Cultural History Commons^™

The Civil War Centennial: Inspiration For The Civil Rights Movement?, John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

I read Richard Williams' Old Virginia Blog, not because I agree with what he has to say but explicitly because it gets me so corking mad. Interspersed with tea party rants and modern political diatribes, Williams is an interesting (and sometimes frightening) voice of modern Confederatism and Southern exceptionalism.

The Grizzly, March 31, 2011, Katie Callahan, Tim Jordan, Sara Hourwitz, Jarod Groome, Lisa Jobe, Eva Bramesco, Katie Haldeman, Julia Fox, Jessica Orbon, Sarah Bollert, James Shelton, Sean Miller, Kyu Chul Shin, Anna Larouche, Shane Eachus, Christopher Michael

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

SIFE Wins Regionals for Second Year in a Row • Career Webinar Series Comes to Ursinus College • Director Domenick Scudera Presents Two Woody Allen Plays • John Prendergast Talks About Human Rights • "The Vagina Monologues" • Culture Shock While Studying Abroad in Spain • Internship Spotlight: Bob Wise • Opinions: Response to a Past Article; Give Artist a Break; United Nations Take Action Against Gaddafi; It's More Than Fruit: Rant About Women Power • Ursinus Community Celebrates Ground Breaking

Naccs 38th Annual Conference, National Association For Chicana And Chicano Studies

NACCS Conference Programs

Sites of Education for Social Justice
March 30-April 2, 2011
The Westin Pasadena

The Grizzly, March 24, 2011, Katie Callahan, Brett Cohen, Jessica Orbon, Nikhil Popat, Lisa Jobe, Dixon Speaker, Kristen Wampole, Eva Bramesco, Allison Nichols, Sarah Bollert, Traci Johnson, Fran Macera, Anna Larouche, Kyu Chul Shin, Thomas Nucatola, Nick Pane, Sara Hourwitz

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Phi Kappa Sigma Wins Airband 2011 • Music Department Visits Ireland During Spring Break • Students Give Back Through Philadelphia Reads Program • Former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky Speaks • "Playing Favorites" with Bobbi Block • UC Community Comes Together to Break Ground for New Stadium • Planned Parenthood No Longer Able to Provide Services • Jamaica Welcomes Bonner Leaders for Spring Break • Junior Jumpstart • Diversity through Film • Theater Review: "Playing Favorites" • Opinions: Japan Equipped to Rebuild after Natural Disaster; Facing Segregation in the 21st Century Through Campus Programs • Women's Lacrosse Looks for Return …

"...The Way Things Were Back Then": Why Making Excuses For Slavery Doesn't Work, John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

Presentism. Aside from historical revisionism, it is perhaps the 'epithet' with which the modern historian find themselves branded the most. I've been reading again a series of screeds by Bill Vallante, a Confederate reenactor and SCV member from Commack, NY (thanks to John Hennessy). I've read these pages before, but this time around was struck by the abject vitriol which oozes from the language employed. A line in one piece in particular stood out to me as quite angry:

"Add a heavy dose of presentism (judging or interpreting the past according to the standards of the present), mix thoroughly and …

The Rebel Flag: Offputting Symbol Or Point Of Pride?, John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

In 2004, Gettysburg College hosted an art exhibit by John Sims, a Florida based artist and ethnomathematician. The exhibit focused on varied recolored versions of the Confederate Flag. The press outrage was quick and damning. I should know, I was quoted in it (in the Civil War News).

