College of Liberal Arts Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/1969.6/1174
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Browsing College of Liberal Arts Theses and Dissertations by Author "Blanke, David"
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Item "A Brave New Woman:" Print Media's Portrayal of Women in the American Civil War(2018-12) Syamken, Jennie M.; Syamken, Jennie M.; Wooster, Robert; Wooster, Robert; Moore, Peter; Blanke, David; Moore, Peter; Blanke, David; Blanke, DavidThe American Civil War transformed the roles of women in the United States. Their domestic lifestyle was uprooted as many women vacated their domestic duties and joined different public causes to support the war in either the Union or Confederacy. These new roles included serving on the United States Sanitary Commission, as nurses in hospitals and on the front lines, and as women soldiers. This study illustrates how the 19th century print media published favorable stories about women’s expanding roles in the Civil War and molded public opinion about white women in a male dominated society. The first chapter will assess the work of other historians on the changing nature of journalism and women’s contributions in the war. The second chapter includes the coverage of women by newspapers and periodicals in the public sphere, most notably in the Sanitary Commission, aid societies and as nurses in the hospitals and on the battlefield. The third chapter will focus on the media’s portrayal of the experiences of women soldiers in battle and camp life. This affirmative view encouraged greater acceptance of women outside of the domestic sphere. Helped by the favorable portrayal of their efforts by newspapers and periodicals, women seized the opportunity to expand their roles by creating a new sense of respect for their gender, as evidenced by the successful efforts by Civil War nurses to secure pensions for their wartime service.Item Two counties in crisis: measuring political change in reconstruction Texas(2021-08) Dillard, Robert Jefferson; Wooster, Robert; Blanke, David; Moore, PeterMeasuring political change at the cultural level is a process that has long divided political scientists and historians. By focusing on two socially, economically, and culturally distinct Texas counties during Reconstruction, this thesis presents an example of political change. Collin County, Texas experienced a cultural shift from 1861 to 1876 resulting from the traumatic events of war, military rule, and the natural processes of enculturation and oppositional politics.Item Walking memories: the origins and significance of civil war reenactment(2020-05) Schaffer, Jeffrey; Wooster, Robert; Blanke, David; Sanos, SandrineCivil War Reenactment has become a popular pastime for the past fifty years. Thousands of people done Civil War era clothing, march on national battlefields in military units, and fire muskets at one another in order to celebrate the men who fought and died at these battles. They see themselves as “living historians” embodying historical subjects in order to represent their lives to contemporary audiences. Why do they do this, and how do they differ from more traditional academic historians? This paper shall investigate the historical origins of Civil War reenactment, how they see themselves as conveyors of history, and the means by which they practice their craft. The distinctions between the ideals portrayed in Civil War soldiers and their reality of their historical subjects can be examined by their performance of history.