This study examines the socioeconomic and sociocultural contexts of printing and reading in Virginia between 1750 and 1820. By scrutinizing the surviving business records from this period's book and printing trades, and by correlating them to the extant public record, the social locus of particular types of imprints and of their audience was revealed. The result of this analysis is an understanding that colonial-era markets depended upon the elite, who embraced the standard works of classical education and English rationalism upon which the American Revolution was based philosophically. However, the post-Revolutionary expansion of print markets increasingly depended on the middling orders, whose reading tastes and interests diverged markedly from their elite contemporaries. Those new markets for print were filled largely by publishers outside Virginia, who produced their imprints in large quantities that allowed for the sale of small numbers of their products in a large number of places, forestalling local competition in Virginia. This system replicated and extended the colonial-era book trade, at least in terms of the book trade, which left Virginia's printers at a competitive disadvantage. The state's printers survived by producing materials unavailable in the national book-trade system, materials that fit particular niche markets in the state. The largest of these was the legal-imprint market, dominated by the printers of the state capital, Richmond. Elsewhere, the niche markets for imprints were largely religious in nature, focusing on the activities of local ministers and congregations. This tendency was reflected in the eventual development of denominational presses in the state, institutions that made Virginia a major player in the religious imprint market in antebellum America. Yet this trend would also help to deepen the state's dependency on non-Virginia sources for non- religious imprints. In terms of books, Virginia remained very much a colonial economy.

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This thesis is a narrative of eleven World War II veterans from a small, rural southern town, Lewisburg, Kentucky. It is a brief description of the development of Lewisburg and of one family in particular, the Richardsons. The thesis follows the lives of the G.I.s from their youths, through their military careers, their lives after the war and their eventual return to Logan County. Primarily, most of the material is taken from oral taped interviews. Heretofore, none of these experiences have been recorded. Actions of valor and courage are preserved in the plain, unadorned stories of the veterans. This thesis reflects the impact of World War II on Lewisburg and on the lives of those interviewed. It also reflects how their early lives prepared them for the rigors of the war and of their eventual return to their roots, to Logan County.

In 1883 the case of Claybrook v. Owensboro was one of the first challenges to equal educational funding under the Fourteenth Amendment. The definition of the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause was vague and left blacks with little guidance about their new found constitutional rights. By analyzing the case along with legal, educational, and local racial attitudes toward blacks at the time, historians and educators can better understand the evolution of the Fourteenth Amendment in state and local issues. The case record from Federal Reports as well as the case file from the law final record book at the National Archives Southeast Branch were used in this analysis. Also, Emily Holloway, the great-granddaughter of the case's namesake, Edward Claybrook, was interviewed and provided information about the personal situation and status of the men who challenged the Owensboro school system. Records from the Freedmen's Bureau also provided evidence of racial attitudes and conditions in Kentucky. A Filson Club collection of letters from John Marshall Harlan, Justice of the United States Supreme Court and lone dissenter in Plessy v. Ferguson to Judge John Watson Barr, Justice of the United States Sixth Circuit in Paducah, also provide evidence of similar attitudes of both justices concerning race and equality. This case study offers a closer look at one of the first applications of the Fourteenth Amendment to education and a local government issue. In addition, the decision mentions for one of the first times the possibility of integration in the absence of equality. The evidence clearly shows a progressive attitude from the bench in the case as well as blatant inequalities between the black and white schools.

The moment life began was defined at the beginning of the nineteenth century by the mother's awareness of fetal movement. That moment was called quickening. The common law of England and of the early United States embraced quickening. Prior to quickening abortion was legally and socially benign. Abortion was a non-issue, for life was not considered to exist before the fetus was quick — which usually occurs in the fourth or fifth month of gestation. At the early stages of fetal development there was no difference between terminating pregnancy and simply restoring menses. By the end of the nineteenth century, the quickening doctrine was no longer the key to abortion law. The doctrine was dismantled for a variety of reasons. The American Medical Association (AMA) played a major role in the movement to redefine the moment of animation and restrict abortions. The physicians' motivation was not concern for the fetus. The physicians gained status and power from the restriction of abortion; they emerged fro the century as the only abortion authority. Physicians alone were able to sanction abortions. Changes occurred in the nineteenth century that increased the sense of urgency of the physicians' campaign. They utilized sensitive issues to persuade state legislatures to act. The main issues included a shift in the women seeking abortions and disparities in the population trend. In the 1840s there was an upsurge of married women in the upper classes having abortions. Abortion was no longer for the shamed single women. That trend combined with the increasing number of births among the lower class and foreign born to concern native America that they were going to be outbred. The physicians capitalized on eugenics and collective fear among the most powerful section of the population — the law makers. Religious disparities in the population growth also concerned the primarily Protestant physicians. The fear and distaste is clear in their rhetoric. Physicians were empowered by the sole ability to grant abortions, emerged as primary care givers, and successfully lobbied state legislatures for the alterations in law that allowed them to fill those roles. The common law quickening doctrine was transformed until a near prohibition on abortion existed by the 1880s. The termination of legal abortions fueled by the AMA lasted for nearly a century.

