United States History Commons^™

The Oil Crisis Of 1973: President Nixon’S Actions To Maintain American Prosperity, Meredith Haluga

American Studies Forum

The paper describes the Oil Crisis of 1973. It examines how President Nixon and his government reacted to the Oil Crisis in attempts to prevent the United States from being economically devastated by it. The work includes details about the actions that Nixon and the government took, the regulations set in place as a result, the reactions of Americans, and the lasting impacts of both the crisis and the regulations.

Johnson’S War: How Vietnam Tarnished A Presidency, Patrick Lyons

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

This Senior History thesis entitled, Johnson's War: How Vietnam Tarnished a Presidency, dives into the controversial and often questioned success of Lyndon Johnson as President of the United States. Specifically, the Vietnam War and its harsh effect on Johnson and the United States is debated throughout. The context expresses how Johnson's presidency would forever be tarnished by the stain the Vietnam War has left in American history. The steps taken during the Johnson administration were proven to be quite harmful to his reputation and the success of the nation. The decisions made and consequences that came with the Vietnam War …

Cook's "The Burning Of The White House" (Book Review), Jennifer A. Rich

The Christian Librarian

A review of Cook, J. H. (2106). The burning of the White House. Washington DC: Regnery History. 433 pp. $29.99. ISBN 9781621574781

Building A Legend: The Construction Of Brandenburg Field, Brett Collier

Paper and Posters Presentations

Since the construction of Brandenburg Field in 1922, it has been the home for four national championship football teams and has become a symbol for Pittsburg State University Athletics. This research project explored the construction of Brandenburg Field to find out why the University decided to build the stadium at that time and to demonstrate the significant relationship between athletic programs and strong academics. As other institutions of higher learning in Kansas developed, they built stadiums that would attract more students and community support. Pittsburg State did not want to be left out of the equation. With a new, large, …

Social Justice Through Collaboration, Miranda Rectenwald

WashU Libraries Presentations

Presented at Midwest Archives Conference, spring 2017 Annual Meeting. This talk briefly outlines two collaborative projects (Documenting Ferguson, and Mapping LGBTQ St. Louis) going on at Washington University Libraries. These projects aim to both preserve and provide access to primary source (archival materials) of under-represented people in our (collective) historic record. These collaborative projects include archive staff working actively with members of the community, leveraging technology, and being open to new ways of approaching traditional archive tasks such as outreach, collection acquisition, and reference.

Fear And Media: An Examination Of Serial Killers In 19th Century America, Tatyanna Johnson

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

This research is focused on two serial killers in the late 1800s and comparing the amount of media coverage for each case. They are H.H. Holmes who was killing in Chicago, Illinois and the Servant Girl Annihilator in Austin, Texas. Holmes was caught and convicted, while the Servant Girl Annihilator was not. This research shows that this was due, in majority, to the amount of media coverage for both cases. The Servant Girl Annihilator had minimal media coverage, mostly because of racial issues at the time, and he was never caught. In contrast, Holmes was convicted for insurance fraud and …

The Octofoil, April/May/June 2017, Ninth Infantry Division Association

The Octofoil

The Octofoil is the offical publication of the Ninth Infantry Division Association, Inc., an organization formed by the officers and men of the 9th Infantry Division in order to perpetuate the memory of fallen comrades, preserve the esprit de corps of the Division, promote peace and serve as an information bureau about the 9th Infantry Division. The Association is made up of 9th Infantry veterans from WWII and Vietnam, spouses, widows and lineal descendants.

Longstreet’S Attack From Seminary Ridge To The Rose Woods, Caitlin T. Connelly

Student Publications

This is an overview of a theoretical tour at Gettysburg focusing on Longstreet’s attack on the second day from Seminary Ridge to the Rose Woods. The three tour stops are the Mississippi Monument on West Confederate Avenue, the Peach Orchard, and photos of dead Confederate soldiers in the Rose Woods. After a brief overview of the attack, the paper introduces several questions raised by the historical landscape concerning the sense of history it conveys, how well the landscape currently reflects the experiences of soldiers, what drove soldiers to fight, and how the landscape expresses its own changing meanings. The paper …

Interpreting A Commemorative Landscape: The Eleventh Corps And Cemetery Hill, Bradley J. Klustner

Student Publications

An analysis of the memorialization of the land on and around Cemetery Hill on the Gettysburg battlefield as it pertained to the Union Eleventh Corps.

