025, University Of Southern Maine

Commencement Programs

University of Southern Maine Commencement Program 2025

[Review Of The Book Querns And Mills In Mediterranean Antiquity. Tradition And Innovation During The First Millennium Bc, By N. Alonso, T. J. Anderson, L. Jaccottey]., Jared T. Benton

Art Faculty Publications

[First paragraph] Querns and Mills in Mediterranean Antiquity (hereafter QMMA) is the publication of an EAA (European Association of Archaeologists) session on querns held in Barcelona in 2018. The purpose of the session—and by extension the volume—was to fill a gap by studying the smaller, hand-operated millstones, which have received less attention than their larger Roman-era and medieval counterparts. A second aim was to begin a conversation about standardizing the study of millstones, and particularly querns, in terminology and methodology.

2025 Recipient's Application, Jennifer Taylor

Open Education Teaching Award

No abstract provided.

Reimagining The College On The Hill: A History Of The Black Working Class At Connecticut College, 1911-1955, Jonathan Dayan

History Honors Papers

The stories of domestic labor at this institution demand a reassessment of the history of the College, its relationship with the city of New London, and the life of the College’s first Black graduate. While Connecticut College was founded explicitly to offer women in the state of Connecticut a chance at a higher education, the College’s progressive mission was tempered from the start by its elitist ambitions and its reliance on the hierarchies of race, class and gender that shaped both American education and labor at the dawn of the 20th century. From its earliest days, the College made an …

Beyond Interdisciplinarity: How Rosine 2.0 Created Social Structures Of Community Care, Jordan Landes, Katie L. Price, Vivian Truong

Library Staff Works

How might we learn from history in ways that help us imagine a better future? And what role might academic institutions play in making those futures imaginable? These questions informed Rosine Association 2.0, a socially engaged art project out of Swarthmore College active from 2021 to 2023. Inspired by a nineteenth-century social project in Philadelphia, Rosine 2.0 formed an interdisciplinary collective of artists, harm reduction organizers, archivists, and activists to co-imagine how harm reduction and mutual aid reduce stigma and increase community care in Philadelphia. We believe that Rosine 2.0 exemplifies the possibilities of public humanities projects that are …

The Single Vote: The Senators Who Acquitted Andrew Johnson, Benjamin Maxwell Cohen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

On February 24th, 1868, the House of Representatives impeached Andrew Johnson, and in May of that same year, he would be acquitted in the United States Senate by one vote. At the center of these events were the seven Republican Senators who defected from their party and found the President not guilty. This thesis examines the conflicts between Johnson and the Radical Republicans, framing this within the broader political context of the era as the key to understanding the political nature of Johnson’s 1868 trial. This politicization culminated in the Tenure of Office Act, which was both protectionist and antagonistic …

Into Eternity: Legacy Of The Saint Patrick's Battalion, Preston S. Dyess

2025 Symposium

“The Saint Patrick’s Battalion” was a rogue unit of Irish-Catholic soldiers who deserted from the U.S. Army shortly before or during the Mexican-American War. Disillusioned by their mistreatment in the American army, they found common ground with the Mexican people over their shared faith and national story. John Riley, the battalion’s eventual leader, deserted shortly before the war broke out and was captured by Mexican forces. After some convincing, he was given a commission by Mexican General Pedro de Ampudia and instructed to raise a company of fellow deserters. The unit served courageously, garnering praise and honor in the eyes …

'Typical Cases': Representation, Racializing Medicine, And The Politics Of The Case Study In The Moulages Collections Of The Hôpital Saint-Louis, Kathleen Pierce

Art: Faculty Publications

Physicians at the hôpital Saint-Louis prized their collection of wax models (moulages) for their precise representation of color: a central project of dermatology. Close looking at the collection, however, reveals the repeated use of a consistent light skin tone across the vast majority of models. Given physicians’ investment in chromatic precision, how might we understand this generic attention to skin coloration? “Typical Cases” asks how, when, and why skin pigmentation mattered to fin-de-siècle dermatologists. I first argue that the overrepresentation of light skin tones comprises an aesthetic choice made by the model-makers and their physician-patrons. I subsequently ask how this …

40 Years Passing By In (A) “Heartbeat”, Christopher Janney

Monsoon: South Asian Studies Association Journal

This article outlines the forty-year history go Christopher Janney’s iconic performance work “HeartBeat.” Trained as an architect and jazz musician, Janney combines these two disciplines to create large interactive light/sound installations and performances. On the one hand, he attempts to make architecture more like music, more “alive” using real-time sensing devices as on his “Harmonic Convergence” installation on the Miami International Airport. On the other hand, he attempts to make music more like architecture, more physical more visual. In his “HeartBeat” performance, a dancer wears a heartbeat device that amplifies his/her heartbeat in “real time.” Over this pulse, live musicians …

Yoga Sūtra Book Four And The Yogabindu, Christopher Key Chapple

Monsoon: South Asian Studies Association Journal

Four themes from the fourth pāda of Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtra are examined here: karma (IV:2-13), individuality (IV:16), humility (IV:20-22), and freedom (IV:29-34). Affirmations and variant interpretations of these four are provided from Haribhadra Virahāṅka’s Yogabindu, most likely composed a century or two later.

