Cultural History Commons^™

America, Dreaming., Sarah Meftah

Masters Theses

There is a version

of America

that exists

only in dreams,

a kind of folklore,

shrouded in images,

technicolor interiors,

wrapped in plastic,

ghosts of recent past

to haunt and guide;

a constant reminder.

Wishful thinking

a constructed imaginary,

one I can hold in my hand.

Popular culture and spectacle, America and the domestic ideal, capitalism and the collective unconscious of a national identity. As an artist, I am interested in the myriad images that manifest for a viewer when they think of the spectacle of American pop culture, its domestic archetypes, and the material worship it revolves around. My …

The Memory Of A Victory: The Spanish-American War Through Cocktail Names, “War Drinks” And The Art Of Mixing, Ilaria Berti

Dublin Gastronomy Symposium

The relevance of examining late nineteenth-century Cuba depends from its being a colony under two powers, one European and one extra-European: the formal Spanish empire that had the political power and the informal supremacy of the US economic influence. However, within the framework of of enlarging its authority in the American region, the US perceived Cuba as a strategic island that was under the Spanish dominion. For the US expansionistic aims, Cuba has, in fact, been defined as a laboratory for the US empire (Pérez 2008) Through the analysis of newspapers’ articles, images published in the satirical magazine The Puck, …

The Holocaust's Legacy: Influencing Jewish Political Identity, Jordan Eskew

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis addresses the intricate relationship between the historical persecution of the Holocaust and its enduring influence on contemporary Jewish political engagement, a subject of significant contemporary relevance in political and international relations. Despite broad recognition of the Holocaust’s impact, the specific ways in which its memory affects Jewish political attitudes and actions around the world in the modern day have not been sufficiently thoroughly examined. Utilizing qualitative methods, including interviews with 20 individuals—public figures, Holocaust survivors, their descendants, and broader members of the Jewish diaspora— this study focuses on understanding the interplay between historical trauma, community cohesion, and the …

Mixed Feelings: The Emotional Appeals Of Zitkala-Ša’S American Indian Stories, Kayla Joan Baur

Publications and Research

Zitkala-Ša (Lakota: Zitkála-Šá, meaning Red Bird) was among the first to write about the experiences of Native American children in the U.S. Indian boarding school program to an English-speaking audience. As a writer and political activist, Zitkala-Ša uses emotional appeals and cultural ideas she learned through her white education to expose the very boarding school institutions that taught her. In American Indian Studies (1921), Zitkala-Ša critiques the violence that the Indian boarding school system inflicts on young Native Americans. She presents these critiques through emotional appeals that take two forms: one, a more traditional sentimental appeal associated with middle-class white …

The Black Press And Late Imperial Russia, Benjamin Pierce

History Undergraduate Honors Theses

For centuries, western observers had looked to Russia and seen a place fundamentally different from their home countries. In their accounts, Russia was distinctly oppressive, a state characterized by tyranny, barbarism, and Mongolian influence. But these accounts were faulty. They were written by merchants, diplomats, and explorers, wealthy white men who had never experienced the kind of repression they witnessed in Russia. When Black Americans looked to Russia, however, they saw a place fundamentally similar to the United States. Both countries were large, multiethnic empires driven by territorial acquisition and fueled by forced labor. By tracing the coverage of Russia …

From Tidewater To Tennessee: The Structuring Influences Of Virginia Schemata In The Settlement Of East Tennessee, Slade Nakoff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For over two hundred years, historians have debated the historical importance of early Tennessee migrants in shaping the state’s history. These discussions center around North Carolina's impact compared to Virginia's. By shifting discourse to the retention of migrant mentalities, the overwhelming influence of Virginia emerges through the continuity of privilege and commodification schemata. This study employs an interdisciplinary methodological approach combining schema theory, memory studies, and material culture analysis to outline the retention of mentalities from Tidewater, Virginia, to East Tennessee during the early settlement period. By utilizing the case study of John Carter of Watauga (1728-1781), the research illustrates …

The Grizzly, April 25, 2024, Marie Sykes, Ellie Burns, Kathy Logan, Sean Mcginley, Kate Horan, Mairead Mcdermott, Georgia Gardner, Adam Denn, Renie Christensen, Dominic Minicozzi

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Weaving Stories Into Dance • CoSA Coming This Wednesday! • Ursinus Students Present Biology Projects in San Diego • Editor's Note • Marie Sykes: Editor-in-Chief Signing Off • Grizzly Editorial Team: Senior Goodbyes • Grizzly Editorial Team: Returning Members • Final Crossword • 2024 Spring Sports Recap: Women's Athletics • Signing Off, Go Bears!