A Gettysburg "Streetscape," North Washington Street In 1925, Zachary C. Polley, Andrew I. Dalton

Student Publications

This paper explores life in Gettysburg on North Washington Street in 1925. It was the final project for Dr. Michael Birkner's Spring 2017 Historical Methods class.

Interpreting A Commemorative Landscape: Culp's Hill And Spangler's Spring, Zachary A. Wesley

Student Publications

Culp's Hill is described as one of the least visited and most under interpreted portions of Gettysburg National Military Park. This paper analyzes some of the sites in the vicinity of Culp's Hill and Spangler's Spring to create a picture of both the fighting on July 2, 1863, and the interactions of veterans and tourists with the area in the years and decades following the Civil War.

"My Brigade Suffered Severely & Behaved Well" - Longstreet’S Attack Of July 2nd And Its Greater Memory, Jesse R. Campana

Student Publications

An analytical study of the July 2nd, 1863 Confederate assault at Gettysburg both during and after the fighting.

Visual Culture Project: Confederate War Etchings: Searching For Arms By Adalbert Johann Volck, Lynn B. Hatcher

Student Publications

Adalbert Johann Volck’s 1861 sketch of Union soldiers, “Searching for Arms,” represents a substantial contribution to the narrative about gender relations during the American Civil War. This simple, small sketch offers the observer a window into the past. It is a collision of symbols and meaning—from gender to war to the household—all wrapped up in one image. This is a portrait sketch of a woman being invaded in her domestic, private sphere, revealing so much about gender relations during the time. The mistress herself seemed to embody a vast range of sentiments such as anger, fear, frailty, and strength, proving …

Visual Culture Analysis Of "The Last Ditch Of The Chivalry, Or A President In Petticoats", Sarah A. Hansen

Student Publications

This lithograph is a Northern depiction of the capture of former Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Titled "The Last Ditch of the Chivalry, or a President in Petticoats", and picturing Davis in a woman’s dress and bonnet, the Northern press painted Davis as a coward. Rather than being a man and standing up to the Union troops, Davis disguised himself as a woman and attempted to cowardly escape. Although in actuality Davis was wearing a rain jacket and shawl rather than a full dress and bonnet, the Northern press mocked him. This piece demonstrates the prominence of male Southern honor, and …

The World War Ii Letters Of Richard Schade, Ashley N. Sonntag

Student Publications

Richard Schade was a newlywed when he was drafted into the United States Army on January 29, 1943, in Camden, New Jersey. While stationed in the United States during World War II, he wrote a series of letters to his new wife, Betty. Many of these letters were love letters discussing deep love as well as the active plan to start a family. Through the letters written over the course of months he records his daily duties, concerns, dreams, and various information about the conditions in the military. His letters developed into a valuable insight into the life of a …

The Centennial Of The Great War, Thomas J. Crafa

Student Publications

A personal reflection on the centennial of America's entry into The Great War.

A Moment In History Relevant To The Modern Era, Brandon R. Katzung Hokanson

Student Publications

April 6, 1917 is a date that deserves great recognition and remembrance in the United States. On that day, the United States chose to enter a war that it had previously so ardently tried to avoid. Upon entrance, the United States forged a new national identity that looked past racial and religious barriers with a new mission to protect global democracy. On April 6, 2017, the 100th anniversary of America entering the First World War, news and other media throughout the United States seemed to care so little about the significance of the date and unfortunately passed over an excellent …

The Great War Then And Now: Reflections On America’S Declaration Of War, Thomas S. Potter

Student Publications

This short essay explores the many impacts of the 1917 U.S. entry to World War I on the author's hometown of Pennington, NJ, and the reaction of its residents at the time.

