United States History Commons^™

Media Depictions Of Indigenous Peoples And The Battle Of Sugar Point, 1898, Hunter Eickhoff

Arts & Sciences Undergraduate Showcase

The Battle of Sugar Point generated a media frenzy that seemed greatly disproportionate for a battle of relatively little consequence. Newspapers ranging from tiny local papers to major nationally syndicated publications published headlines proclaiming that northern Minnesota was threatened by an all-out uprising of the Ojibwe, with large-scale violence sure to follow. Of course, no such uprising occurred. If one had, perhaps the Battle of Sugar Point would not exist in the relative obscurity that it does today. Why, then, was the press willing to stake such outlandish claims on next-to-no concrete evidence? Through my research, I argue that these …

Jacksonian Democracy: Triumph Or Tragedy?, Gabe Blumer

Undergraduate Theses and Senior Projects

This capstone paper analyzes Andrew Jackson's presidential impact on democracy and discusses its strengths and weaknesses as a whole. It goes over the impact on white men, black Americans, and Native Americans in particular.

Asylum On The Prairie, Christain Smith

History Hawks: A North Dakota History Zine

Asylum on the Prairie is a short history zine that examines the rise, abuse, and eventual reform of the Jamestown State Hospital, revealing the contradictions at the heart of early American asylums--institutions founded on care but shaped by neglect and stigma. Tracing the hospital from its 1885 opening through the 1937 scandal and later deinstitutionalization, it highlights how systemic failures persisted until public outrage forced change. Ultimately, the zine reflects on Jamestown as a cautionary example of how vulnerable populations can be failed without accountability and humane oversight.

North Dakota's Children's Homes & Foster Care During The Great Depression, Signe Svendsen

History Hawks: A North Dakota History Zine

This zine explores the experiences of children placed in North Dakota's children's homes and foster care systems during the Great Depression. As poverty, unemployment, and family instability increased, many children were separated from their families, revealing how economic crisis reshaped child welfare in the state, and how this affected families.

Where The Children Were: Why Rural North Dakota Families Defied Compulsory School Laws (1900-1920), Kendra Hoff

History Hawks: A North Dakota History Zine

Through archival letters between rural parents and state officials, this zine tells the story of how compulsory schooling laws collided with everyday life on the North Dakota prairie. It reveals that children's absences from school were often acts of necessity and negotiation rather than neglect or defiance.

Illness, Isolation, And The Fight For Dignity In 1930s North Dakota, Ali Thykeson

History Hawks: A North Dakota History Zine

Behind the Walls of San Haven explores life at North Dakota's tuberculosis sanatorium in the 1930s. Through patient letters, archival photographs, and historical research, the zine reveals how medical practices, public attitudes, and state policies shaped the experiences of those confined to the institution. It highlights the human stories behind San Haven and the reforms that emerged from its challenges.

Anishinaabe Nibiing: Anishinaabe Waterscapes And Canoe Building As Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Jeremy Kingsbury

The Cicadian

This paper explores the cultural, ecological, and technological significance of birch bark canoe (wiigwaasi-jiimaan) building among the Anishinaabe people, emphasizing their identity as an inland maritime society. Drawing on historical accounts, oral traditions, and personal experience as a park ranger, the author examines the intricate process of harvesting materials and constructing canoes, highlighting the deep environmental knowledge and gendered labor involved. The canoe served not only as a vital means of transportation and subsistence—facilitating fishing, wild rice harvesting, and seasonal migration—but also as a symbol of familial and spiritual connection. Through detailed descriptions of material selection and craftsmanship, …

The Grasshopper Outbreak Of The 1930s, Carsen Grave

History Hawks: A North Dakota History Zine

The Dust Bowl sparked a massive grasshopper outbreak in the 1930s, forcing many North Dakotans to flee. Those who remained endured hardship and persevered, ultimately finding relief in a wet spring in 1940.

Prohibition And World War One In The Red River Valley, Hunter Eickhoff

History Hawks: A North Dakota History Zine

This zine discusses the varying attitudes towards prohibition during the World War One era. The zine focuses on a story about a brewery owner who was convicted of smuggling alcohol across the Red River into Grand Forks.

The Forgotten Men, Faith A. Vasicek

History Hawks: A North Dakota History Zine

A collection of hardships from North Dakota WWI veteran's struggles during the Great Depression Era.

Mildred Isakson & The Country's Push For "Fairness" During The Great Depression, Aubrey Griedl

History Hawks: A North Dakota History Zine

The experiences of Mildred Isakson, the Superintendent of Nurses at the North Dakota State Tuberculosis Sanatorium, or San Haven, gives insight into the hardships that working women had to face during the Great Depression, specifically married working women.

Womens Labor Laws, Trinity Blair

History Hawks: A North Dakota History Zine

Women in the Progressive Era were often not protected by any laws. In 1919, North Dakota passed a law limiting women's work hours. Other states were enacting laws similar to the one in North Dakota.

Day In The Life At The North Dakota School For The Blind; 1929-1932, Katelynn Berg

History Hawks: A North Dakota History Zine

This zine describes a day in the life at the North Dakota School for the Blind during the early years of the Great Depression. The goal is to analyze if and how the school and its students were affected by the Great Depression.