Republican Manhood And The Disabled Revolutionary War Veteran In The Early American Republic, 1789 – 1797, Virgil Clark

Madison Historical Review

In the aftermath of the American Revolutionary War, several Disabled Continental Army soldiers scattered across the burgeoning Republic were driven by desperation to write letters, pleading with General George Washington for his support. The soldiers’ decision to draft these letters stemmed from their profound frustration and disillusionment with the post-Revolution American state. The soldiers' discontent resulted from the sense of neglect they experienced after the state rejected their petitions for a Disabled Veteran’s pension. As time passed and rent went unpaid, medical bills piled up, and the threat of vagrancy loomed over these men like a malevolent specter. Unable to …

The Grizzly, April 18, 2024, Marie Sykes, Nicolas Ungurean, Andrew J. Perez, Ellie Burns, Kathy Logan, Kate Horan, Sidney Belleroche, Renee Washart, James Rapp

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Tensions High at Congressional Town Hall • Tree Planting Ceremony to Honor Damiano Rotolo • Ursinus Hosting "Out of Darkness" Walk • Phi Kap's LLS Fundraiser • Expert Tips on Graduate School Planning: What You Need to Know • First Year Review on First-Year Housing • Every REP Matters • ReLAXing is Not an Option

The Grizzly, April 11, 2024, Marie Sykes, Ellie Burns, Sean Mcginley, Maddie Wilson, Vaughn Dibattista

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Lavender Graduation: Recognizing LGBTQ+ Seniors • Check Out These Senior Honors Projects! • The Arts at COSA • Bear Innovation Contest • Crossword: Solar Eclipse Edition! • UC Softball Crossword • Walking On, Standing Out: The Jay Sims Story

The Grizzly, April 4, 2024, Marie Sykes, Renee Washart, Caitlin Cunnane, Nicolas Ungurean, Kate Horan, Kathy Logan, Dominic Minicozzi, Donovan Dyitt

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Counting Craters With Physics • Talking With the Cast of Captain Darling • Main Street Revitalization Plan • Watson Fellowship Winner Tommy Armstrong '20: Travels and Reflections • Seniors Share Their Favorite Memories at Ursinus • Sudoku! • NCGA National Championship Puts Ursinus on the Map • Springing Into Action

Hollywoodlandia: Celebrity Women, Movie Culture, And American Public Womanhood, 1916-1950, Skye Cranney

History Theses and Dissertations

This project proposes to study the ways in which celebrity women’s behavior may have encouraged American women to challenge, but not necessarily subvert, traditional gender roles even as Hollywood publicity continued to emphasize the importance of those same roles in women’s lives. It does that by examining three sites where celebrity women prominently lived, worked, played, and volunteered between 1920 and 1950: the Hollywood Studio Club, a boarding house only for women in the entertainment industry, in Los Angeles; the Sun Valley Ski Resort, the first modern ski resort in the American West, in central Idaho; and the Hollywood Canteen, …

Borglum’S Horse Flies: The Early Opposition To Mount Rushmore, Riley Merritt

Honors College Theses

This thesis explores the evolution of opposition to Mount Rushmore from 1923-1927—the period before carving began. The resistance was led by a group of preservationists who were concerned about the potential ecological and societal impacts of the project. While much of the existing scholarship has focused on the relationship between the local Indigenous community and the monument, I argue that the preservationists, who opposed the site for their own reasons, deserve similar attention. I aim to reframe the Mount Rushmore controversy within the broader context of the conservation movement, thereby contributing to wider environmental and historical debates. I also emphasize …

Bearing The Benefit: An Evolution Of Passing To Trespassing & How We Got Here, Kennedi J. Williams

Honors College Theses

In recent years, we have seen a shift in the social treatment of white people in America. The desire to be politically correct at all times, in hopes of avoiding becoming the next viral “Karen” or racist has become imperative. The following thesis will explore the latest trend of white women buying racial capital by producing mixed-race children. At first glance, this idea can be a bit problematic. How can we assume the reasoning behind a woman choosing to bear a child? With this in mind, I would like to emphasize that individuals do not have to consciously be racist …

3rd Place Contest Entry: From Film Sets To Front Lines And Back Again: Reinventing Star Image In Post-World War Ii Hollywood, Livia Belen Lozoya

Eric M. Scandrett Graduate Library Research Prize

This is Livia Lozoya's submission for the 2024 Eric M. Scandrett Graduate Research Prize, which won third place. It contains their essay on using library resources, their bibliography, and a summary of their research project on established movie stars who voluntarily left their lives of luxury to serve in World War II and returned to a changed postwar film industry, specifically James Stewart, Robert Montgomery, Marlene Dietrich, and Myrna Loy.

