United States History Commons^™

The Federal Writers' Project In Oregon, 1935-1942: A Case Study, Thomas James Ptacek

Dissertations and Theses

The Federal Writers’ Project was created in 1935 as part of the Works Progress Administration. This project represented an example of the highest evolution of work relief philosophy of the New Deal during the depression of the 1930's. Unlike previous work relief programs, the Federal Writers' Project sought to employ people in their chosen profession. This task was accomplished with the establishment of writers' projects in each state under the guidance of a national office. The major goal of these individual projects was to research, write and edit a state guidebook. This current study surveys previous research on this program …

The Non-Career Ambassador In America's Diplomacy : Case Study, Frederic Mosley Sackett, Ambassador To Germany, January, 1930-March, 1933, Stephen A. Nicholls

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis explores a continuous problem facing those who conduct American diplomatic affairs: the appointment of amateurs, with no previous experience in diplomacy, as ambassadors representing the United States abroad. This study contends that the noncareer, nonprofessional appointment is neither necessarily a bad thing nor should it be considered undesirable, given the American system of conducting its foreign affairs. On the contrary this thesis argues that the amateur ambassador can effectively serve to enhance the needs of American foreign policy without having the same professional training.accorded to the career foreign service officer.

Utterly Visionary And Chimerical : A Federal Response To The Depression : An Examination Of Civilian Conservation Corps Construction On National Forest System Lands In The Pacific Northwest, Elizabeth Gail Throop

Dissertations and Theses

The principal purpose of this study was to discover what tangible evidence remains of the Civilian Conservation Corps construction projects undertaken on the National Forest System lands in the Pacific Northwest Region: to identify, locate, describe and evaluate these historic cultural resources and to ascribe some significance to them. It should be noted that all references to National Forests and to Ranger Districts are to current administrative jurisdictions, unless otherwise specified, for reasons of convenience.

The Foundations And Social Change, Helen M. Dalton

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis provides an historical review of the role and function of the philanthropic foundation as an institution of American society, stressing in particular the foundation response to social change. The period of emphasis is World War II to the present, although earlier history is also covered in some detail.

Viking 1978, Portland State University

The Viking (Yearbooks)

Portland State University 1978 yearbook

Upton Sinclair And The 1934 California Gubernatorial Election, Patricia Lucy Hill

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis attempts to ascertain whether Upton Sinclair's Democratic nomination for governor of California in 1934 caused the resurgence of the Democratic Party in California, or whether his nomination was a product of that party's resurgence between 1928 and 1942. Given Sinclair's decision on the unsuitability of the Socialist Party, were his judgments that: (1) the Democratic Party was in resurgence and, (2) it was moving to the left, sound ones? To make these determinations the thesis investigates why Sinclair rushed to capture the Democratic nomination, exploring his methods and techniques and those used to defeat him. It also examines …

Background To The Second Amendment, John Thomas Nichols

Dissertations and Theses

Research into the background of the Second Amendment is hampered by its relationship to the current highly emotional debate over gun control. Many otherwise useful secondary sources either ignore the issue completely or give accounts which reflect the controversies of the twentieth century rather than those of the eighteenth. Fortunately, however, the Americans of the revolutionary era wrote extensively about the subject.

With independence, the Americans were faced with the problem of organizing and controlling a defense establishment. The new nation was virtually defenseless: the

Continental Army was disbanded and the militia, after years of neglect, emasculated. During the decade …

International Law, German Submarines And American Policy, Janet Marilyn Manson

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis is a survey of the available material on the submarine issue during 1914-1917 as a factor in German-American relations which contributed to the American declaration of war in April 1917. No other scholarly work is devoted solely to the submarine issue during this period. The purpose of this thesis is to focus on the submarine as an international legal issue. German-American relations were strained during 1914-1917, because of the different interpretations of international law regarding the submarine. And this thesis was written in order to test the existing historical interpretations of the submarine issue as a focal point …

The Union Bimetallic Party Of Oregon, 1896-1898, Ludger Mogge

Dissertations and Theses

On March 23 - 26, 1898, Populists, Democrats, and Silver Republicans of Oregon held their state conventions in Portland and agreed upon a common platform and a common state ticket for the elections of June 6, 1898. None of the available works on Oregon history explains that this fusion was the culmination of a two-year effort to unite the reform forces the state. This thesis tries to fill the gap. Because of the lack of secondary works on the subject, the thesis is based mainly on two sources: newspapers on microfilm, especially The Oregonian; and the unpublished correspondence of party …

Viking 1977, Portland State University

The Viking (Yearbooks)

Portland State University 1977 yearbook

The Baldwin Sheep & Land Company, 1873-1910, Dorothy D. Hirsch

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis is a study of the establishment and exceptional growth of the Baldwin Sheep & Land Company of Hay Creek, Oregon, during the period 1873 to 1910. The operation has been examined to determine the effects of population movement, market conditions, economic trends, and federal land policies on the course of its development.