Back in 2004, I called the exhibit, "sickening," and condemned the college for, "trying to distance itself from the town by rejecting the Civil War past in which it is steeped." I was wrong. I figured that out no sooner than passing through the doors of the art gallery and viewing …

On Dogs And Ponies And 'Three Days In July' Syndrome (Part 2), John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

What happened in Chambersburg and Fairfield in April of 1861? Certainly not events which were earth shattering for the nation as a whole. But to the citizens of the bustling southern Pennsylvania urban centers, it was their world. [excerpt]

Youtube Wednesday: Why I'M Celebrating The Civil War 150th (And Why You Should Too), John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

There's quite a bit of talk within the interpretive community about the word, "celebration." The word is tiptoed around and eschewed. Its use raised ire in Charleston Harbor this past December. These debates over commemoration versus celebration, no doubt, will crop up again and again over the next few years. We, as a community, are nearly afraid of one misstep. We catch our words as they escape our mouths, quickly correcting ourselves every time "celebration" accidentally emerges trips over our teeth. We seem afraid to say that we are celebrating an American bloodbath of biblical proportions. I can understand this …

On Dogs And Ponies And 'Three Days In July' Syndrome (Part 1), John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

In 1961, Gettysburg played host to a kick-off event for the Civil War Centennial. The town commemorated the sendoff of the Independent Blues, a militia company which marched off to war in the aftermath of the firing on Fort Sumter. The affair was huge. The Diamond was closed off to traffic as actors in old time clothes strutted through a political rally on the square. Spectators watched from the sidewalks as speakers mounted a wagon and gesticulated wildly at the crowd. Gettysburg College's students, wielding trumpet and drum as they did for Football games on Nixon Field, stood in for …

The Grizzly, February 24, 2011, Katie Callahan, Brett Cohen, Chris Capone, Allison Nichols, Lisa Jobe, Hillary Anderson, Eva Bramesco, Katie Haldeman, Traci Johnson, Jessica Orbon, Sarah Bollert, James Shelton, Carly Siegler, Kyu Chul Shin, Pamela Horn, Shane Eachus, Michael Schmidt

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Greek Recruitment Week Underway • Collegiate Learning Assessment for Graduating Students • Kwesi Koomson Talks About Heritage Academy in Ghana • Sexy Talk with a Twist of Love and Revolution • Birthright Provides Unique Experience • The Women of Whitians Honor Society Make Moves • WeCan Attempts to Bring Change to UC Dining Services • Relay for Life Recruits for a Strong Turnout • Internship Profile: Chris Michael • Positive Changes Made to SPINT • Diversity Column: Language of Race • Opinions: Egypt President Falls, Other Countries Hopeful • Men's Basketball Season Ends on Sour Note • Men's Club Soccer …

Montgomery: The Murals In The Dome, John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

A broad sweeping portico looms behind the gay couple riding horses on a summer's afternoon. The man wears a brown coat and tall black top hat. The woman dresses in the finery of the turn-of-the-century. A hunting dog stands at attention as the horses stride across the plantation's spacious lawn. Back on the porch, a black "mammy" figure watches over a young girl. [excerpt]

The Grizzly, February 17, 2011, Katie Callahan, Allison Nichols, Katie Haldeman, Jessica Long, Lisa Jobe, Briana Brukilacchio, Sarah Bollert, Colin Hart, Jessica Orbon, Kyu Chul Shin, Sara Hourwitz, Shane Eachus, Nick Pane

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Over 45 Businesses Visit Career Fair • Alcohol Incidents on Campus Raise Concern for Administration • Dance Organizations Promise Exciting Spring Performances • UITA to Bring W. J. T. Mitchell to Campus Today • Urbano Cheers and Sings Her Way Through Senior Year • Valentine's Day: Memories of Puppies and Passing Out • "To Write Love on Her Arms" Comes to Ursinus • Internship Profile: Jordan Oliver • Opinions: Like-a-Little Provides a Fun, Flirtatious Environment; Like-a-Little Could be Detrimental to Ursinus; Snow and Ice Cause Problems in Ursinus Parking Lots • UC Baseball Looks to Bounce Back in Season • …

Montgomery: Jeff Davis' Seal Of Solomon, John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

Set into the marble steps of Alabama's Capitol building is a brass star. Gleaming against the white stone, the star stands at the top of the stairs on the Capitol's west face. The star reads, "Placed by Sophie Bibb Chapter Daughters of the Confederacy on the spot where Jefferson Davis stood when inaugurated President of C.S.A. Feb. 16. 1861." [excerpt]

Why It's Interpretive: Bid 'Em In, John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

Browsing the provocative blog "Jubilo! The Emancipation Century" recently, I came upon a post featuring a curious YouTube video.