Livia is a student in the Masters of Arts in Film and Media Studies program at Chapman University. Their faculty mentor is Dr. Emily Carman. Her thesis, available here, …

The Grizzly, March 28, 2024, Marie Sykes

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

This is an April Fool's parody edition of the Ursinus College Grizzly newspaper entitled "The Goofly."

The Grizzly, March 21, 2024, Marie Sykes, Sean Mcginley, Ellie Burns, Renee Washart, Caitlin Cunnane, Carlota Corral Elejabeitia, James Rapp

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Talking Campus Antisemitism and New Social Science With Professor Kopstein • Deadnaming Emails Resolved • Joey Nolan Named Watson Fellow • Drug Delivery Via Carbon Nanotubes • Breakaway Student Productions and WVOU Present: Mircalla • Studying Abroad as a Fulbright Fellow • Softball Spring Break Senior Catch-up and Their "Revenge Tour" • Ursinus Men's LAX Crossword

The Grizzly, March 14, 2024, Marie Sykes, Sidney Belleroche, Sean Mcginley, Isabel Martinez-Robles, Gregory Dervinis, Nicolas Ungurean, Dominic Minicozzi, Adam Denn

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Librarian Skorina Talks Potential Renovations to Myrin Library • Sodexo Chef Cook-off at Wismer • March Crossword Puzzle • You Like Jazz? • Senior Honors Projects: Featuring Grabowski and Grubb • Where's the Party at? • Winter is the New Spring! • Bears Hard at Work Over Spring Break

"In The Footsteps Of Hercules": The Influence Of Classical Antiquity On Eighteenth-Century Militaries, Scott Madere

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This project examines the pervasive influence of ancient Roman and Greek figures, historical events, literature, and military methods on the leaders and practitioners of eighteenth-century warfare. Rulers, generals, military theorists, and officers frequently consulted classical histories and literature for solutions to the common military problems of the period – tactical, operational, and strategic – showing remarkable faith in ancient military methods despite their growing dependence on gunpowder weaponry and related technologies. This dissertation examines why this was the case and concludes that classical antiquity not only maintained the credibility of its wisdom in the context of modern warfare, but also …

The Grizzly, February 29, 2024, Marie Sykes, Sidney Belleroche, Sophia Kumar, Ellie Burns, Kate Horan, Renie Christensen, Andrew J. Perez, Dan Bass, Adam Denn

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Dr. Harold Dean Trulear Talks Theology and Mass Incarceration • Newly Created Performing and Visual Arts Design and Technology Major • Ursinus Crossword Puzzle • Reimagine Ursinus-Collegeville: Planting a Seed of Change • Spring at Ursinus College Word Search • Meme Corner • Taco Tuesday! • UCWB Playoff Run Comes to an End in Baltimore • "Pool Party at Gettysburg!" Bears Accept Invitation

The Grizzly, February 22, 2024, Marie Sykes, Kathy Logan, Sidney Belleroche, Kate Horan, Andrew J. Perez, Dominic Minicozzi, James Rapp

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Voluntary Retirement Program: Limited Time Offer • Senior Class Celebrated 100 Days Till Graduation • Which Justices are Just? • A Conversation With Esther Akande: Recently-Graduated President of SUN • New Dungeons & Dragons Club: "The Only Limit is Your Imagination!" • Sedona Taphouse's Satisfying Eats • Painting the Postseason Picture • Ursinus Men's LAX on the Attack!

The Grizzly, February 15, 2024, Marie Sykes, Sidney Belleroche, Nicolas Ungurean, Renie Christensen, Mairead Mcdermott, Dominic Minicozzi, Adam Denn

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Freedom, Transformation and Pathways: Spring Exhibits at the Berman • Ursinus Faculty Discusses Generative A.I. • An Artist's Craft: The Making of Running Away • Everybody Dies • Opinions: What Was Your Favorite Memory Studying Abroad? • Ursinus Athletics Crossword • Bears Come in the Clutch: Ursinus Reels Off Two Straight Victories

The Grizzly, February 8, 2024, Marie Sykes, Sean Mcginley, Kate Horan, Kathy Logan, Andrew J. Perez, Adam Denn, Dominic Minicozzi