Lakota Life, Olivia Schulz

History Hawks: A North Dakota History Zine

This zine takes place in Lakota North Dakota in the early 1920s. It addresses Attorney General William Langer and Mr. Wood with the top three crimes and fines from 1911-1917 and how they affected the community.

Eminent Domain And The Displacement Of Nd Families: The Impact Of The Garrison Dam, Lauren Steeves

History Hawks: A North Dakota History Zine

This zine looks at the consequences of the United States government exercising the power of eminent domain, as seen in the 1953 United States of America vs. Certain Lands case.

Education During Great Depression, Kora Bothum

History Hawks: A North Dakota History Zine

A story of a family struggling and trying to maintain an education in North Dakota in the 1930s.

Oklahoma V. Castro-Huerta, United States Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh

US Government Documents Related to Indigenous Nations

This United States (US) Supreme Court decision, argued April 27, 2022 and decided June 29, 2022 expanded the reach of state jurisdiction to allow for prosecution of crimes that occur on Indigenous land, regardless of whether or not a state is named as having such jurisdiction under US Public Law 280. In 2020, the US Supreme Court's decision on McGirt v. Oklahoma established that much of the eastern part of the state of Oklahoma is Indigenous land and therefore falls under either tribal jurisdiction or Federal jurisdiction. In 2015 Victor Manuel Castro-Huerta was charged and convicted of child neglect by …

Memorandum From Martin Cross To Senator Langer Regarding Several Bills That Cross Wants To See Though The Committee, Likely 1955, Martin Cross

William Langer Papers

This undated memorandum, from Three Affiliated Tribes Tribal Chairperson Martin Cross to United States (US) Senator William Langer, lists five US Senate Bills that Cross would like to see: US Senate Bill 2151 (S. 2151), US Senate Bill 1528 (S. 1528), US Senate Bill 746 (S. 746), US Senate Bill 1530 (S. 1530), and US Senate Bill 1956 (S. 1956).

There are some handwritten notes on the memorandum.

See also:

Telegram from Martin Cross to Senator Langer Regarding Senate Bills 2151 and 1528, February 23, 1956

An Act to Provide for the Segregation of Certain Funds of the Fort Berthold …

Letter From Barton Greenwood To Senator Langer Regarding Recommendation Of Frank Gordon For Superintendent Of The Fort Berthold Reservation, August 4, 1955, W. Barton Greenwood

William Langer Papers

This letter dated August 4, 1955, from acting Commissioner W. Barton Greenwood of the United States (US) Bureau of Indian Affairs to US Senator William Langer, acknowledges Langer's July 22th letter on behalf of Commissioner Glenn Emmons. Greenwood informs Langer that tribal members from the Three Affiliated Tribes recently visited to discuss the recommendation of Frank Gordon for superintendent of the Fort Berthold Indian Agency. Greenwood says that they were informed that Gordon would be given every consideration.

See also:

Resolution of the Governing Body of the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation Recommending Frank Gordon as Superintendent, …

Opinion Regarding The Status Of Mineral Ownership Underlying The Missouri River Within The Boundaries Of The Fort Berthold Reservation (North Dakota), United States Department Of The Interior, Robert T. Anderson

US Government Documents Related to Indigenous Nations

This memorandum, dated February 4, 2022, from the United States (US) Department of the Interior (Office of the Solicitor) to the Secretary and Assistant Secretary of Land and Minerals Management, the Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs, and the Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs rescinds the Solicitor’s May 26, 2020 opinion regarding mineral rights on the Fort Berthold Reservation which declared the state of North Dakota to be the owner of said rights. This memorandum reaffirms the January 17, 2017 opinion of Solicitor Hilary Tompkins that the rights belong to the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation. …

Article From Daily Compass, Mundt Bill Is Threat To U.S., Says Langer, Ca.1950, Daily Compass

William Langer Papers

This article from Daily Compass dated ca.1950 titled "Mundt Bill Is Threat To U.S., Says Langer" states Senator William Langer's opposition to the Mundt-Ferguson Bill. Senator Langer claims it is "the greatest threat to American civil liberties since the Alien and Sedition Laws of 1798".

Reclamation: Managing Water In The West; An Overview Of The Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program, United States Bureau Of Reclamation, Roger S. Otstot

US Government Documents Related to Indigenous Nations

This undated summary released by the Bureau of Reclamation offers a concise overview of the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin flood control plan which was enacted when Congressed passed the Flood Control Act of 1944. This plan led to the construction of several dams in the Missouri River basin, including the Garrison Dam. The completion of the Garrison Dam displaced the majority of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara people living on the Fort Berthold Reservation. This document contains tables, graphs, maps, and a photograph.