Collective Karma: From The Yogasūtra To Taylor Swift, Zoë Slatoff

Monsoon: South Asian Studies Association Journal

The Indian knowledge traditions speak at length about karma, which is divided into three categories—accumulated (saṃcita), ripe (prārabdha), and future (kriyamāṇa). While much is said about our individual karma and how it affects our repeated reincarnation in cyclic existence, how does this affect others and how do others affect us? In other words, as this paper explores, what is our reciprocal and collective karma?

Painting Liberation: A Visual Ontology Of The Interplay Of Mind And Consciousness In Book Four Of The Yoga Sūtras, Melissa Townsend

Monsoon: South Asian Studies Association Journal

This presentation explores how artistic practice can illuminate philosophical questions about the nature of mind, consciousness, and liberation as articulated in Book Four of the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali. Through a series of paintings that visually translate these sūtras, I propose that art offers a unique, experiential means of engaging with the complex relationship between citta (mind) and puruṣa (consciousness).

The paintings function as a form of “visual ontology,” inviting viewers to engage with abstract philosophical concepts in a sensory, tangible way. By depicting the interplay between the mutable processes of the mind and the unchanging awareness of consciousness, these …

Kreisky, Israel, And Jewish Identity., Matthew P. Berg

2025 Faculty Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Annual Report 2024-2025: Library Department, Darrell W. Krueger Library-Winona State University

Library Annual Reports

This is the 2024-2025 annual report for the Darrell W. Krueger Library at Winona State University Darrell W. Krueger Library. The Annual Report documents the work, services, and resources available and provided to Winona State University and the Winona community for the fiscal year of 2024-2025.

Front Matter

The Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era

No abstract provided.

Pressing Matters: American Print Culture And The Development Of Proto-Romanticism, Daniel Young

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This thesis explores the distinctive features of post-independence American print culture and their influence on the emergence of American Romanticism. Advancements in printing technology, the establishment of paper mills, and the proliferation of newspapers, magazines, and pamphlets created a dispersed and unrestricted print environment. This accessibility allowed for a dynamic exchange of ideas, disseminated revolutionary concepts, and cultivated a unique American ethos characterized by individualism and intellectual freedom. Key works such as Washington Irving's The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. and Charles Brockden Brown's Wieland and Edgar Huntly illustrate how early American Romanticism evolved to reflect the unique American …

Soldiers, Alcohol, And Insanity At Richmond Asylum, 1860s-1900s, Amy Milne-Smith

History Faculty Publications

This article examines the role of alcohol in the etiology of madness through a case study of soldiers and veterans at Richmond Asylum in Dublin. It argues that the diagnostic process was a complex practice informed by medical and military authorities and patient and family histories. Like any medical records, Richmond casebooks are mediated through the medical gaze, but they do contain significant glimpses into what role patients and families believed alcohol played in soldiers’ mental health. The study highlights moments of consensus and disagreement rather than a singular theory on the role of alcohol in mental illness. Through a …

Silent Testimonies: The Global Evolution Of Grave Marker Art And Meaning, Erik Culley

Bakerman Student Research Awards

Grave markers are more than simple memorials; they are meaningful cultural objects that reflect how societies understand death, identity, belief, class, and community values. The size, material, decoration, and inscriptions of gravestones change over time in response to economic conditions, religious beliefs, social structures, and consumer culture. By studying grave markers across different regions and historical periods—such as early modern Europe, nineteenth-century Germany, and immigrant cemeteries in Australia—archaeologists can trace broader cultural transformations. Research shows that the rise of external grave markers in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was closely tied to increased material consumption and a growing emphasis on …

Limitations Of Secular Values In Constitutions Of The Kingdom Of Thailand: A Critical Study Of The Concepts Of Rights And Liberty, Chayanin Nuisin

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This dissertation aims to examine the limitations of secular values within the context of all twenty constitutions of the Kingdom of Thailand. The analysis focuses in particular on rights and liberties as core secular values. The study considers their origins, development, and the obstacles that have hindered the realization of rights and liberties in Thai society. The findings suggest that secular values—especially modern concepts of rights and liberties—emerged during the Reformation period under King Rama V, when Siam sought to adjust itself to the conditions of modernity. This was a period marked by strong Western influence, which brought with it …