United States History Commons^™

Eugene Talmadge’S Library Book Purge Of 1941, David B. Parker

Georgia Library Quarterly

In Summer 1941, Governor Eugene Talmadge ordered a purging of 23 books from Georgia’s public school libraries. The books covered several subjects: race relations, sex education, evolution, South-bashing, states’ rights, communism, and more. He was planning on running for a US Senate seat in 1942, and perhaps he did this to attract voter support—showing that he would protect the state’s traditional values from various modern threats. There was immediate opposition, with many people comparing Talmadge’s ban to German Nazism.

The El Mozote Massacre Of 1981: Central American Human Rights And United States Cold War Policy, Abbey Botko

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

This research explores the motivations behind the denial of the 1981 El Mozote Massacre in El Salvador. In this event, the US-backed Atlácatl battalion of the Salvadoran Army brutally killed over 500 Indigenous peoples in the department of Morazán. Despite multiple eyewitness accounts of the massacre, both the United States and Salvadoran governments repeatedly denied responsibility for the event.

This project is based on official US governmental documents from the Central Intelligence Agency, Department of Defense, Department of State, and Congress. These documents illuminate conversations within the government concerning knowledge about the massacre, plans for continuing foreign aid, and further …

The Grizzly, October 30, 2025, Renee Washart, Julia Picklo, Nathaniel Nerone, Sidney Belleroche, Caitlin Cunnane, Claudia Tracy, Erin Ewing, Jesse Cherone, Adam Denn

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Hannigan Removed as College President • Ursinus' Halloweekend History • Board Chair Speaks on Institution-Wide Concerns • Cold Seats, Late Starts • Witches' Brew • Deer Factor: Repellent or Rebellion? • The Fear Factor: How the Scariest Sport Faces Fright • Football Bears Battle Down the Stretch

Marking Their Sacrifice: Headstones And History For Usct Veterans In Jacksonville, Florida, Christian Merkley

PANDION: The Osprey Journal of Research and Ideas

This research project investigated the unmarked graves of United States Colored Troops (USCT) veterans buried in Jacksonville, Florida. Despite their critical role in securing Union victory and advancing Black freedom during the Civil War, these soldiers were often denied pensions and formal recognition, including headstones. In collaboration with the University of North Florida and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, the project involved archival research, military record verification, and cemetery documentation to confirm the service and burial sites of sixteen USCT veterans. Using resources such as Fold3, Works Progress Administration (WPA) grave registries, and institutional archives, the project resulted in the …

The Grizzly, October 23, 2025, Renee Washart, Julia Picklo, Nathaniel Nerone, Erin Ewing, Caitlin Cunnane, Kate Adams

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Opportunities in Motion • Spooky Spectacles and Enchanting Art • In the Blood: A Visceral Scarlet Letter Stage Adaptation • The MAA Fortnightly Question • Greetings From Ireland • The Best and Worst of C-Store (In My Humble Opinion) • An Injured Athlete's Experience: Emma Reinert • Bears' Players of the Week • Field Hockey Fights to Keep Season Alive

Deslenguadas: A Photo Essay On The Performative Remembering Of The Impact Of 1940s Americanization Programs In Northern New Mexico, Yvonne M. Montoya, Fawn-Amber Montoya

International Journal on Responsibility

This photo essay captures the dance performance Deslenguadas by choreographer Yvonne Montoya. Deslenguadas, a dance inspired by a writing of the same name published in Gloria Anzaldúa’s Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza, is a series of three dances – one duet and two solos. The dances in the series explore the impact the forced loss of the Spanish language had on three generations of one nuevomexicano family from the 1940s to the present day. Through dance, movement, projected animation, and spoken word, the dances explore how each generation internalized racism and shame. At the same time, these generations …

Socialism’S Contribution To An Important Episode In Bronx And New York Music History, Mark Naison

Occasional Essays

At a time when NYC may be electing its first openly Socialist mayor, it is time to share this story about Socialism’s contribution to an important episode in New York Music History.

