American Politics Commons^™

A Modern Perspective On Hamilton And Jefferson, Michael A. Walsh

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The Broadway Musical Hamilton has created a newfound interest in the life of its title character, Alexander Hamilton. One notable trend has been that Hamilton has grown as an icon on the American left. Simultaneously, Thomas Jefferson, Hamilton’s main antagonist in history and the musical, has seen his position within the Democratic Party, and as such the American left-wing, diminish. Using a broad literature review of each man’s work, this paper seeks to analyze where Hamilton and Jefferson would actually fit within the modern political landscape, based on their own political views. My research finds that this effort is in …

Hillary Rodham Clinton And Shifts In Gendered Rhetorical Style, Mackenzie Lombardi

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Hillary Rodham Clinton is arguably the most visible and controversial female political figure of our time. As First Lady, the Senator from New York, the Secretary of State, and a two-time Presidential candidate, the rhetorical space around Clinton is saturated with cultural assumptions of gender, power, and politics. In many ways Clinton is emblematic of the infamous “double bind” that all women who seek to challenge normative gendered roles must inevitably face. Much academic and cultural focus has been centered on the ways in which Hillary Rodham Clinton is a subject of gendered rhetoric. This paper, instead, builds on the …

La Beauté Est Dans La Rue | Beauty Is In The Street, Risd Archives

Politics

Situationist International poster reprised from Spring 1968 Paris Student protest, advocated uprisings in the streets

Render Unto Caesar: How Misunderstanding A Century Of Free Exercise Jurisprudence Forged And Then Fractured The Rfra Coalition, John S. Blattner

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis provides a comprehensive history of Supreme Court Free Exercise Clause jurisprudence from 1879 until the present day. It describes how a jurisdictional approach to free exercise dominated the Court’s rulings from its first Free Exercise Clause case in 1879 until Sherbert v. Verner in 1963, and how Sherbert introduced an accommodationist precedent which was ineffectively, incompletely, and inconsistently defined by the Court. This thesis shows how proponents of accommodationism furthered a false narrative overstating the scope and consistency of Sherbert’s precedent following the Court’s repudiation of accommodationism and return to full jurisdictionalism with Employment Division v. Smith …

American Voter Attitudes Towards Divided Government, Tyler Ferrari

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Divided government has been a major part of American politics for decades, and it has made governing often difficult at times. Recently, this type of government has proven to be especially frustrating for many voters, so why do they vote to keep this government? Are there partisan reasons for voting for a split ticket, or is the answer more fundamental? This paper highlights the facts and reasons for polarization, ranging from ideology to trust in the federal government as a whole. This paper utilizes the ANES 2012 Study to illustrate that it is not just political ideology that plays a …

Resistance., Empire Resistance, Risd Archives

Politics

Advertisement for strategic planning session for 2016 post-election resistance.

This Isn't Us, Nick Unknown, Risd Archives

Politics

Political protest poster. Anti-Trump poster post 2016 presidential election.

Post Campaign Artists And Designers In Action, Risd Research, Risd Archives

Politics

Advertisement for a RISD Community meeting to contemplate the meaning of the 2016 Presidential Election and next steps for political and cultural engagement.

No! Signs Of Protest, S. Smith, Risd Archives

Politics

Advertisement asking for posters and images related to post-election protests.

Can Gianforte’S Millions Buy Montana’S Governorship?, Evan Barrett

Highlands College

A newspaper column by Evan Barrett.

Published newspaper columns written by Evan Barrett on this topic, which vary somewhat in content from this commentary, appeared in the following publications:

Montana Standard, October 24, 2016

Drake, Kentucky - Precinct Directory (Sc 3054), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscript Small Collection 3054. Precinct Directory and Voting List for Drake Precinct, Warren County, Kentucky. Contains voters’ names, post office, occupation, party affiliation, race and sex. The list appears to have been compiled for an election to be held on 8 November 1927.

How Civility Works, Keith Bybee

Institute for the Study of the Judiciary, Politics, and the Media at Syracuse University

Is civility dead? Americans ask this question every election season, but their concern is hardly limited to political campaigns. Doubts about civility regularly arise in just about every aspect of American public life. Rudeness runs rampant. Our news media is saturated with aggressive bluster and vitriol. Our digital platforms teem with expressions of disrespect and trolls. Reflecting these conditions, surveys show that a significant majority of Americans believe we are living in an age of unusual anger and discord. Everywhere we look, there seems to be conflict and hostility, with shared respect and consideration nowhere to be found. In a …

Election Districts - Warren County, Kentucky (Sc 3050), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3050. Class action complaint filed by five voters in U.S. District Court, Bowling Green, Kentucky, alleging malapportionment of election districts. The complaint seeks declarative and injunctive relief against the current apportionment and against holding a primary election for justices of the peace and constables. Details of the previous and current apportionments are included.

How The City Of Indianapolis Came To Have African American Policemen And Firemen 80 Years Before The Modern Civil Rights Movement., Leon E. Bates

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explores a series of events that occurred in the spring of 1876. The relationship between the Indianapolis city government, the Marion County Courts, the Indianapolis Police Department, and the African American community came together to usher in changes never before envisioned. The Indianapolis Police Department (IPD) was formed in 1855, then disbanded 12 months later in a political dispute. From 1857-to-1876, the IPD was all white. These changes took place as the Reconstruction era was coming to a close. The first Ku Klux Klan was at its apex, terrorizing black communities, and Jim Crow was coming into its …

Social Media & Political Engagement: Environmental Organizations, Social Media And Political Engagement, Tyler Cate