The data used to analyze the internal character of the business were taken from a collection of the papers of John Griffith Edwards located in the Oregon Historical Society Library. The materials from the collection used were a short history of the Ranch written by John …

Political Development In Oregon: The Provisional Government 1843-1849, James M. Tompkins

Dissertations and Theses

This study brings together in a single volume facts and opinions not previously consolidated on the subject of Oregon's provisional government. Previous writings or citations about the government were in the context of larger or different areas of interest. The main areas of concentration in the thesis include the political events of the government in session and the public's knowledge of these events. Also examined are the direction of government, the electoral process, and the newspaper coverage of the period.

The extant journals of the government are the primary sources for the proceedings of the sessions. Public opinion and awareness …

The Circulation Of Elites In Twentieth Century American History: The New Deal As Case Study, Diane Theresa Volk

Dissertations and Theses

Reviewing the scope and credibility of C. Wright Mills' provocative study, The Power Elite, for a seminar on U. S. in the Sixties prompted my interest in the validity of assessing the historical process by means of the elitist perspective. This coupled with my belief that the New Deal era ushered in a new chapter in the political history of the United States precipitated an investigation of the elitist perspective and how that perspective illuminated the conditions of historical change effected by the New Deal.

"The Concept Of The "Right Of Revolution" In The United States In Historical Perspective From The Puritans To The Present", Thomas Pressly

Special Collections: Oregon Public Speakers

Sponsored by the PSU History Department & Phi Alpha Theta.

The History Of Gun Control In America, Gary W. Hansen

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis examines the significant gun control legislation enacted in the United States, and the movement to enact it. It is a contention of this thesis that sentiment favoring gun control comes essentially from urban areas which are most remote from America's frontier heritage, and the common usage of firearms. Sentiment opposing gun control, on the other hand, comes primarily from the West and South which are the areas nearest the frontier heritage. The popularity of firearms in the United States is also due, in large measure, to the pioneer background of this nation. This thesis also contends that firearms …

Viking 1976, Portland State University

The Viking (Yearbooks)

Portland State University 1976 yearbook

The Role Of American Diplomacy In The Louisiana Purchase, Rebecca Warren

Dissertations and Theses

When a powerful and ambitious nation peacefully transfers almost 600,000,000 acres to a comparatively insignificant nation, the event deserves careful scrutiny and evaluation. The Louisiana Purchase of 1803 was such a transaction. Although events and personalities surrounding the Purchase were complex and numerous, the one factor to be examined here is the role of American diplomacy. The problem is to determine the influence American diplomacy had in securing the Louisiana Purchase.

Russian Oregon: A History Of The Russian Orthodox Church And Settlement In Oregon, 1882-1976, David B. Cole

Dissertations and Theses

The historical record of the Orthodox Church's missionary efforts in North America and of the development of a viable local church administration is extremely scarce at best. No major scholarly work exists in English covering the historical development of any of the national Orthodox jurisdictions which followed the mass immigration of Arab, Greek, and Slavic Christians to the New World. More unfortunately, few scholarly records exist of local or regional church histories. In a very real sense, until these “grass roots” histories are gathered and recorded, no truly complete history can be written on Orthodox Christianity in North America.

The …

Martin Luther King, Jr. And His Times: A Multi-Media Script, Robert D. Rosenkranz

Dissertations and Theses

The objective of this thesis is to create a broad perspective of Martin Luther King, Jr. and his times by placing him and his goal of creating the "beloved community" to the test of his environment: the feeling and behavior of those people whose hearts and habits he struggled to change or direct.

In order to achieve this, this multi-media script, based in history, places King in contrasting settings. Act I finds King in Montgomery where with a great deal of support he wins over vocal southern segregationists in court. In contrast, Act II takes place in the Lawndale slums …

The United States Military In The Cuban Missile Crisis, Frank Joseph Wikenheiser

Dissertations and Theses

One of the most significant events in the Cold War-dominated years of the 1950's and early1960's was the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. It not only has been reputed by most authorities as a major turning point in the Soviet Union-American struggle, but it dramatically illustrated the critical dimension of thermo-nuclear weapons in international relations. In addition, and of particular interest to one directly involved, it showed that firmness in policy and proper application of military power are key factors in obtaining favorable and peaceful settlements of international disputes.

The Congressional Decision To Build The Panama Canal: The Influence Of Senators John Tyler Morgan, Marcus Alonzo Hanna And Others, And The Role Of The Walker Report, Andrew Scott Merrifield

Dissertations and Theses

Throughout most of the modern history of the Western hemisphere, explorers, engineers and merchants have been interested in finding or building a waterway that would connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. By the early part of the sixteenth century most of these people had settled their attention on the Central American Isthmus. Several major commercial nations showed an interest in the project at one time or another, including France, Spain, Great Britain and the United States.

