Cultural History Commons^™

Review Of Art Of West Texas Women: A Celebration By Kippra D. Hopper And Laurie J. Churchill, Michael R. Grauer

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

Texas historians, acknowledging women as art pioneers in Texas, rely on the old saw that while men were settling the state, women led the charge for cultural pursuits. Groups of women-trained artists among them-began organizing art activities in all parts of the state in the early 1880s on the heels of settlement, recognizing the importance of an appreciation of aesthetics and beauty to the development of a significant culture. Since most public school teachers in Texas were female, teaching art and bringing art to students were natural developments; women also founded Texas's first public art museums.

While scholars have acknowledged …

Review Of Dammed Indians Revisited: The Continuing History Of The Pick-Sloan Plan And The Missouri River Sioux By Michael L. Lawson, Roxanne T. Ornelas

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

George Santayana cautioned that "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." In Michael L. Lawson's Dammed Indians Revisited: The Continuing History of the Pick-Sloan Plan and the Missouri River Sioux, we are given a telling of one of our nation's greatest engineering blunders. Lawson enlightens us with a historical account of governmental mismanagement of almost unbelievable proportion. This revised volume is based on Lawson's 1982 book Dammed Indians: The Pick-Sloan Plan and the Missouri River Sioux, 1944- 1980; Dammed Indians Revisited picks up where he left off.

Review Of Experiments In A Jazz Aesthetic: Art, Activism, Academia, And The Austin Project Edited By Omi Osun Joni L. Jones, Lisa L. Moore, And Sharon Bridgforth, Harvey Young

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

The Austin Project (tAP) is a performing arts initiative that began at the University of Texas at Austin in 2002. Consisting almost exclusively of women of color and produced by Omi Osun Joni Jones, tAP created opportunities for artists, amateur and professional, to collaborate, improvise with one another, and develop a variety of spoken word performances reflecting their subjectivity and experiences. Experiments in Jazz Aesthetic functions as both a sourcebook, containing representative fragments of writings developed by tAP between 2002 and 2006, and as an anthology of new works by prominent performance artists Sharon Bridgforth, Robbie McCauley, and Laurie Carlos, …

Review Of Beyond The American Pale: The Irish In The West, 1845-1910 By David M. Emmons, William H. Mulligan Jr.

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

David Emmons's book on the Butte Irish (1989) helped begin a scholarly reassessment and investigation of the Irish experience in America, expanding it well beyond East Coast Irish communities and a few others in the Midwest. It had a significant impact on other scholars, myself included. His new book, which deals with the Irish experience in the "West," therefore, has been much anticipated. Beyond the American Pale will not disappoint those who have waited for Emmons's take on the larger picture of the Irish in the "West," although it may not be what many expect.

Review Of The Lakotas And The Black Hills: The Struggle For Sacred Ground By Jeffrey Ostler, Akim D. Reinhardt

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

Until now, the only book-length treatment of the Lakota nation's effort to reclaim the stolen He Sapa (Black Hills) has been Edward Lazarus's Black Hills/ White Justice (1991), which is as much an apologia for his father Arthur Lazarus as it is a history of events: Arthur Lazarus was the attorney instrumental in eventually winning the Supreme Court case United States v. Sioux Nation of Indians, which awarded substantial damages for the United States' theft of the Black Hills.

Review Of Nikkei Farmer On The Nebraska Plains: A Memoir By Hisanori Kano, Ruth E. Lionberger

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

In 1916, with William Jennings Bryan as sponsor, Hisanori Kano left a life of nobility in Japan to study at Nebraska's Ag College and live as a common farmer. Nikkei Farmer on the Nebraska Plains is his memoir, spanning from his birth in 1889 until 1976.

Actually, this memoir provides very little information about farming. (Reverend Kano's chosen title was Sixty Years of Life in America.) Kano did farm for several years in Litchfield, Nebraska. In 1925, however, he became a lay missionary for the Episcopal Church to serve the approximately seven hundred Japanese immigrants living across Nebraska. In …

Joining The Great Plains In Space, Place, And Time Questioning A Time Zone Boundary, Rob Kuper

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

Standard time zone boundaries are invisible in the landscape, yet they abruptly delineate a temporal difference of one hour between two large areas located relative to one another on Earth. In most cases, standard time zone boundaries follow political ones and define areas within which daylight saving time (DST)-the seasonal advancement of standard time by one hour-is observed. Moving time zone boundaries and the decision to observe daylight saving time occurs throughout the world for various reasons that result in the synchronization of socioeconomic and political activities within and between communities and the simultaneous separation from others.