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Restructuring VP Positions • Steam Bending With Adriane Colburn • 2024 Watson Fellowship Finalists • The Writing Fellow Experience • Jasmine's Journey of Sushi • Swimmers Gear Up for Champs • Senior Day Sweep: Ursinus College Men's Wrestling

Culturally And Socially Responsive Teacher Professional Learning At The American Museum Of Natural History, Jessica Correa

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This capstone project consists of a series of professional learning sessions to support teachers in their implementation of Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education (CR-SE) using the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) as a resource and case study. Through the lens of Historically Responsive Literacy, the series also seeks to reestablish social science as a critical element of natural history for teachers. This series can help teachers see the museum as not only a place to explore life and physical science, but also a place to explore identity, social/emotional development, cultural studies and American History. The project includes resources and directions for …

"I Hate Illinois Nazis:" Remembering Hate Speech And The First Amendment In Skokie, Illinois, Morgan Myers

Undergraduate Research Symposium

In 1976, the leader of the Illinois chapter of the National Socialist Party of America (neo-Nazis) sent over 30 requests to hold demonstrations in various areas of Chicago. The village of Skokie was the only one to respond, denying their request. The Nazis sued the city, claiming their freedom of speech was being impeded. The resulting court case has had lasting legal and social consequences that continue to define the meaning of both free speech and hate speech in the United States.

“And So My Soul Shall Rise”: Enslaved And Free African American Christianity Before Emancipation, Holly J. Lawson

Montview Journal of Research & Scholarship

The Christianity of enslaved and free African Americans in the years immediately following the first Great Awakening through the end of the Civil War (roughly 1750-1850) evidences a complex cultural fusion and a complicated theological depth. There were many different aspects of the religious and spiritual practices of these African American Christians, including preaching, baptism, ecstatic spiritual experiences, evangelism, violent and non-violent forms of resistance to slavery, and, possibly the most prevalent of all, music and singing. The hundreds of thousands of African people unwillingly brought to America brought with them their African heritage, but the survival of their African …

Woodstock '69: Catalyst For Counterculture?, Rachel Shook

Student Research Poster Presentations 2024

This poster divulges on the societal impact the original Woodstock festival had, specifically on the counterculture movement of the nineteen sixties. The music festival, lasting between August 15th to August 17th of 1969, became a spontaneous event along the woods and farms of Bethel, New York. With as many as half of a million fans in attendance, this festival became much more than just a series of concerts. With such a spontaneous event gathering individuals from across the nation, this sparked this debate amongst historians regarding whether Woodstock truly was as impactful to counterculture as widely acclaimed to be, or …

Looted Cultural Objects, Elena Baylis

Articles

In the United States, Europe, and elsewhere, museums are in possession of cultural objects that were unethically taken from their countries and communities of origin under the auspices of colonialism. For many years, the art world considered such holdings unexceptional. Now, a longstanding movement to decolonize museums is gaining momentum, and some museums are reconsidering their collections. Presently, whether to return such looted foreign cultural objects is typically a voluntary choice for individual museums to make, not a legal obligation. Modern treaties and statutes protecting cultural property apply only prospectively, to items stolen or illegally exported after their effective dates. …

"Nothing In America Would Outrival Such A Spectacle": The Contested Histories Of Mount Rushmore, Western Tourism, And American Nationalism, Sophia Ciatti

Undergraduate Research Awards

Mount Rushmore, as one of the primary tourist destinations of both South Dakota and the American West in general, is an important source for an examination of American interstate tourism. However, while many scholars have discussed the physical history of Mount Rushmore, such as Gilbert Fite’s Mount Rushmore and Rex Allen Smith’s The Carving of Mount Rushmore, fewer historians have discussed the intellectual history behind the monument. The intentions imbued in the monument from its creators, and the impact the creation of Mount Rushmore had upon the American public are both worth analyzing because those two aspects ended up …

How World’S Fairs Conceive Of The Future During Times Of Turmoil, Mikayla Lauren Tilden

Honors Theses and Capstones

During the 20th century, the theme of World's Fairs in the United States broke away from previous World Exposition traditions and centered around concepts of progress and the future. This thesis investigates the conception of the future and the evolution of the World's Fair themes during times of economic and political turmoil at the Chicago 1933–1934, New York 1939­­­–1940, and Seattle 1962 World’s Fairs. In each instance, the fair’s organizers felt the need to respond to world events, which caused them to shift their initial focus from a local attempt to increase prosperity, to a national commentary on global conditions.