The intent of this study was to analyze the geographical and social mobility patterns of Muncie's population within the 1850-1880 period utilizing the "new urban history" methodology. The subject of urban history has assumed a prominent position in the present curricula of many colleges and universities. A major component of urban history is titled "new urban history." Historians working under this rubic have adopted a research methodology distinct from that used in the past. This is a social science methodology which emphasizes the manipulation of quantitative data. It is this methodology which has distinguished the "new urban history" and the urban historians who utilize this approach.Stephan Thernstrom was one of the first "new urban historians" to use social science methodology in the study of large masses of urban dwellers. His purpose was to examine systematically the lives of those people who had previously gone unrecorded, but who, in the past, had automatically been included in commonly held assumptions about Americans. Thernstrom's study of the unskilled laborers in Newburyport, Massachusetts from 1850-1880 (Poverty and Progress: Social Mobility in a Nineteenth Century American City, 1850-1880) represented the initial effort in cataloguing the experiences of the common man in an urban setting.Thernstrom's use of social science methodology allowed him to discern the geographical and social mobility patterns of Newburyport's laborers. The results from his analysis did a great deal to dispell the myth that the "rags-to-riches" ideology of the nineteenth century was operative in American society for men regardless of their status.Since Thernstrom's study several other communities and their residents have been similarly examined in terms of geographical and social mobility patterns. The results have not always coincided with the Newburyport example. Dean Esslinger, in a study of the immigrant population of South Bend, Indiana from 1850-1880, (Immigrants and the City: Ethnicity and Mobility in a Nineteenth-Century Midwestern Community) discovered that significant upward social mobility occurred for this group. The development of South Bend as an industrial center did not block the opportunity for upward occupational and economic mobility among the city's foreign-born residents.I discovered in this dissertation that Muncie's population was very physically unstable, but that general upward social mobility was the reward for those who stayed. Less than one-half of Muncie's residents recorded on the federal census in 1850, 1860, and 1870 remained in Muncie for ten years. For the minority who did remain, however, improved status, both occupationally and economically, was the rule.One's place of birth had minimal affect on his ability to improve his job and economic status in Muncie. Muncie's foreignborn residents were able to enjoy nearly equal social mobility overtime as the native-born segment of the population. The unskilled foreign-born workers were the major exception to this pattern. They were not as successful in improving their status.Of major significance in the mobility studies of individual communities is the increased awareness which is gained of a broader, national perspective on population movement and status over time. More knowledge about the mobility patterns of America's urban dwellers leads to a more accurate determination of the nation's urban development and growth. The placement of Muncie in a broader urban context was one of the major accomplishments of this study. Direct comparisons were made between Muncie's mobility patterns and those of Newburyport, Massachusetts and South Bend, Indiana. The results show that Muncie was not unlike other communities in the same era.

This thesis explores the events and controversies surrounding the smallpox epidemic that hit Muncie, Indiana, in the summer and fall of 1893. The disease struck 150 individuals and left 22 dead, but it also raised broad questions regarding the authority of local and state public health officials to force vaccination upon citizens. Following recent historiographical trends that interpret anti-vaccinationist sentiment in Progressive-Era America as an important part of the political dialog, it argues that anti-vaccinationists in connection with the Muncie epidemic were not simply anti-modem, but had reasonable concerns as to the safety of smallpox vaccination and the government's authority to enforce it. / Department of History

This thesis looks at the public career of Walter March. A native of Massachusetts, March moved to Muncie, Indiana, in 1841. A lawyer, March would serve as a delegate to the state's Constitutional Convention of 1850-51 and would later recodify the laws of the state to comply with its newly drafted constitution. March's life mirrored the political turbulence of the 1850s in Indiana. Originally a Democrat, he would switch political affiliations in the mid 1850s and eventually serve as one of the founders of the Republican Party in Indiana. While this study looks at the entirety of March's life, its focus is one March's contributions to Indiana's political life from 1850-1864.Historian Richard Jensen's modernization theory as spelled out in Illinois:Bicentennial History is utilized to assess March's contributions to the state's political life. / Department of History

The major purpose of this study is to examine the mayoral years of Leonidas A. Guthrie, from 1905 to 1910. Guthrie (1875-1964), a Muncie, Indiana lawyer, reform leader, and philanthropist, served as mayor during a period when Muncie began to evolve into a modern city. His administration saw a number of changes in Muncie as the city entered the twentieth century, including the first brick streets and the widespread installation of electric street lights. In spite of these advancements, Guthrie, who kept exhaustive notes on every facet of his life, left no chronicle of his mayoral years amidst the large collection of his personal papers housed at Special Collections at Ball State University.Further research discovered that Guthrie's term was marred by controversy surrounding the city fire department and the Great Goddard Fire of 1907, the Interurban Strike of 1908, and the battle between the "wet" and "dry" elements which eventually led to the passage of the local option law and a "dry" vote for Delaware County. Therefore, this dissertation is a, chronological account of Guthrie's administration and an examination of the controversies and political turmoil surrounding Guthrie's mayoral years. / Department of History

This project involves two major components: research on the importance of heritage education and a five-lesson unit prepared to introduce fourth-grade students in Muncie to the history and architectural heritage of the area. The research revealed the fact that there are many concepts of heritage education ranging from ideas that involve only architecture to schemes that involve all aspects of culture. This thesis argues that the built environment, along with its cultural history, needs to be taught in the schools so that children at an early age may learn to appreciate their historic legacy. The unit of five lessons on heritage education was presented to two Muncie fourth-grade classes. The unit provided a guide for the students to examine the history and architecture of Muncie, Indiana. At the end of the unit, the students were tested to see what they had retained. / Department of Architecture

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / In 1964, Muncie Central High School got the “death penalty” at the hands of the Indiana High School Athletic Association’s (IHSAA) new commissioner, Phil N. Eskew, after post-game brawling at a boys basketball game led to a broader investigation of the entire program. In the closing moments of the game, a Muncie Central opponent was bloodied by an inbound pass to the face and fans erupted in violence, swarming the floor. The ensuing investigation revealed racial tensions, issues of sexual mores, political discord, and deep problems in the web of interrelationships that make up the phenomenon of Hoosier Hysteria. After a closed-door hearing and two days of deliberations, Eskew and the IHSAA Board of Control announced their decision, and the punishment prescribed made front page headlines across the state and beyond.