The Letters Of Stewart Winfield Herman Jr. An American Pastor In Berlin, 1936-1941, Lucy A. Marks

Student Publications

This paper provides an analysis of the experiences of Stewart Herman Winfield Jr based on a collection of his letters on loan to Gettysburg College from the Gettysburg Lutheran Seminary. This paper discusses Herman’s experiences as a student in Strasburg and Gottingen, and as the pastor of the American church of Berlin from 1936 – 1941. Born in Harrisburg, Herman attended Gettysburg College, and the Gettysburg Lutheran Seminary. Herman’s letters provide both a pastoral and an American perspective on the start of WWII and Nazism in Germany. Herman traveled frequently and witnessed the changes that Berlin faced during World War …

Ursinus Magazine, Spring / Summer 2017, William H. Barnaby, Margaret Williams, Wendy Greenberg, Ellen Labrecque, Ed Moorhouse, Rebecca Evans, Catherine Chambliss, S. Ross Doughty, Laura Moliken, Edward Onaci, Kara Mcshane, Jon Volkmer

Ursinus Magazine, 1995–Present

Core values • Celebrate student achievement • Triple play for NSF fellowship • Transitions • Pit stop • Wrestling with ethics • Ursinus is 'summerbursting' • Lights, camera, Airband • Media mentions • Lost and found: The Freeland Hall bell • The farmer and the coach • How Ursinus is helping to shape the liberal arts in Hong Kong and what we're learning from them • Students teaching teachers: Ursinus student consultants are improving the classroom experience • Cinema scope • The transition • A campus engaged in gender rights • Anatomy of Commencement • Carla Rinde knows a thing …

Black Gold: Molly Maguireism, Unionism, And The Anthracite Labor Wars, 1860-1880, Samantha Edmiston

History Theses & Dissertations

The class and ethnic tensions that manifested in the anthracite coal fields of Pennsylvania were a microcosm of the broader, nation-wide labor wars of the late-nineteenth century. These labor wars, violent and sometimes bloody, shaped workingmen’s condition and the larger history of unionism. The Molly Maguires, in both their real and imagined form counted as key protagonists in these wars between big business and unions. More local wars also occurred between workers, those like the Mollies who wanted to use violence to encourage change, and others who instead sought to peacefully organize and bargain collectively with their employers.

This thesis …

A Time Of Change: Public Education In Galena, Illinois During The Postwar Era, Brett H. Noble

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The years after World War II brought profound changes to American society. The expansion of government power, the influence of experts, and the demand to conform joined with technological innovations to revamp institutions throughout the United States. Public education underwent sweeping changes during this time. The revision of tax codes, curriculum initiatives, and improved transportation brought about the end of the one-room schoolhouse.

In Galena, Illinois, a small city in the state’s northwestern corner, the school system emerged from the war years in need of reform. Overcrowded schools and a skeletal and outdated curriculum brought calls from residents for improvement. …

3rd Place Research Paper: “Cry ‘Havoc!’ And Let Slip The Dogs Of War!”: The Canine Experience In The A.E.F., Amanda Larsh

Kevin and Tam Ross Undergraduate Research Prize

For thousands of years man and canine have hunted, fought, and survived together, eventually strengthening their relationship and reaching the bond experienced in modern times. Although scientists remain unsure as to when canine domestication began, modern dogs are dramatically different from their ancestors in more ways than merely the size of their snout.^[1] While World War I signaled a new era of warfare for humans, the role dogs played was not new or unfamiliar. Dogs battled alongside humans since the Stone Age, performed sentry duty under Napoleon’s rule of Alexandria and acted as scouts in the Spanish-American War.^{[2] …}

The Grizzly, March 30, 2017, Brian Thomas, Johnny Myers, Naseem Syed, Sienna Coleman, Erin Mckinney, Kevin Leon, Rachel Glick, Hunter Gellman, Fran Liberatoscioli