In the 1970s, Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China (ROC),suffered a series of diplomatic setbacks. Nixon’s visit to Beijing in 1972 preluded the normalization between the United States (US) and the People’s Republic of China (PRC), as well as the estrangement between the Republic of China (ROC)and the US. A year before, Taiwan was forced to withdraw from the United Nations (UN). Many countries then ceased to cooperate with Taiwan and turned to the PRC. This made Taiwan the “Orphan of Asia”. To survive and prevent further isolation, Taiwan rallied support from the international community, especially the US, its old ally. It strengthened propaganda in the US and attempted to build a prosperous and democratic image of itself. It sought to appeal to the American public. This thesis investigates Taiwan’s propaganda activities in the US and explores how the Kuomintang (KMT) government built a favorable image of Taiwan during the 1970s. The most notable propaganda organization of the ROC was the Government Information Office (GIO). The GIO’s overseas branch in New York, the Chinese Information Service, launched propaganda campaigns in the US through organizing political, economic and cultural activities. Although the GIO was centrally responsible for propaganda, the execution of the campaigns was a product of collaboration between various government organizations. This thesis analyzes the GIO’s responsibilities within this network of collaboration. The thesis then explores the variety of Taiwan’s propaganda strategies. The KMT tried very hard to solicit support from different sectors in the US. They appealed to the general public by launching advertising campaigns, cultural exhibitions and art performances. Apart from the general public, they also targeted reporters, members of Congress and scholars by offering material benefits including free trips to Taiwan and academic funding. Several public relation firms were also hired to publicize Taiwan in the US media. Some of these publicity campaigns were even illegal. The overseas Chinese formed a large constituent to the Taiwan government’s propaganda efforts. However, the overseas Chinese were not a singular group of people and recognizing this, the GIO tailored their campaigns accordingly. Taiwan wooed Chinatown leaders by giving them financial benefits and educated Chinatown residents through controlling the Chinese media and Chinese language schools. Meanwhile, the KMT threatened and punished Taiwan Independence Movement supporters in American universities. They also made attempts to re-educate these supporters and their families in and out of Taiwan. Through these activities, Taiwan hoped to create an illusion that the KMT supporters were not limited to people in Taiwan, but included the majority of Chinese around the world. By examining Taiwan’s propaganda organizations and strategies in the 1970s, the thesis aims to expand our knowledge of US-PRC-ROC relations in the 1970s, and show how Taiwan adapted to the changing international environment. / published_or_final_version / History / Master / Master of Philosophy

Decades before Freud revealed his revolutionary dream theory, Americans became fascinated with the reported dreams of their greatest hero, Abraham Lincoln. Immediately following Lincoln’s assassination, accounts of his dreams and visions were recorded and made public by those who were close to him during his presidency. This thesis evaluates the three most famous dreams and visions that have been ascribed to Lincoln, as their legitimacy is often doubted. Five additional dreams that are more easily documented are also discussed, and, when taken together, they reveal a significant aspect of Lincoln’s worldview and reflect the complicated nature of belief systems in America during the nineteenth century. Nineteenth century Americans were largely on their own to interpret the meaning of their dreams, and they ultimately came to conclusions that were based within their fundamental worldview. This thesis shows that Lincoln’s dreams are a valuable source for determining his worldview, which was essentially a form of fatalism. While many argued that his recurring dream that preceded important events in the Civil War and a dream about his own funeral in the White House were either evidence of his belief in spiritualism or some divine prophecy, Lincoln’s response to those dreams reveals his true nature. This analysis helps us examine Lincoln’s interior as well as showing how a pre- Freudian culture responded to the dreams of a national hero.

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<p> This paper examines the role of Major General Everett S. Hughes during World War II. While Hughes has often been quoted in biographies of Dwight D. Eisenhower or George S. Patton Jr. this is the first work to exclusively examine Hughes' contribution to the Allied victory in World War II. The paper argues that Hughes played an important part throughout the war, both in his ability to solve numerous problems and his influence with Eisenhower. It also examines topics such as Hughes' work with the Women's Army Corps, his friendship with Patton, the relationship between Eisenhower and his driver Kay Summersby, along with many other issues afflicting the Allied high command. Finally, this paper argues that Hughes' influence in Eisenhower's Headquarters needs to be taken seriously by those trying to understand the decisions of the U.S. military leadership in Europe during World War II.</p>

<p> Rediscovered in the 1930s by the Mantle family, Mantle's Cave contained excellently preserved feather bundles, a feather headdress, moccasins, a deer-scalp headdress, baskets, stone tools, and other perishable goods. From the start of excavations, Mantle's Cave appeared to display influences from both Fremont and Ancestral Puebloan peoples, leading Burgh and Scoggin to determine that the cave was used by Fremont people displaying traits heavily influenced by Basketmaker peoples. Researchers have analyzed the baskets, cordage, and feather headdress in the hopes of obtaining both radiocarbon dates and clues as to which culture group used Mantle's Cave. This thesis attempts to derive the cultural influence of the artifacts from Mantle's Cave by analyzing the feathers. This analysis includes data from comparative cave sites displaying cultural, temporal, or site-type similarities to Mantle's Cave. In addition to the archaeological data, ethnographic data concerning how Great Basin, Southwest, Great Plains, and northern Mexican peoples conceive of and use feathers will be included. Lastly, theoretical perspectives on agency, symbolism, and the transmission of cultural traditions will be used in an effort to interpret the data collected herein.</p>