So why did Bid 'Em In speak so deeply to me? I think it's because it places you in the shoes of the 15 year old slave woman being auctioned. It's not an intellectual investigation of slavery. It's not an historical narrative written after the fact of a particular event. It's visceral. [excerpt]

The Grizzly, February 10, 2011, Katie Callahan, Traci Johnson, Allison Nichols, Michael Delaney, Lisa Jobe, Joshua C. Walsh, Sarah Bollert, Katie Haldeman, James Shelton, Kyu Chul Shin, Jason K. Mullins, Nick Pane, Shane Eachus

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Bonners Give Insight on Organization • Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity to Participate in Spring Intake • Future UC President Dr. Bobby Fong Receives National Award • Ursinus College Plays Host to W. R. Crigler • GRE Makeover and Helpful Hints to Ace the Test • Calvin Levels Performs One Man Show in the Blackbox • New Program Brings Students and Professors Closer • Internship Profile: Matt Angle • Opinion: UC Town Hall Meeting Proved a Bit Disappointing; Letter to a Writer; A Multicultural Ursinus Campus on the Way; Upheaval in the Middle East: Why Students Should Care • Murren Adds …

Lee Chapel: Lost Cause Artifact And Culture Shock, John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

I had the privilege to accompany a group of undergraduate students recently on a whirlwind tour of the Wilderness, Richmond and Appomattox. Our tour took us along the I-81 corridor on the way back to Gettysburg, so why not stop in Lexington for a Civil War two-fer. [excerpt]

The Grizzly, February 4, 2011, Katie Callahan, Allison Nichols, Liz Kilmer, Lisa Jobe, Stephen Harris, Kristen Wampole, Eva Bramesco, Sara Hourwitz, Joshua C. Walsh, Sarah Bollert, Sara Sherr, James Shelton, Kyu Chul Shin, Carly Siegler, Jessica Orbon

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Hate Crime Discussed During Meeting • "What is Love" Course has Students Talking • Dolce Suono Ensemble Performs at Ursinus • Community Survey Results • UC-Rising Debuts • Presenting the Best and Worst of Ursinus College • Campus Activities Board Packs Semester with Great Fun • First African-American Graduate to be Honored • Internship Profile: Maria Linder • Winter Birthright Trip Proves to be Worthwhile • Recent Winter Weather is Anything But a Wanted Wonderland • Opinions: President Obama Attempts to Reach out to U.S. • UC Basketball Seniors Approaching End of Season

"And You May Ask Yourself: Am I Right? Am I Wrong?", John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

This blogging endeavour is dangerous. Blogging, I believe, should be a personal medium, where you wear your heart on your sleeve and let the real "you" hang out. That's scary. [excerpt]

The Grizzly, January 27, 2011, Katie Callahan, Traci Johnson, Sarah Bollert, Jessica Long, Lisa Jobe, Kristen Wampole, Megan Ormsby, Jarod Groome, Katie Haldeman, Fran Macera, Kyu Chul Shin, Jason K. Mullins, Elizabeth Burns, Christopher Michael

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Bonner Leaders Host Hunger Banquet • UC Alumnus Discusses Alternative Careers in Science • Students Find Internships While Studying Abroad • Berman Museum Opens Two New Exhibitions • MLK Celebrations • Student Experiences Australian Flood • Students Travel to Spain for New Experiences • Internship Profile: Ananda Holton • Diversity Through Monologues • Opinion: Scheduling Classes is Too Difficult; Tragedy in Arizona: The Work of a Madman; Snapshots of London From my Time Studying Abroad • Swimming Training Trip to Florida Proves Rewarding

The Devil Was The First Scab : Working-Class Spirituality And Union Organization In Marion County, West Virginia 1918-1927, Chelsie C. Fitzwater