Indiana At A Glance: County Trends, 2025 Edition, Roberto Gallardo

Purdue University Press Books

Indiana at a Glance: County Trends, 2025 Edition provides an overview of macro socioeconomic and demographic trends based on county-level data in ten-year periods in Indiana, the upper Midwest region, and the nation. Analyzing data primarily from 2013 through 2023, this book presents information that contextualizes the design and implementation of specific policies enacted by elected officials and community leaders, and reveals the impact these initiatives have on the public.

Inspired, in part, by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Rural America at a Glance reports, as well as the author’s more than twenty years of work in the field, …

America’S Best Idea: The Separation Of Church And State, A Review, Michael A. Smith

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

This article critically assesses Randall Balmer’s America’s Best Idea, a historical and legal examination of the Jeffersonian principle of church-state separation. Drawing on Jefferson’s 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptists and Roger Williams’ earlier theological insights, Balmer frames the metaphorical “wall” as both a constitutional safeguard and cultural cornerstone. The review analyzes the book’s treatment of evolving Supreme Court jurisprudence, particularly the shift from strict separationism to accommodationism in recent decisions. It contextualizes this legal transformation within the broader rise of Christian Nationalism, examining the ideological and institutional pressures reshaping civic discourse. While affirming Balmer’s historical rigor and rhetorical …

The Architects Of Consensus: Propaganda, Patriotism, And The Owi’S Battle For The American Mind, Ryan G. Fix

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

During World War II, the Office of War Information (OWI) became the United States' most sophisticated domestic propaganda agency, charged with forging national unity in the face of global conflict. This paper explores how the OWI fused federal authority with private-sector cooperation to influence public sentiment through film, advertising, journalism, and rumor control. Rather than resorting to direct censorship, the agency relied on voluntary collaboration, emotional appeal, and strategic framing to shape a coherent narrative that blurred the line between democratic persuasion and ideological management. Drawing on an extensive range of primary sources, including internal memos, field reports, and public …

Shaping Wartime Illinois: Dwight H. Green’S Re-Election Campaign Of 1944, Cole D. Klicker

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

The 1944 Illinois gubernatorial election was a pivotal moment in the state’s political history, taking place amidst the broader context of World War II. Despite Illinois voters supporting Franklin D. Roosevelt’s fourth presidential term and electing a Democratic senator, they diverged at the state level by re-electing Republican Governor Dwight H. Green. This raises the central research question: What factors contributed to Dwight H. Green’s successful re-election campaign in 1944, and how did his political strategies, governance, and alignment with 1940s Republican values shape the outcome of the election? This study explores Green’s ability to navigate the complex political environment …

The Morality Of The Civil War: Just War Theory And Union Policy And Conduct, Michael Payne

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

This article shall argue that the Union army, which was composed primarily of Christian soldiers and officers, prosecuted the Civil War in as moral a fashion as possible. It shall examine the different ways in which one can judge the morality of war, concluding that the tenets of Just War Theory are the best standard by which to judge a belligerent’s actions. It shall then examine Union war policy to determine if it is consistent with Just War Theory. This shall be done through a side-by-side comparison of Just War Theory’s tenets and Union policy. It shall then explore whether …

The Boxer Rebellion And Missionaries: A Study Of Historical Context And Ideological Perspectives, Danielle Russano-Simpkins

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

This paper examines the complex interplay between missionary activity, imperial ambitions, and indigenous resistance in China during the Boxer Rebellion (1899-1901). Analyzing primary sources and revisionist accounts, it is argued that the rebellion exposed the contradictions between missionaries' spiritual goals and their complicity in imperial structures. The study highlights how missionary theology, imperial relationships, and local resistance converged to create one of modern history's most significant anti-foreign uprisings, shaping subsequent Sino-Western relations and Chinese nationalism.

