United States History Commons^™

York Of The Corps Of Discovery, Darrell Millner

Black Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Assesses the scholarship dealing with York, William Clark's slave, who was a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Two schools of writing developed regarding York. The "Sambo" school dominated his depiction for almost two centuries and publications at the turn of the 21st century still saw York in racist terms, as a slave grateful for his status. At the other extreme is the "superhero" school that describes York in heroic terms, rescuing Clark from peril, fluent in French, tall in height. Both schools are grounded in stereotypes and poor scholarship. The best source for establishing a historically accurate York …

Beavers, Firs, Salmon, And Falling Water: Pacific Northwest Regionalism And The Environment, William L. Lang

History Faculty Publications and Presentations

Discusses the importance of salmon in defining environmental understanding in the Pacific Northwest. Dam construction, population influx, economic development, and politics have dramatically changed the geography of Oregon Country since 1850. The technological alterations and population growth redefined the sense of place. However, salmon has remained the most important icon of the Pacific Northwest, both for Native Americans and for nonnatives have who worked to save the salmon from extinction. Salmon have become a "living metaphor" for the region, and their fate reflects an understanding of historical context and the role of people in their relationship to the environment in …

The Courts And The Making Of A Chinese Immigrant Community In Portland, Oregon, 1850-1910, Sarah Marie Griffith

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis studies the development of the Portland, Oregon Chinese immigrant community between 1850 and 1910. Chinese immigrants first arrived in Portland in the mid-1850s and quickly created businesses as well as social institutions they transplanted from China to the U.S. West. They also established intricate relationships among themselves and with members of the surrounding white community. County and state court records held at the Multnomah County Courthouse and National Archives in Seattle, Washington, reveal much about the Chinese immigrant community in Portland and provide a window into a society that left few written records. Through the analysis of hundreds …

Gay Bars, Vice, And Reform In Portland, 1948-1965, Beka Smith

Dissertations and Theses

The city of Portland adopted different policies toward gay bars between 1948 and 1965. Portland's conservative mayors, generally uninterested in changing the city or promoting growth, ignored gay bars. Reform mayors instigated campaigns against gay bars to gain public, political, and business support for their broader economic and social goals. They were able to use crackdowns on gay bars as popular components of their reform initiatives because Portland, in comparison to other cities, professed conservatism and morality and had little economic or cultural incentive to tolerate gay bars. Blaming Portland's vice on outsiders, reform mayors argued that their actions protected …

The Resurrection Of A River: The Umatilla And Its Salmon, Christopher Ward Shelley

Dissertations and Theses

Until the 1990s, salmon had been extinct from the Umatilla River for over 70 years. The struggle to bring salmon back to this river is a compelling story that exemplifies some of the new relationships in Columbia River Basin salmon management.

The Umatilla River and the disappearance of its salmon was a local issue. Irrigation interests had used the river so thoroughly it ceased to flow during the late summer and fall months-precisely when salmon needed it for migration. The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation saw decided that they would change that: they would figure out a way …

Bioregionalism And The History Of Place, William L. Lang

History Faculty Publications and Presentations

Introduces a forum on bioregionalism and historiography, a concept that goes beyond the sense of place to include region in a natural rather than a political sense. Examples include watersheds, landscapes, and expectations from nature. The concept, which surfaced in the 1970's, is a dynamic one that links physical nature and how humans understand it.

Asiatic Cholera And Dysentery On The Oregon Trail: A Historical Medical Geography Study, Brian Lee Altonen

Dissertations and Theses

Two disease regions existed on the Oregon Trail. Asiatic cholera impacted the Platte River flood plain from 1849 to 1852. Dysentery developed two endemic foci due to the decay of buffalo carcasses in eastern and middle Nebraska between 1844 and 1848, but later developed a much larger endemic region west of this Great Plains due to the infection of livestock carcasses by opportunistic bacteria.

This study demonstrates that whereas Asiatic cholera diffusion along the Trail was defined primarily by human population features, topography, and regional climate along the Platte River flood plain, the distribution of opportunistic dysentery along the Trail …

The Columbia River's Fate In The Twentieth Century, William L. Lang

History Faculty Publications and Presentations

Discusses the history of the Columbia River during the 20th century, emphasizing the image of the river as both a source of industry and an example of wild natural beauty. In 1933 the river was dammed to harness its power for hydroelectricity and control its unpredictable flooding. With the completion of the dams in the 1970's, however, came problems with the edenic vision of the river, especially with the annual salmon run. By the late 20th century, the salmon had all but disappeared, leading to an ongoing conflict between supporters of the dams and conservationists.