The zone boundary …

Review Of Red Land, Red Power: Grounding Knowledge In The American Indian Novel By Sean Kicummah Teuton, Penelope Kelsey

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

In Red Land, Red Power, Cherokee scholar Sean Kicummah Teuton considers three Red Power novels by N. Scott Momaday, James Welch, and Leslie Marmon Silko with a methodology he terms tribal realism. Teuton defines tribal realism as a "'postpositivist realist' view, which allows for genuine debate and exchange across cultures, while still respecting how social location may grant special access to knowledge." Teuton finds the novels of the Red Power era especially significant for investigation in his forging of tribal realism because of "a new intellectual rigor that ... characterize[d] the Red Power movement," citing the proclamation by Indians …

Review Of Realigning America: Mckinley, Bryan, And The Remarkable Election Of 1896 By R. Hal Williams, Troy Murphy

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

There is no universal agreement among historians regarding the number of presidential elections that should be defined as "critical" or "realigning." Yet the election of 1896 is almost always included in this small group. R. Hal Williams makes the reasons clear in Realigning America, a compelling account of the "Battle of the Standards" between William McKinley and William Jennirigs Bryan. The book is exhaustively researched and written with a storyteller's knack for moving the narrative forward and unearthing personal and colorful testimonies that buttress the history of the campaign.

Review Of In Trace Oftr: A Montana Hunter's Journey By Dan Aadland, Paul R. Krausman

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

The title of Dan Aadland's latest book, In Trace of TR: A Montana Hunter's Journey, is intriguing. It implies a connection between Theodore Roosevelt (TR) and the author; less clear is what that connection is, based on the title. In his introduction, Aadland states that the connection between him and the twenty-sixth President of the United States was made with similar experiences in ranching, horsemanship, and hunting. The objective of the book is to invite the reader along for a good ride with TR and Dan. And quite a ride it is.

The book is divided into three parts. …

Review By Hoboes: Bindlestiffs, Fruit Tramps, And The Harvesting Of The West By Mark Wyman, Mary Lyons-Barrett

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

Mark Wyman presents the conflicting and often contradictory ways our government has dealt with immigration to satisfy the demands of western growers who have claimed since the late 1880s that there was a shortage of available labor to harvest crops. In the process of meeting the challenge of ripe crops going to waste, local entities used children from reform schools and Native Americans from boarding schools to perform agricultural labor cheaply. Congress, in banning Chinese immigration under the Exclusion Act of 1882, kept the door cracked open to admit Japanese and Hindu workers to do some of the more advanced …

Review Of In The Footsteps Of Lewis And Clark: Early Commemorations And The Origins Of The National Historic Trail By Wallace G. Lewis, Jay H. Buckley

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

This informative and thought-provoking work analyzes the early commemorations of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and the origins of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. Neither a guidebook nor an administrative or institutional history of the agencies or organizations involved, this work is concerned with the interpretation and historical meanings of the expedition within the national ethos and how these have changed over time.

Wallace Lewis identifies the factors that contributed to the reinterpretation, resurgence of popularity, and amplification of the importance of the expedition. These included the erection of monuments and statues, the publication of various editions of …

Review Of The West And Beyond: New Perspectives On An Imagined Region Edited By Alvin Finkel, Sarah Carter, And Peter Fortna, Ryan C. Eyford

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

From 1969 to 1990 the Western Canadian Studies conferences brought together researchers interested in the history of a region defined as "the Prairie West" or simply "the West," often at the University of Calgary. In large measure the conference was an outgrowth of the fractious regional politics of the late 1960s. The range of topics participants explored, however, ultimately went well beyond the limited theme of "western alienation" and made an important contribution to the regional historiography; fourteen volumes of conference papers, usually edited by University of Calgary scholars, were published between 1970 and 1993.

In June 2008 a group …

Review Of Art Quantum: The Eiteljorg Fellowship For Native American Fine Art, 2009 Edited By James H. Nottage With Jennifer Complo Mcnutt And Ashley Holland, Jo Ortel

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

This catalogue, published on the occasion of the sixth biennial exhibition honoring the 2009 winners of the prestigious Eiteljorg Fellowship, follows the format established in earlier iterations: a lead essay by a noted critic or scholar of contemporary Native American art (who also served as a jurist on the Fellowship's independent selection panel), accompanied by five interpretive essays on each of the award recipients written by different artists or scholars and amply illustrated with high-quality reproductions of the artists' work.