America's Pastime Under The Fog Of War: A Study Of The Impact Of World War Ii On Major League Baseball's Finest, Jacob Slusser

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

World War II was a crucial point in world history and many men could not escape the desire to fight and defend their country. One subsection of men that fought in the war is the many men that competed in Major League Baseball and its affiliate leagues, the minors and the Negro League. Players that served in the war lost valuable time in their playing careers, despite this many would eventually enter the National Baseball Hall of Fame. This study used an analysis of primary and second sources to determine where players served and analyze their pre- and post-war careers. …

Thou Art Not Yet Dead: The Existential Struggle Of Indians In Eighteen-Century North America, I. B. Landry

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

The popular narrative of Indians in America typically has its genesis in the era of the Revolution. By pushing the scope of this narrative back only twenty years, one would find thriving indigenous population groups, contrary to the perception given to them in a story of America that begins with the War of Independence. By taking a traditionally neutral position, the Indians helped in maintaining a North American balance of power in every conflict preceding the Seven Years’ War. The wars ebbed and flowed according to the allegiances of the Indians. Not only would the Seven Years’ War be …

The Grizzly, October 9, 2025, Renee Washart, Adam Denn, Sidney D. Belleroche, Nathaniel Nerone, Erin Ewing, Jesse Cherone

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Ursinus Hall of Fame Construction • A Compiled List of Student Benefits, Discounts and More • Meet the Grizzly Team • President Hannigan Talks Affordability, DEI • Ursinus Student Starts Day Trading Club • For What it's Worth: My Experience Protesting on Campus • Men's Soccer Gears Up for Conference Play • Players of the Week • Football Falls Short in Conference Battle

What Can Bird Poop Teach Us About The History Of U.S. Imperialism?: Guano Islands And Manifest Destiny Beyond Continental Borders, Eliot Fackler

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

In high school and college history courses, Manifest Destiny is often taught as a period when the United States expanded across the North American continent in the decades before the Civil War. This article outlines an inquiry-driven lesson examining the Antebellum guano rush and its devastating consequences to show that Manifest Destiny was also characterized by extracontinental imperial ambitions. It highlights the lasting impacts of the 1856 Guano Islands Act and links the guano rush to subsequent empire-building efforts, U.S. militarism, and ecological destruction. The article provides relevant background history, descriptions of possible class activities and assessments, and options for …

The Grizzly, October 2, 2025, Renee Washart, Sidney D. Belleroche, Adam Denn, Ash Twomey, Claudia Tracy, Sophia Kumar, Erin Ewing, Emily A. Veasey

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Protests at Campus Charlie Kirk Memorial Screenings • Recovery Month Continues Past September at Ursinus • UC Theater Performs Harvey • President Hannigan Talks Financials, Retention, and More • More Than a Mic: WVOU's New Era Begins • Where's the Fun in Fashion? • Ursinus Goes "All-In" • Volleyball Looks to Repeat History

Kicking In The Copper Country: The Rise And Fall Of Early Soccer In Michigan's Upper Peninsula 1909-1914, Gabe Logan

Upper Country: A Journal of the Lake Superior Region

Near the beginning of the twentieth century, Cornish miners introduced soccer to Michigan's Upper Peninsula. They initially played informal scrimmages and friendlies until 1909 when several mining communities organized the Copper League. This began spirited competition until the Copper Strike of 1913-1914 terminated interest in the sport. Following labor hostilities, many players moved away from the Keweenaw and ended this once promising league.

An Imperfect Explication Of An Ambiguous Constitution: The Federalist Papers, Ian J. Penner

History Senior Capstone

With the rise of originalism as a viable legal philosophy, American legal scholars have seen an increased appeal to writings contemporary to 1787 -- first among these sources being the Federalist Papers. However, it may be time for a critical study of Hamilton, Madison, and Jay's essays in order to prevent over-citation of the papers. By understanding the context of the papers, who wrote them, and what the intention of Publius were, legal scholars and historians can both learn the proper place of the Federalist papers as valid, yet conditioned source of Constitutional meaning.