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Ursinus to Begin Offering Summer Courses to Students, Community Members • Students Share Diverse Experiences in UCARE Sponsored Diversity Monologues • Is There Declining Student Interest in the Philadelphia Experience? • "Stop Kiss" Brings Story of Love and Heartbreak to the Stage • Professor Finds a New Approach to Academics with Brooklyn Institute for Social Research • Opinions: Students Need to Start Contacting Their Representatives; Here's Why I Relay for Life at Ursinus College • The HEART of Ursinus Cardiovascular Research • Ursinus Tennis Coach Reaches 100 Career Victories, Wins Coach of the Year Award

Waite, Martin Van Buren, 1843-1923 (Sc 3105), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 3105. Letter, 14 September 1862, of Martin Waite to his brother Jonathan in Hortonville, Wisconsin. Camped with the 1st Wisconsin Infantry near Bowling Green, he refers to aspects of camp life including inspections, procuring honey from bees, and an African-American cook, John Brown, who speaks of his abolitionist namesake. He remarks on how much he has seen of the world since becoming a soldier, expresses confidence in the power of the “blue tailed Yankees,” and asks Jonathan about exchanging greenbacks for gold or silver. Includes envelope imprinted with pro-Union image.

The Legacy Of “Old Osawatomie”: John Brown In Art And Memory, Ryan Bilger

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

This, of course, is no deity, but rather John Brown, a man who received many appellations both during and after his lifetime. Abolitionist. Murderer. Freedom fighter. Terrorist. And this picture is known as Tragic Prelude, painted by the American regionalist artist John Steuart Curry. A native of Kansas, Curry received a commission from Governor Walter Huxman in the late 1930s to paint a series of murals depicting the state’s history for the Kansas State Capitol Building. Other scenes in the mural cycle included depictions of the explorer Francisco Coronado and Padre Padilla, but the most recent scene, as well …

The Nixon Administration And American Foreign Relations, Luke A. Nichter

Presidential Studies Faculty Books and Book Chapters

Assessments of President Richard Nixon’s foreign policy continue to evolve as scholars tap new possibilities for research. Due to the long wait before national security records are declassified by the National Archives and made available to researchers and the public, only in recent decades has the excavation of the Nixon administration’s engagement with the world started to become well documented. As more records are released by the National Archives (including potentially 700 hours of Nixon’s secret White House tapes that remain closed), scholarly understanding of the Nixon presidency is likely to continue changing. Thus far, historians have pointed to four …

“Long Cold Days”: The Natural Ice Industry, 1880 To 1940, Andrew Olson

Research in the Capitol

On January 30, 1908, ice harvester Frank Osgood, who was hard at work on the Cedar River during a viciously cold day taking ice blocks cut from the river then up the elevator to the ice house, “froze his eye lids.” Common tasks in the natural ice industry required workers to be out in the coldest winter conditions to produce blocks of frozen water for sale to those who kept food fresh year-round. Hard physical labor permeates the natural ice industry’s fascinating history and is often overlooked, but the story of Osgood and those like him offers insight into the …

Morgan, William Montrose, 1842-1926 (Sc 3104), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding Aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 3104. Letter, 12 January 1862, of Wisconsin volunteer Montrose Morgan to his sister and brother-in-law, Thomas and Orissa Harney. From Camp Wood in Kentucky, he writes of military forces in the area and the possibility of battle, the completion of a bridge across the Green River, and a recent meeting with Confederates under a flag of truce. He also refers to having Confederate major general Simon Bolivar Buckner “hop” (or “pop”) after an expected massing of Union forces.

A Taste Of The Civil War: Barbara Sanders’ Lecture On Civil War Era Food, Savannah Labbe

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

There are few ways to better immerse oneself in the past than through food. It is relatively easy to follow a recipe from the Civil War era and enjoy the same cuisine as Union and Confederate soldiers. In this way, one can experience the past in a most interactive way. Experiencing the past was accomplished in the lecture “Hearth, Hardtack, and Hospital: A Close Look (and Taste) of Civil War Era Food,” given by Gettysburg National Military Park education specialist Barbara J. Sanders. The lecture focused on the topic of the interaction between history and food, specifically in the Civil …