Paul Chaat Smith (Associate Curator, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian) contributes the lead essay, a characteristically highly stylized …

Review Of Fur, Fortune, And Empire: The Epic History Of The Fur Trade In America By Eric Jay Dolin, Brad Tennant

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

Although many individuals who reside in the Great Plains tend to think of furs in connection with the early nineteenth-century trade conducted along the upper Missouri River valley and in the Rocky Mountains, Eric Jay Dolin takes a broader view of the fur trade's role in history. Dolin explains that the role of furs can easily be traced throughout ancient civilizations. To make his point, he briefly mentions that early Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans engaged in the fur trade and that, during the Middle Ages, furs became a major part of commerce. The focus of his book, however, is on …

Review Of Native America: A History By Michael Leroy Oberg, Roger L. Nichols

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

In this solid text Michael Oberg presents his version of American Indian history. From the start he works to avoid presenting just another encyclopedic narrative likely to leave readers "awash in a sea of facts and data disconnected from any coherent narrative." To this end he focuses on how eleven Indigenous communities dealt with the European invasions of North America. His list includes groups as disparate as the Chumash and Pueblo peoples in the West, the Potawatomis and Dakota Sioux in the North, the Crows, Kiowas, and Caddos in the Plains, and Eastern peoples such as the Mohegans, Powhatans, Cherokees, …

Review Of "Collecting Stamps Would Have Been More Fun": Canadian Publishing And The Correspondence Of Sinclair Ross, 1933-1986 Selected And With An Introduction By Jordan Stouck; Annotations By David Stouck, Andrew Lesk

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

A book not just for completists, the Stoucks' effort succeeds in illuminating the publishing record of one of Canada's most secretive authors. For those who have not read much criticism on Ross, this book will aid in understanding one very representative mid-twentieth-century Canadian author's publishing and artistic struggles.

Most striking is Jordan Stouck's note-perfect introduction, one that is academically rigorous yet free of jargon and platitudes. Stouck begins at, well, the beginning, in noting that Ross's As For Me and My House is "an originary text in western Canadian literature," although Ross himself "perceived his literary career as a failure." …

Review Of The Chosen Folks: Jews On The Frontiers Of Texas By Bryan Edward Stone, Scott M. Langston

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

Bryan Stone's The Chosen Folks deserves widespread appeal. Those interested in Jewish studies, Texas history, and immigration will certainly find it a useful analysis. What's more, those concerned with the frontier-where Jewish, Texan, immigrant, and other identities intertwine, influence, and define each other-will especially benefit. Stone aptly applies the modern reconceptualization of the frontier to describe the experiences of Jews-"the quintessential frontierspeople"-in Texas, "a quintessential frontier."

Throughout the book Stone uses the frontier to organize and interpret the Texas Jewish experience. For example, the Republic of Texas's location on a geographic frontier allowed Jews to develop an interior frontier wherein …

Review Of Painting Indians And Building Empires In North America, 1710-1840 By William H. Truettner, John Hausdoerffer

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

Just when the problematic relationship between Indian portraits and the cultural politics of nineteenth- century America seemed thoroughly explored, William Truettner's new book adds vital detail to our understanding of "portrait diplomacy" and "artistic imperialism." Truettner opens with an insightful distinction between the "Noble Savage" of eighteenth-century British artists and the "Republican Indian" of artists in nineteenth-century America. British "Noble Savage" imagery depicted Mohawks as a "sovereign people" and as "visiting royalty." Truettner shows how artists such as William Hodges, Thomas Hardy, and Benjamin West portrayed Indian leaders as both active in the future of colonial politics and comfortable with …

Review Of Cather Studies 8: Willa Cather: A Writer's Worlds Edited By John J. Murphy, Francoise Palleau-Papin, And Robert Thacker, Derek Driedger

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

Cather Studies continues to assemble and inspire the most well-informed writing on Willa Cather's life and literature. The twenty-three essays in this volume further elevate Cather's reputation for meticulous attention to detail when presenting various cultures in her fiction. As the collection derives from the 2007 International Cather Seminar cohosted in Paris and Abbey St. Michel de Frigolet, essays regularly draw from French history, including the period spanning from Cather's first visit in 1902 through World War I. Consequently, the most analyzed novel is One of Ours (1922), yet The Professor's House (1925), Death Comes for the Archbishop (1927), and …

New Deal Experimentation And The Political Economy Of The Yankton Sioux, 1930-1934, Teresa M. Houser

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

Franklin Delano Roosevelt's election to the presidency in 1932 signaled a mandate for sweeping reform at the federal level to lift the nation out of the economic turbulence of the Great Depression. Under Commissioner of Indian Affairs John Collier, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) joined other agencies in launching policies to rebuild economic stability. Much of the scholarship on the Indian New Deal to date necessarily focuses on the centerpiece of Collier's reform efforts: the Indian Reorganization Act (IRA). But prior to tribal consideration of the IRA, the Roosevelt administration undertook a series of steps in an attempt to …