Overland With Ernst Heinen: A Newly Discovered 1864 Bridger Trail Diary, Caroline L. Gilson

Library Faculty publications

In 1864, Joseph Ernst Johann Heinen, age 27, travelled from Illinois to California for a work opportunity. His route and travel experiences were recorded in a diary, which has been transcribed, with footnotes. Research and work was conducted by Gilson, along with DePauw University students. This article includes the full transcription of the 1864 diary, a biography of Ernst Heinen and notes on sources consulted.

Review Of God’S Long Summer: Stories Of Faith And Civil Rights, Jenny N. Liang

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

No abstract provided.

History 104- History Of Modern Us, Stephen F. Haller Phd

Open Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

0894: G. W. “Jerry” Sutphin River Transportation Collection, 1832-2024, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

Gerald W. “Jerry” Sutphin was a nationally recognized river historian from Huntington. He graduated from Mullens High School and Marshall University and became an army officer. Sutphin worked for and retired from the United States Army Corps of Engineers before spending twenty years operating his own business, Visual Information Ltd. The author of Sternwheelers on the Great Kanawha River, he also wrote a number of articles and contributed to numerous publications with words and/or photographs. Sutphin provided historical presentations on the Delta Queen and other large sternwheel excursion boats and served as a consultant for several documentaries and exhibits. Sutphin …

Syllabus: History 15200: The United States From The Civil War Era To The Present, Adam Kocurek

Open Educational Resources

This course explores the modern history of the United States with an emphasis on social and cultural history, focusing on larger societal change as well as the creation of an “American identity.” This course will particularly focus on the experiences of historically marginalized people, resistance movements, and the agents of social transformation

Abolitionism And The Struggle Against Slavery In Livingston County, Justin Behrend Ph.D.

History

This article examines the abolitionist movement in Livingston County, New York, through the records of the Livingston County Anti-Slavery Society. It shows how this region in Western New York transformed from one where slavery was tolerated to one where people fought against slavery during the Civil War. Activists between 1837 and 1839 organized meetings to spread abolitionism and to push the United States to abolish slavery.

Elite Southern Views On Chinese Labor From Reconstruction To Exclusion, Spencer Livengood

The Ozark Historical Review

This paper discusses the shift in Southern attitudes toward Chinese immigrants during the period between the Civil War and the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Immediately following the war, those attitudes were generally positive; however, once Reconstruction state governments were overthrown, the South’s political class rapidly aligned itself with western anti-Chinese voices in the papers and in Congress.

The Varied Response Of Cherokees To Land Allotment, Jacob Cummings

The Ozark Historical Review

This paper analyzes Cherokee opposition to allotment, a United States policy, expressed in the 1887 Dawes Act and other U.S. legislation and executive orders, that coerced tribal nations to break their communally held lands into private holdings, or allotments. This paper argues that the shifting beliefs, political views, and grassroots movements surrounding allotment, and its closely related issues, were both based in and influenced by personal and political interests, as well as from traditional, collective Cherokee values and spirituality.

Into The Canebrakes: Arkansas And Naacp's Campaign For A Federal Anti-Lynching Law, Marie Claire Durr

The Ozark Historical Review

Race relations worsened and violence driven by racism increased following World War I. As a result, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or the NAACP, began to scout out cases they could employ in the fight to enshrine federal protections against racial terrorism that were exemplified in Arkansas' 1919 Elaine Massacre and the 1921 lynching of Henry Lowery.

The Grizzly, September 25, 2025, Renee Washart, Julia Picklo, Laela Stackhouse, Sophia Kumar, Claudia Tracy, Caitlin Cunnane, Erin Ewing, Jesse Cherone

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Let's Talk About the CARBO-Nation • Greek Life Numbers • Power Surge: Ursinus Goes Lights Out! • This Time in History! • The Writing is, Literally, on the Wall • GRRRL on the Street • A Sports Switch-up: Lippay Guards Goal for Bears • Football Rolls to 3-0 Start!