History Theses

The work necessary to develop New France into a viable colony during the 17th and 18th centuries posed a significant challenge to France and to seigneurs who received land grants in North America. Various strategies to increase the population and workforce of New France failed. At the same time, French and native militaristic raids produced a steady stream of English captives between 1675 and 1763 who were purchased and forced perform difficult labors. Native tribes learned that the selling of captives was a lucrative business. It is well documented that the natives kept slaves and literature on the subject has applied that characterization correctly. Equivalent labor and lifestyle demands made of captive slaves were required of many English kept by the French; however, the classification of slave for those people has never been fully recognized. The correct historical conclusion from an analysis of a wide range of sources is that the French kept English slaves in 17th and 18th century Canada.

Military History has often focused on the battles and successes of able-bodied soldiers throughout all of warfare. The stories that fall to the wayside are those of the disabled soldiers who are a byproduct of those battles and wars. The Invalid Corps, a relatively unknown institution, arose as a result of all the wounded and disabled of combat. While its creation stemmed from the armies of Europe, it was the Union Army of the American Civil War that took this idea and maximized its potential. By analyzing twelve primary sources, as well as 27 secondary sources the author validates his statement that the Union Army truly took the concept of the Invalid Corps to its full potential.

The United States developed a policy and strategy of irregular warfare to be deployed in Guatemala in 1954. The changing political climate post World War II created a need for the United States to utilize a measured, proportional possibly covert method of dealing with a communist incursion without escalating into a massive fullblown war. This strategy was deployed under Operation PBSUCCESS in 1954. This study concludes that while the strategy of irregular warfare was a successful failure during Operation PBSUCCESS, it would not have succeeded if reproduced. Additionally the operation would provide a blueprint for future irregular operations worldwide. The first chapter outlines the global political and economic climate that culminates in the development of Operation PBSUCCESS. Chapter two focuses on the operation development. Finally chapter three focuses on the launching of PBSUCCESS in Guatemala and the immediate aftermath.

This thesis adds to the literature on Monroe County, Pennsylvania, and Civil War history by examining the performance of U.S.C.T. soldiers from Monroe County in the face of institutionalized discrimination. The methodology of this research has been to consult the soldiers' military records in the Monroe County Historical Association, and to compare them to established literature and primary sources that document the discriminations suffered by black troops during the Civil War. The conclusion is that the U.S.C.T. soldiers from Monroe County served faithfully and bravely despite facing institutionalized forms of discrimination. The larger implication of this research is that the military performance of individuals is not necessarily impeded by discrimination on the part of their government.

As the Second World War came to an end it marked a new beginning in aviation technology that quickly made the aircraft of the United States Army Air Corps obsolete. Initially, the aircraft that once ruled the skies above Europe and the Pacific seemed destined to spend the rest of their existence in scrap heaps and junkyards. However, in the late 1950s new museums and organizations began to form with the sole mission of finding and restoring these former military aircraft to flying condition. Since that time hundreds of these organizations have been formed and have created a tight nit yet loosely affiliated, "Warbird" community. This community has been vital in preserving the history of World War Two aviation and has created a large effect on the memory of the conflict. However, prior to this thesis, scholars have overlooked the contribution that these organizations, most often called flying museums, have made to the field of memory studies. Furthermore, this thesis shows that these flying museums have also created living monuments by allowing the general public to experience these aircraft in flight.

Lawmakers interpreted the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution in a way that denied citizens their individual privileges and protections against unreasonable searches and seizures. To demonstrate this, primary and secondary sources were used including court cases, acts, laws, books, journals, periodicals, personal papers, correspondences, and government records. These sources have revealed that the historical ramifications of search and seizure laws and individual rights were intended to be interpreted based on the viewer's surrounding culture. The larger implications of this researcher's findings are that the Bill of Rights must be construed as a set of rules that can be interpreted in any era for the sake of all citizens to have equal access to life, liberty, and property.

The Eastern Front of World War Two is one of the most studied elements of the Second World War. On the Eastern front, some battles stand out more than others. Most notably the Battle of Stalingrad stands out as being the ultimate turning point where the Eastern Front was lost and unable to be revived from the perspective of the Germans. When studying the numbers and accounts, the Battle of Kursk trumps the Battle of Stalingrad as the true turning point. While the Battle of Stalingrad simply changed the direction of the war, the Battle of Kursk is the last time the Germany Army could have turned the tides of the war. However, historians and society do not see it that way. Through various means of popular culture and speeches, the rhetoric that Stalingrad is the battle that changed the course of history is constantly reinforced. Furthermore, a more contemporary look at environmental history will illustrate how the bogs and marshes Russian countryside act as natural museums. Preserving anything that falls into their clutches, mother nature not only prevails, but preserves for future generations.

The purpose of my research is to analyze anti-Catholicism in late seventeenth-century England in order to comprehend how complex it was. I analyzed primary (published) sources such as dialogues, diaries, histories, letters, pamphlets, royal proclamations, and sermons to get my results. Based on this research, I argue that Whiggish anti-Catholicism remained mostly static over time, while the Toryish variant changed in four different ways; this reflected each party's different approach to anti-Catholicism. The Whigs focused on Francophobia, the threat that Catholicism posed to Protestant liberties, and toleration of all Protestants, while the Tories focused on loyalty to Anglicanism and the threat that Catholics and Dissenters posed to Anglicanism. While the Whigs did not change with different contexts, the Tories did so four times. The significance is that, while the core principles might have remained fairly static, the presentation and impact of those ideas changed with different circumstances.

The conflict over popular recreations in early seventeenth century England arose out of the disorder caused by the social, economic, and demographic changes of the time. King James I and King Charles I issued the Declaration of Sports to protect recreations against attack from religious reformers. Most historians argue that the Stuart monarchs issued the declaration to assert their authority over the use of recreations. This thesis, through a close analysis of the Declaration of Sports and contemporary writings of the Stuart monarchs and their supporters, reveals that James I's and Charles I's recreational policies align with their ecclesiastical policies of creating a via media or middle way between Puritanism and Catholicism. The efforts to create a via media of sports reveal the conflict over popular recreations to include many of the religious, social, and cultural issues that led to the outbreak of civil war in the 1640s.

This thesis examines whether a distinct political theory came into existence out of the Reformation and whether that theory, political Calvinism, had an influence in early colonial and revolutionary America. The thesis examines a wide range of primary and secondary source material to do this. The thesis finds that the Reformation created a distinct and well defined political theory and that this theory had a long-lasting impact on both political thought on mainland Europe as well as in England and the American colonies. This thesis attempts to raise the profile of the Reformation as a causational event in the American Revolution and in the development of American political thought.

The Pragmatic Sanctions of Bourges came at the culmination of a longstanding Franco - Papal conflict. This thesis demonstrates the purpose of Charles VII in issuing such ordinances which benefited the crown and limited the influence of the papacy in France as it relates to perceived papal overreaches into royal jurisdiction and finances. Primary source material such as royal ordinances, papal bulls, and the decrees of the Pragmatic Sanctions of Bourges and ecumenical councils are utilized. The Pragmatic Sanctions of Bourges secured the crown's jurisdiction with regards to courts and clergy, and ameliorated it's financial position, while limiting the influence of the papacy in France. The Pragmatic Sanctions are traditionally viewed through the lens of ecclesiastical reform; this thesis provides a new context through which to view the Pragmatic Sanctions and contemporary events, and provides for a fresh perspective to examine later events of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.