Serious attention to building a canal started in the late nineteenth century with two areas, southern Nicaragua and central Panama becoming the two most …

The American President As Legislative Leader: Historical Development Of The Role, Patricia Mathews Walhood

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis seeks to define the American President's role as legislative leader and to trace the origin and development of that role throughout the history of the office of the presidency. Presidents were not consistently active in this capacity until the middle of the twentieth century.

The first part of the thesis examines precedents set by strong presidents prior to and early in the twentieth century, as well as an important institutional change in the government, the creation of the Budget System, which smoothed the way for Presidential adoption of the tasks of legislative leader.

The middle sections of the …

"Black Studies Center Public Dialogue, Part 2", Portland State University, Toni Morrison, Primus St. John, John Callahan, Susan Callahan, Lloyd Baker

Special Collections: Oregon Public Speakers

Panelists: novelist Toni Morrison (New York), Primus St. John (poet and Professor of English, Portland State University), John Callahan (Lewis & Clark College), Susan Kirshner Callahan (Lewis & Clark College), and Lloyd Baker (Portland State University student). Sponsored by the Portland State University Black Studies Center and the Oregon Committee for the Humanities.

Reconciliation And Reunion, Myron K. Jordan

Dissertations and Theses

Throughout the period of the American Revolution, Great Britain pursued a policy of reconciliation and reunion toward its North American colonies. While this was but one of the several policy alternatives open to British leadership, it was always an element of British strategy toward the colonies from 1775 to 1783.

This thesis follows the evolution of reconciliation and reunion in the final days of crisis in 1774-1775. It seeks to define its development during the war itself, and especially during the abortive American Peace Commission of 1778. By tracing this policy from its emergence through to the peacemaking in 1782-1783, …

Truman's Election In 1948, Mary Peter Kump

Dissertations and Theses

You can't judge a book by its cover. The cliche may be trite, nonetheless it is applicable to Harry s. Truman. The feisty Missourian wrested greatness from the hands of his challengers who would have denied it to him because of his background. His lack of a college degree seemed to rankle the press, and as far as they were concerned disqualified him as President of the United States.

Based largely on contemporary accounts, this thesis traces the color and drama of Truman's 1948 campaign. In order to appreciate fully the triumph of the President’s victory, it was necessary to …

Viking 1975, Portland State University

The Viking (Yearbooks)

Portland State University 1975 yearbook

Labor Violence: The Centralia Case, The Iww And Its Enemies, Lawrence Skoog

Dissertations and Theses

Armistice Day 1919 was enthusiastically celebrated in Centralia, Washington. The Principle event of the day's activities was a parade organized under the leadership of the newly formed American Legion. But the parade was to be more than the simple affirmation of the victory in France, it was to be a reaffirmation of the patriotism of the newly returned sailors and soldiers and their home-town supporters.

Centralia was a troubled city in 1919. Organized labor of the most militant and extreme sort was challenging the oligopoly of the lumber trust. The Industrial Workers of the World had been successful in their …

Irish Families In Portland, Oregon, 1850-1880: An Immigrant Culture In The Far West, Michael Kazin

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis is an attempt to begin an examination of the social history of immigrant families in the cities of the West Coast. I chose to study Irish families in particular because they were the first group of migrants to come in large numbers to the United States from a primarily peasant culture, and because studies of Irish in the cities of the East have emphasized their resistance to assimilation into the dominant Anglicized Protestant society.

Chicanos In Oregon: An Historical Overview, Richard Wayne Slatta

Dissertations and Theses

Spaniards were the first Europeans to explore the Pacific Northwest coastline, but the only evidence of these early visits is a sprinkling of Spanish place names commemorating the intrepid voyagers. The more than four centuries of recorded history since that time are nearly devoid, of references to Spanish-speaking people, especially Mexicans and Americans of Mexican descent (Chicanos). Even the heavy influx of Chicano migrant farm workers in the 1950's and 1960's failed to attract the attention of historians or social science researchers. By 1970, the Spanish-language population had become Oregon's largest ethnic minority and was exerting influence in most areas …

The Background And Development Of The 1871 Korean-American Incident: A Case Study In Cultural Conflict, Robert Ray Swartout Jr.

Dissertations and Theses

This study is an attempt to combine the disciplines of Asian history and United States diplomatic history in analyzing the 1871 Korean-American Incident. The Incident revolves around the Low-Rodgers expedition to Korea, and the subsequent breakdown of peaceful negotiations into a military clash of arms.

To describe the Incident as merely another example of American "imperialism,'' or as a result of narrow-minded Korean isolationism, is to oversimplify its causes and miss the larger implications that can be learned from it. A basic premise of this paper is that the 1871 Incident is an example of East-West cultural conflict. As such, …