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

A community-focused study of Marion County, West Virginia provides a unique opportunity to explore unionization efforts in central Appalachia. This thesis examines the interplay between working-class spirituality, unionism, and capitalism at the height of organized labor campaigns in the Fairmont Field between 1918 and 1927. The region reflects national and local trends in trade unionism as well as shifts in religious attitudes between conservative Fundamentalist evangelists and progressive Social Gospel ministers. Marion County differs from other Appalachian coalfields because local industrialists rather than absentee developers spearheaded the region’s economic development while labor leaders from outside of the state led unionization …

The Impact Of Melbourne's Yiddishists, Deborah Gurt

University Faculty and Staff Publications

Carlton, the gritty inner-city section of Melbourne, served as a first point of entry for many new immigrants to Australia, my father among them. It also was a center of intellectual activity emblematic of the emerging Jewish culture in Australia in the 1930s and 40s. Its cheap rents and proximity to public transit and the city center made it a logical place for immigrants to cluster as they strove to secure their footing in Australia. The immigrants stuck together for support, companionship, and common language, as the cultural gap yawned between new Polish and German immigrants and most established Australian …

Perpetrators, Bystanders, And Rescuers: Popular Attitudes Towards Ottoman Christians During The Armenian Genocide, Stefan Cristian Ionescu

History Faculty Articles and Research

This article explores the popular attitudes of Ottoman Muslims (mainly Turks and Kurds) and foreign residents (German, US, British, so on) towards their Christian (mainly Armenian and Syriac) friends, neighbours, and countrymen during the tragic events that occurred in WWI Ottoman Empire, known in Western scholarship as the Armenian genocide. Overall, the attitudes of Ottoman Muslims and foreign residents towards local Christians fit into the perpetrators/ bystanders/rescuers paradigm and varied from active persecution to indifference, opportunism, and sometimes help and rescue.

Gastronomic Literature, Modern Cuisine And The Development Of French Bourgeois Identity From 1800 To 1850, Jane Thompson

History Honors Papers

No abstract provided.

The German Discovery Of Sex (Spring 2011), Robert D. Tobin

Syllabi

In this course, we will use the tools of literary and cultural analysis, studying fictional, political, psychoanalytic and scientific works to investigate the emergence of modern sexual discourses in the German-speaking world. The Greek term “homo” (same) and the Latinate “sex” (sex) were first combined to describe someone with a sexual interest in members of their own sex in 1869 in the German-speaking world. Similar observations can be made about terms such as “heterosexual,” “masochist,” and “transvestite.” There was apparently an intense interest in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century German-speaking central Europe in reconfiguring and reconsidering sexuality. Out of this …

'A Blood-Stained Corpse In The Butler's Pantry’: The Queensland Bush Book Club, Robin Wagner

All Musselman Library Staff Works

Lending libraries were not the norm in 1934 when the Carnegie Corporation of New York sent American librarian, Ralph Munn, to conduct a study of the condition of Australian libraries. In his initial survey Munn learned of the Queensland Bush Book Club, an organization of well-to-do, philanthropic women from Brisbane who had established a book lending service for settlers in the Outback. They hoped to ease the drudgery and lighten the burden faced by isolated women and their families in the rural areas. The antidote was a regular parcel of “proper” reading matter which included books, newspapers and magazines. They …

“Not One Looks Like My Daughter!”: How American Girl Makes History Hegemony, Nicole Laconte

History Honors Papers

American Girl markets dolls and books toward girls. Their original product line, which features historical characters, mobilizes history to teach moral lessons. This paper breaks down these morals to search for hegemony, a discourse that marginalizes minority readers. In this quest to uncover hegemony, the paper deals with issues of narrative perspective and socialization. Regarding narrative perspective, the paper asks, “Whom do these books deem normal in America? Whom do these books deem other in America?” Regarding socialization issues, this paper asks, “What value and behaviors do these books condone as part of acceptable American Girlhood? What values and behaviors …