Overland Trail Game: A Lesson Plan, Alexandria Weber

Arts & Sciences Undergraduate Showcase

Educators of all levels are continuously looking for new ways to engage students with the content. Some post-secondary level instructors have embraced a unique method of role-playing games in their classrooms. Specially, many of these teachers have begun using Mark Carnes's pedagogy of Reacting to the Past. This method gamifies historical content to make it easier for students to relate to a diverse array of historical actors. To play these games, students must achieve a specific goal while pretending to be an assigned historical figure. Reacting to the Past lesson plans are one of a kind, high quality, peer-reviewed teaching …

Mcgirt V. Oklahoma, United States Supreme Court, Neil M. Gorsuch

US Government Documents Related to Indigenous Nations

This United States (US) Supreme Court case, decided July 9, 2020, clarified the boundaries of Indigenous land within the state of Oklahoma (OK) and, by extension, the limits of Oklahoma’s jurisdictional reach. Following the perpetration of his crimes in 1997, Oklahoma state court convicted Jimcy McGirt of three sexual offenses; however, McGirt contended that the state lacked the jurisdiction to try him for these crimes because he is an enrolled member of the Seminole Nation and because his crimes took place on the Creek Reservation (Muscogee Nation). Oklahoma argued that although an 1883 Treaty established a section of land for …

Status Of Mineral Ownership Underlying The Missouri River Within The Boundaries Of The Fort Berthold Indian Reservation (North Dakota), Department Of The Interior, Daniel H. Jorjani

US Government Documents Related to Indigenous Nations

This memorandum, dated May 26, 2020, from the United States Department of the Interior (Office of the Solicitor) to the Assistant Secretary of US Indian Affairs and the Assistant Secretary of Land and Minerals Management rescinds the Solicitor’s January 18, 2017 opinion regarding mineral rights on the Fort Berthold Reservation and asserts that the state of North Dakota, not the Three Affiliated Tribes, is the legal owner of the submerged lands beneath the Missouri River. The Solicitor cites the “Historical Examination of the Missouri River within the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, Precontact-1902” and his interpretation of laws and case precedent …

Interior Department And Army Corps Announce Restoration Of Tribal Lands For The Three Affiliated Tribes Of The Fort Berthold Reservation; Transfer Restores Nearly 25,000 Acres Of Tribal Homelands Lost To The Garrison Dam Project, Department Of The Interior, Assistant Secretary Of The Army For Civil Works

US Government Documents Related to Indigenous Nations

This news release, dated December 20, 2016, from the United States (US) Department of the Interior and the US Assistant Secretary of the Army announces the return of 24,959 acres of land on the Fort Berthold Reservation to the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation. The returned land was part of the 153,000 acres of land taken by the United States Government for construction of the Garrison Dam. The authority of this transfer is granted by the Fort Berthold Mineral Restoration Act of 1984 (Public Law 98-602). This press release provides some background on the Garrison Dam Project …

Fact Sheet: Potential Transfer Of Garrison Dam/Lake Sakakawea Project Lands, United States Army Corps Of Engineers

US Government Documents Related to Indigenous Nations

This 2016 fact sheet released by the United States (US) Army Corps of Engineers, discusses the potential return of lands within the Fort Berthold Reservation to the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation. The lands in question are part of 153,000 acres that were taken for the construction and operation of the Garrison Dam. The authority of this return is granted by the Fort Berthold Mineral Restoration Act of 1984 (Public Law 98-602). The fact sheet includes a brief history of the lands in question, the process of the return, and the status of the return.

Memorandum Of Agreement Between The Department Of The Interior And The Department Of The Army Pursuant To Section 206(B) Of The Fort Berthold Mineral Restoration Act, Public Law 98-602 (1984), United States Department Of The Interior, Us Department Of The Army (Civil Works), Us Department Of Indian Affairs

US Government Documents Related to Indigenous Nations

This Memorandum of Agreement, dated May 6, 2015, from the United States (US) Department of the Interior, the US Department of the Army (Civil Works), and the US Department of Indian Affairs, outlines the process by which a portion of land that was taken from the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation for construction and operation of the Garrison Dam be returned to the Three Affiliated Tribes. The authority of this return is granted by the Fort Berthold Mineral Restoration Act of 1984 (Public Law 98-602).

John F. Kennedy History, Memory, Legacy: An Interdisciplinary Inquiry, John Delane Williams, Robert G. Waite, Gregory S. Gordon

Open Educational Resources

On September 25, 1963, President John F. Kennedy traveled to Grand Forks, North Dakota, greeted its citizens while touring the city, and delivered a speech at the University of North Dakota Field House, which addressed important issues still vital today: environmental protection, conservation of natural resources, economic development, the struggle between democracy and totalitarianism, and the importance of education and public service. The University conferred on the President an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. Over 20,000 people assembled on campus that day to see JFK -- the largest campus gathering in UND history. Tragically, less than two months later, the …

Civil War Camps Of Instruction In Illinois: Exploring The Transition From Civilian To Soldier, Daniel C. Sauerwein

Theses and Dissertations

The study of Civil War soldiers is an emerging field in the scholarly study of the Civil War, especially since the 1980s. The historical works focus on a variety of subject areas, but all share the common thread of neglecting the soldier before he engaged in his first battle. It was in the camp of instruction that the soldier was born, transitioning from civilian to soldier.

Illinois established camps of instruction to train the men who fought for the Union. Based upon letters, diaries, and memoirs written by soldiers, as well as local newspapers of the era, a picture emerges …