How Did College Of The Siskiyous Develop In A Politically Contested Climate In Siskiyou County?, Christopher Michael Tincher

Dissertations and Theses

Throughout its development, College of the Siskiyous (COS) has ignited much political discussion before and since the district was formed in 1957. Some of these discussions have been positive, while others have become nasty. These discussions indicate that there are differences within the county resulting mainly from regional differences. This project illustrates how these discussions and the college's development have affected the college and its residents in many ways. These effects range from establishing a forum for the discussion of higher education in the county, to involving the county's citizens in the college's political arena, to the economic impact the …

Voices Of Our Past: The Rank And File Movement In Social Work, 1931-1950, Richard William Hunter

Dissertations and Theses

During the period of the late 1920s through the late 1940s, a most remarkable event in the history of American social work emerged: the development of a vital radical trade union organizing effort known as the ''rank and file movement." Born within the growing economic crisis of the 1920s and maturing in the national economic collapse and social upheaval heralded by the Great Depression, the rank and file movement would attract the support and membership of thousands of professional social workers and uncredentialed relief workers in efforts to organize social service workers along the lines of industrial unionism. Within its …

Alien Land Laws : The Curtailing Of Japanese Agricultural Pursuits In Oregon, Amy K. Buck

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis describes the evolution and demise of Oregon's alien land laws of 1923 and 1945 and their impact on the Nikkei community and the state's culture.

After a brief discussion of Japanese immigration to Oregon and their lifestyle, the work discusses the emergence of discrimination against Japanese residents. At the same time, it outlines how the Nikkei adopted creative responses to the law. This thesis then explores the manner by which anti-Japanese internment policies during World War II shattered the Issei community, revoking many of the gains made in the previous half-century. The effects of the second alien land …

Cultural Compromise Of The Wasco And Wishram Of The Middle Columbia River: The Effect Of Euro-American Technologies And Cultural Values On The Native Americans Of The Middle Columbia River, Linda Joyce Schreiner-Mahoney

Dissertations and Theses

This study examined the Wasco and Wishram's response to the introduction of Euro-American technologies and cultural expectations, and how it affected the natives' culture.

The response of the Wasco and Wishram of the Middle Columbia River to the Euro-Americans in their midst reflects the natives' dynamic culture. These Chinookan speakers were quick to adopt those ideas they perceived as aiding them in the acquisition of material wealth. At the same time, the Wasco and Wishram were resistant to some philosophical and cultural changes that traders and missionaries sought to impose.

Difficulties between the two groups were more pronounced when disparate …

Book Review Of, Obed Dickinson's War Against Sin In Salem, 1853-1867, Darrell Millner

Black Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Reviews the book, "Obed Dickinson's War against Sin in Salem, 1853-1867" by Egbert S. Oliver

Lewis And Clark And The American Century: A Review Of Ken Burns's Pbs Series On The Corps Of Discovery, William L. Lang

History Faculty Publications and Presentations

Reviews Ken Burns's 1997 public television documentary on the Lewis and Clark expedition, 'Lewis and Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery.' In his documentaries Burns seeks not just the "dry relation of fact," but a portrayal of the emotional truth of the historical event that allows viewers to connect with it as human drama. Burns has exploited well the inherent drama of the expedition's story to produce a compelling documentary. Rather than labeling it a work of history, based on explanation through critical inquiry, it is better seen as a "heritage" film. The latter identifies and celebrates virtues …

Lewis And Clark At Fort Clatsop: A Winter Of Environmental Discomfort And Cultural Misunderstandings, Kirk Alan Garrison

Dissertations and Theses

Members of the Lewis and Clark expedition did not like the 1805-1806 winter they spent at Fort Clatsop near the mouth of the Columbia River among the Lower Chinookan Indians, for two reasons. First, the environment west of the Rocky Mountains was unlike anything they had ever experienced or imagined, and it had such a powerful effect on the whites as to negatively influence their attitudes regarding the western landscape, and to prejudice the explorers against the peoples living in that environment.

Second, the cultures of the Lower Chinook Indians and the whites were so different that often neither group …

Robert Francis Kelley And The Eastern European Division Of The State Department: 1917-1933, Agnes Eileen Olsen

Dissertations and Theses

This study traces the career of Robert Francis Kelley and his influence on American-Russian Relations during the nonrecognition period (1917-1933). The focus of this examination is Kelley's role in formulating, implementing, and sustaining America's anti-communist policy developed and solidified during the 1920s and 1930s. Particular attention is given to the senate recognition hearing of 1924, Kelley's training of future diplomats (George Kennan, Charles Bohlen, et al.), and his contributions to the preparations leading to the United States' recognition of Russia in 1933. Using Kelley's papers and personal correspondence, this study shows the growth of a man and the evolution of …

The Industrial Workers Of The World And The Oregon Packing Company Strike Of July 1913, Adam J. Hodges

Dissertations and Theses

This study builds upon the notion of a Wobbly 'sensibility' established by Salvatore Salemo and relates it to John Townsend's analysis of conflict between that group's adherents and western Progressives. The latter scholar, by concentrating on middle-class economic anxiety, failed to deal with the virtual unanimity of opposition to the IWW in western towns. Salerno's assertion that a 'sensibility' within the IWW was more binding than ideology raises the possibility that individuals and organizations of varying beliefs could be similarly united within a single cultural sphere with a directed purpose. Such an analysis can apply to factions of Progressivism and …

Lewis And Clark On The Columbia River: The Power Of Landscape In The Exploration Experience, William L. Lang

History Faculty Publications and Presentations

During their 1804-06 transcontinental expedition, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark expected that the Columbia River and its tributaries would provide relatively easy passage to the Pacific Coast. Instead, they encountered a formidable barrier of raging waters and disjunctive ecological zones. Continuous frustrations caused the explorers to offer harsh judgments of the landscape and some of the Indians, whom they labeled as primitive and treacherous. These descriptions contrasted greatly with their more positive portrayals of landscape and peoples encountered elsewhere during the trip.