The Grizzly, December 9, 2010, Katie Callahan, Briana Brukilacchio, Allison Cavanaugh, Lisa Jobe, Sean Miller, Michael Delaney, Danielle Chmelewski, Jonathan Palismano, Sarah Bollert, Stephen Hayman, Josh Aungst, Carly Siegler, Kyu Chul Shin, Anna Larouche, Shane Eachus, Nick Pane

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

UC Performing Arts to Come Together • Conflux Festival Allows for Innovative Technology • UCompost Continues to Help Create Change on Campus • Breakthroughs in Science Bring New Insight • UC Students Embrace Gaming and Some Late Night Fun • Clarifying the Calamity of Clamer Hall Renovations • Local Holiday Light Displays Worth Checking Out • Banning of Four Loko May Not Bring Change • Internship Profile: Inki Hong • Opinion: Korean War Could Cause International Problems; Review of the Diversity Monologues • Men's Basketball Looks to Grow Throughout Season • Indoor Track and Field Begins Season

The Grizzly, November 18, 2010, Katie Callahan, Briana Brukilacchio, Jennifer Beigel, Kaitlyn Ott, Lisa Jobe, Katie Haldeman, Christine Dobisch, Alyse Reid, Kevin Tallon, Elizabeth Burns, Elisa Diprinzio, Kate Kehoe, Sarah Bollert, Jessica Orbon, Kyu Chul Shin, Josh Aungst, Michael Delaney, Monty Reeder, Nick Pane

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

B'Naturals Sing Their Way to Success • Mellon Teaching and Learning Initiative Introduced to Ursinus • Ursinus College Facilities Continues to Shape Campus • Seismic Step Team Holds Fundraiser • Open Mic Night • Ursinus Students Take a STAND for Justice • "Merchant of Venice" • UCARE Promotes Wismer on Wheels • Fight the Yawn With Up 'Til Dawn • An "Empire of Dirt" • Internship Profile: Maggie Stauffer • Opinions: UC Should Remain a Wet Campus; Ursinus Should Become a Dry Campus; U.S. and India Look to Strengthen International Ties • Football Clinches Three-Way Tie for C.C. Title

The Grizzly, November 11, 2010, Katie Callahan, Allison Nichols, Lisa Jobe, Elizabeth Burns, Christine Dobisch, Sara Hourwitz, Traci Johnson, Sarah Bollert, Christopher Michael, Anna Larouche, Carly Siegler, Josh Aungst, Nick Pane, Shane Eachus

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

UC Students Reach Out to Collegeville • Wireless Internet on Campus Causes Problems for Students • Career Services Offers Five Tips for Successful Networking • Animal Rights Group Comes to UC • Community Involvement • Students Celebrate National Novel Writing Month • Senior Spotlight: Katie "Gigs" Gigl • Leadership at UC • Internship Profile: Elisa DiPrinzio • Opinions: Fringe Candidate Goes Viral; Play Review: Breakaway's "Never Swim Alone" Proves Big Hit • Field Hockey Wins Seventh Straight Title • Ursinus Football Comes Up Short Against Muhlenberg

The Grizzly, November 4, 2010, Katie Callahan, Stephen Hayman, Jennifer Beigel, Lisa Jobe, Michael Delaney, Alyse Reid, Elizabeth Burns, Kaitlyn Ott, Sarah Bollert, Jessica Orbon, Taylor Sparks, Josh Tannenbaum, Kristin Daly-Barnes, Nick Pane, Sara Sherr

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Ursinus College Announces 13th President • Study Abroad Programs Give Students New Opportunities • Putting a Stop to the Climate Crisis One Meal at a Time • Berman Museum Continues Celebrating 20 Years • Wind Ensemble Performs in Lenfest • George Belaires: Looking for Fame in the Future • Tenure Candidate Dr. Joel Bish Feels at Home at Ursinus • UC Promotes Cancer Awareness • Internship Profile: Aimee Petronglo • Halloween Costume Inventory • Cover Up That Skin • Response to Annie Re's Letter to the Editor • Students React to New UC President • UC Cheerleading Squad "Rises" to …