Great Plains Quarterly Volume 31/Number 3/ Summer 2011

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

Contents

Book Reviews

Book Notes

Notes and News

Immigration To The Great Plains, 1865-1914 War, Politics, Technology, And Economic Development, Bruce Garver

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

The advent and vast extent of immigration to the Great Plains states during the years 1865 to 1914 is perhaps best understood in light of the new international context that emerged during the 1860s in the aftermath of six large wars whose consequences included the enlargement of civil liberties, an acceleration of economic growth and technological innovation, the expansion of world markets, and the advent of mass immigration to the United States from east-central and southern Europe.1 Facilitating all of these changes was the achievement of widespread literacy through universal, free, compulsory, and state-funded elementary education in the United States, …

Glorious Fourth: Gettysburg's Joyful Holiday, 1861, John M. Rudy

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

Samuel J. Vandersloot, a 25 year old Gettysburg attorney, enlisted as a private the 2nd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment on April 20th, 1861. Less than a month after he and his comrades published their paper, on the 26th of July Vandersloot was mustered from service at Harrisburg. Five days before, the Army of Northeastern Virginia had its nose bloodied at Manassas. Picnickers, keen on sightseeing and eager to witness the one great battle of the war became entangled on the roads among the retreating Federal forces. Civilian and soldier alike became prey to the advancing rebel forces, some captured and sent …

Locks And Cash: Whose Black History? (Part 1), John M. Rudy

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

The African-American Civil War Memorial has been a favorite site of mine in DC (and not simply because it's just down the block from the District's best restaurant, Ben's Chili Bowl). It is a monument in the right setting. Instead of being on the mall with the rest of the other monuments, to be easily overlooked like the DC World War I memorial or similar sidelights to the big three of Lincoln, Washington and Vietnam, the African American Civil War Memorial is in a community that can be moved by it. [excerpt]

"...Sexual Relations With That Woman...": Why The Lee Quote Is Still Valid, John M. Rudy

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

A quick reflection this week. This started as a comment on Brooks Simpson's comments on Colin Woodward's blog post at his new blog civilwarhistorian highlighting a quote he found in a Massachusetts newspaper. Whew... now that that's out of the way.

The validity of the quote has been called into question, and seemingly thereby its usefulness to the historian. But I object to consigning this tidbit to the dustbin of history. [excerpt]

Interpreting Beyond The Battles: Could We Start With The Klan?, John M. Rudy

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

In 1925, the Pennsylvania Klan held its annual convention in Gettysburg in September. The Times called the Klan's parade through town a, "gorgeous display," and a, "monster procession." The Times headline trumpeted that, "vary-colored robes, capes and gowns present spectacle as Knights, Klanswomen and Junior Members march under warm September sun before large crowds along sidewalks." [excerpt]

"For The People...": Do The 'Not We' Own Gettysburg?, John M. Rudy

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

Unlike a few critics from the Civil War blogging community of this past Monday's History Channel presentation of Gettysburg, I watched the whole thing from beginning to end. I've since watched it again. I took mental notes; I paid keen attention.

Monday night I also watched on Twitter. I expected the experience to be very different than a couple weeks ago, when I watched with America as freedom fighters were beat to a bloody pulp for suggesting that we all might be better off if we tried to get along. Not badly different, just different. I was not disappointed. …

No Sure Victory: Measuring U.S. Army Effectiveness And Progress In The Vietnam War, Gregory A. Daddis

History Faculty Books and Book Chapters

Conventional wisdom holds that the US Army in Vietnam, thrust into an unconventional war where occupying terrain was a meaningless measure of success, depended on body counts as its sole measure of military progress. In No Sure Victory, Army officer and historian Gregory Daddis looks far deeper into the Army's techniques for measuring military success and presents a much more complicated-and disturbing-account of the American misadventure in Indochina.

"...Never Forget What They Did Here": Memorial Day 2011, John M. Rudy

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

One of my pleasures on this holiday is to buy and place a flag on the monument to the 14th U.S. Regulars in the valley of death. Along the banks of Plum Run, the Regulars held back an onslaught from a pell-mell group of charging Confederates in what would be the final phase of the fight in the Wheatfield and Devil's Den area on July 2nd, 1863. As they retreated back across the swampy lowlands, Confederates hot on their heels, their own gunners on the slopes of the hill had no choice but to fire into the mangled mess of …