Political Science Theses and Capstones

Social media is becoming more important in today’s digital society, but how effective is the use of social media when it comes to political engagement? How do environmental organizations use social media and is it effective in encouraging their “followers” to engage in online and/or offline political activity? I collected Facebook and Twitter data from ten environmental organizations to assess the effectiveness of each posting. I hypothesize that the groups making direct calls for action via social media receive a greater response – beyond “clicktivism” or “slacktivism” – than the groups that do not. The data includes the number of …

Newspaper Coverage Of U.S. Senate Debates, William L. Benoit, Corey Davis

Speaker & Gavel

Political debates are important message forms, capable of informing and in-fluencing voters. However, news coverage of debates informs and influences both those who watch, and those who do not watch, the debates. This study compared the content (functions and topics) of 10 U.S. Senate debates from 1998-2004 with the content of newspaper articles about those particular debates. Newspaper coverage of debates was significantly more negative than the debates themselves, reporting a higher percentage of attacks and a smaller percentage of acclaims than the candidates employed. The newspaper articles also stressed character more, and policy less, than the candidates. This journalistic …

Politics Between And Within Us: Authenticity And Theatricality In Modern Political Thought, Daniel J. Mccool

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation details the ways in which two distinct models of politics — the politics of authenticity and the politics of theatricality — have influenced political rhetoric and activity in America and beyond. The focus on authenticity in politics goes back to the ancients, yet it has taken on greater political significance in the modern era. Morally-charged language of “telling the truth”, or “being oneself” in politics has meant that public judgment and analysis has increasingly focused on the interiority of the speaker: one’s intentions, feelings and consistency, rather than on the persuasive case one is attempting to communicate. In …

Campaign Announcement Analysis: Carly Fiorina, Kelly M. Wingerson

Rhetorical Analyses of the Announcement Speeches of Presidential Hopefuls

An application of Medhurst’s (2005) conceptual overview of presidential campaign on Carly Fiorina's announcement for her presidential run.

Ben Carson, Zacary W. Jaconetti

Rhetorical Analyses of the Announcement Speeches of Presidential Hopefuls

No abstract provided.

Phrases, Politics, And Paul, Kathryn E. Krajewski Ms.

Rhetorical Analyses of the Announcement Speeches of Presidential Hopefuls

This paper is an analysis of the language used in presidential candidate Rand Paul's 2015 Announcement Speech. After reading this paper, the reader should have a better understanding in general about how politicians use language to try to obtain more supporters and to get more people to vote for them.

The Records & Papers Of The New York State Women’S Political Caucus, Brooklyn College

Finding Aids

The New York State Women’s Political Caucus is a thriving branch of the national organization. Adele Cohen, the creator of this collection, was highly involved with the organization on the state and national level and served as the president of the New York State caucus from 1992-1994. She began her association with NWPC in the 1980s and remained actively involved after her presidency.

The documents in this collection range in date from the late 1980s to the early 2000s and include information on the governance and activities of the organization as well as correspondence, newsletters, and endorsements.

The Papers Of Peter James Mcguinness, Brooklyn College

Finding Aids

The Papers of Peter J. McGuinness profiles the political career of Peter McGuinness, his power in the local Brooklyn Democratic party and in city government, as well as his civic dedication to the place he called “The Garden Spot of the World,” his neighborhood of Greenpoint, Brooklyn. McGuiness held was an elected official from 1919 to 1948.

The bulk of this collection is in the form of large scrapbooks containing news clippings collected by McGuiness. The eleventh box contains correspondence, speeches, photographs and personal memorabilia.

Remaking American Greatness, Aubrey M. Waddick

Op-Ed Pieces

Op Eds, or opinion editorials, are typically published in daily newspapers and can raise awareness about a particular topic or aim to persuade others. For this project each student wrote an op-ed in which they presented their opinion or thoughts about the issue of islamophobic discourse coming from Republican candidates, especially Donald Trump.

Trump As A Chicken, Students Of Risd, Risd Archives

Politics

Political protest poster. Anti-Trump poster caricature of Trump as a chicken.

Exposed, Students Of Risd, Risd Archives

Politics

Political protest poster. Anti-Trump, anti-Ted Cruz, anti-Republican poster. Test reads: "You're not homophobic. You're just a republican. Exposed. The political use of homophobia has become a ubiquitous part of the contemporary political landscape and political gain."

Know Your Rights, Students Of Risd, Risd Archives

Politics

The National Lawyers Guild RI and Providence iww General Defense Committee poster advertising a "Know Your Rights Training" free, public informational event "..to learn the basics of asserting your rights when dealing with the police".

Beware Twitter: Trump's Mouth Lies, 2econd Amendment, Risd Archives

Politics

Anti-Trump poster.

Down With Trumpets, Risd Archives

Politics

Letterpress anti-Trump poster.

Voting, Politics, And Gender: Has America Paved The Way For A Female President?, Hannah Bower

CMC Senior Theses

The purpose of this study is to understand the impact of candidate gender on voting behavior in presidential elections in the United States. By delving into the vice presidential nominations of Geraldine Ferraro in 1984, and Sarah Palin in 2008, I provided the baseline for the experiences of Carly Fiorina and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaigns in 2016. Ultimately, I present the argument that the United States is ready for a female president, either this year or in the near future.

Forces Of Change: Silicon Valley's Developing Relationship With American Government, Marissa C. Mirbach

CMC Senior Theses

Silicon Valley has increased its political engagement over the past decade, and is becoming an increasingly powerful force in government. It defies traditional affiliation labels, and behaves differently than other industries. It embodies a blend of altruism and self-interest, which guides its interactions with government and its intentions in affecting policy changes. In order to better understand Silicon Valley's political life, this thesis outlines a brief history of its development, and then delves into three policy issues: education reform, immigration reform and encryption and security. This focus allows for an up-close, detailed look at the multi-faceted relationship between Silicon Valley …