Cornerstones Of Community: Buildings Of Portland's African American History, Darrell Millner, Carl Abbott, Cathy Galbraith

Black Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Bosco-Milligan Foundation is proud to present "Cornerstones of Community - The Buildings of Portland's African American History". This publication had its start in February, 1994 when we sponsored a seminar and walking tour at Mt. Olivet Baptist Church to celebrate Black History Month. In the preparation for that program, we knew we had barely scratched the surface in identifying and documenting the buildings associated with African American individuals, institutions, and events throughout Portland's history. The Bosco-Milligan Foundation made a commitment to continue that effort, based on community interest and a collective desire to attempt to fill in important "missing …

Viking 1995, Portland State University

The Viking (Yearbooks)

Portland State University 1995 yearbook

The Portland Learning Community : A History, Martin White

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis recounts the history of the Portland Learning Community, an experimental institution of higher education founded in 1970 by a group consisting mostly of former faculty and students at Reed College. The Learning Community was funded by the Carnegie Corporation and affiliated with Antioch College.

Viking 1994, Portland State University

The Viking (Yearbooks)

Portland State University 1994 yearbook

George Bush Of Tumwater: Founder Of The First American Colony On Puget Sound, Darrell Millner

Black Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

A biography of pioneer George Washington Bush is presented. A free mulatto, information on Bush's childhood and birth date are uncertain. Believed to have been raised in Pennsylvania and educated under Quaker influence, Bush was literate and worked in the cattle business before moving to Oregon with his wife and children in 1844. Bush encountered various forms of racism, but was not deterred by pioneer life and by 1850 the family farm in the Tumwater, Washington area was thriving.

The Intellectual Grounding Of The San Francisco Committee Of Vigilance Of 1851, Jon Jeffrey Walker

Dissertations and Theses

Vigilantism has a long history in the United States stretching back to the Regulator movement in South Carolina in 1767. These extralegal movements are distinguished from spontaneous and ephemeral mob activity by their regular organization and limited life-span. The San Francisco Committee of Vigilance of 1856 was the largest vigilante movement in American history. After a summer of vigilantism that included four hangings, the committee turned to politics and formed the People's Party which dominated San Francisco's city government for the next decade. The 1856 committee is generally considered the great exemplar of American vigilantism and has received considerable attention …

Book Review Of, The Invisible Empire In The West: Toward A New Historical Appraisal Of The Ku Klux Klan Of The 1920s, Darrell Millner

Black Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Reviews the book "The Invisible Empire in the West: Toward a New Historical Appraisal of the Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s" by Shawn Lay

Viking 1993, Portland State University

The Viking (Yearbooks)

Portland State University 1993 yearbook

John F. Kennedy: A Political Biography On Education, David Eugene Armontrout

Dissertations and Theses

In what is historically a brief number of years, the life and times of John F. Kennedy have taken on legendary proportions. His presidency began with something less than a mandate from the American people, but he brought to the White House an inspiration and a style that offered great promises of things to come.

This study provides a political biography of John F. Kennedy and education. In addition, it investigates the records of past presidents and congresses, as well as the school aid lobby. This account also draws upon the vast body of historical, educational, and political material on …

Democratic Ideology, The Frontier Ethos, Medical Practice And Hospital Culture: Pacific Northwest Health-Seekers, Community Health And The Sisters Of Providence, Vancouver, Wa 1856 - 1879, Susan T.L. Courtney

Dissertations and Theses

Most historians readily acknowledge the economic incentive that prompted many pioneers to migrate westward across the overland trail. Health motivations remain generally unexplored. Many Americans had settled the interior regions most suited to farming, especially the acreage around river valleys in the Mississippi drainage system. Unfortunately, health conditions were not favorable to human existence.

The dilemma of economic well-being versus health disaster motivated a number of Americans to seek better living conditions. Some chose overland migration to the Pacific Northwest. The situation in contemporary medical practice was a kaleidoscope of competing sects and contradictory convictions. The mainline profession of medicine, …

"Ambition Has Always Been My God": William Winlock Miller And Opportunity In Washington Territory, William L. Lang

History Faculty Publications and Presentations

In October 1875, when he was at the acme of his success as a pioneer Olympia businessman, William Winlock Miller offered some fatherly advice to an elder sister's son who had recently emigrated from Illinois:

If your object in corning hither was to get employment as a clerk it was injudicious-we only want men here who have muscle and are willing to labor. But now that you are here I would make the best of it. ... Avoid saloons and all places of vice. Don't drink, chew, or swear. Start at the foot of the ladder. Practice economy. Every young …

Viking 1992, Portland State University

The Viking (Yearbooks)

Portland State University 1992 yearbook