Peter Stephen du Ponceau (1760-1844) was a member of the Philadelphia Bar for nearly fifty years, during a period in which America's lawyers played an important part in fashioning the post-Revolutionary legal structure. Though contemporaries considered him to be an exceptional member of the legal profession on account of his command of history, his talent for learning languages, and most importantly, because of his scholarly knowledge of civil and foreign law (two legal areas little known to America's common law trained lawyers), he is largely ignored by historians of early American law. The best explanation for this oversight is his specialization in civil and foreign law, as most legal historians believe that, outside of early legal education, these areas of law contributed little or not at all to the formation of the American legal system. While the purpose of this thesis is to examine du Ponceau's contributions to the development of American law through his uncommon knowledge of civil and foreign law, this examination also suggests that these legal areas played greater roles in the origins of American law than previously thought. Chapter one explores the first decades of du Ponceau's professional life in America and traces the path by which he gained recognition as a scholar of the aforementioned legal areas. The turbulent international relations with Europe that characterized the post-Revolutionary period generated a constant supply of cases pertaining to international, maritime, and commercial law. Du Ponceau's knowledge of foreign languages gave him access to important foreign legal sources, as well as to clients in need of his specialized legal skills. Though certainly benefitting from his unique position among his fellow lawyers, du Ponceau set aside time amidst his professional responsibilities to help fill what he recognized as a gap in American jurisprudential knowledge. Beginning around 1800, he promoted and contributed to the movement within the legal profession to translate important foreign and civil law works into English. He also made his specialized legal and historical knowledge available to U.S. political leaders. Chapter two illustrates how du Ponceau utilized his legal expertise, as well as his many years of experience practicing law, in his opinions on and his participation in the legal reform movement in the 1820s to codify American law upon a civil law model. Although du Ponceau had worked hard during his early years in the bar to familiarize his fellow lawyers with this alternative legal system, in the end he argued against transforming the United States into a civil law country. In A Dissertation on the Nature and Extent of the Jurisdiction of the Courts of the United States (1824) he set forth his positions on American law, legal reform, and codification, and concluded that the U.S. possessed its own common law. This American common law not only was distinct from that of England's through its numerous alterations and improvements, but also was capable of resolving America's legal problems. The evolution of du Ponceau's ideas on American law emerged through earlier published writings and private correspondence, most notably through his letters to his eccentric and pro-codification friend, Irish lawyer William Sampson. Though he failed to persuade Sampson of the superiority of the common law method, he succeeded in convincing leading jurists on both sides of the Atlantic, including James Kent and Joseph Story in America and anti-codificationist lawyers in England. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. / Summer Semester, 2004. / July 12, 2004. / Codification, Philadelphia Law, American Law / Includes bibliographical references. / Sally E. Hadden, Professor Directing Thesis; Neil Jumonville, Committee Member; Albrecht Koschnik, Committee Member.

This thesis examines the portrayal of the Salvadoran Civil War in two popular U.S. films, Salvador (1986) and Romero (1989). Using a variety of sources as well as the films, this thesis is a cultural study of the images and words used by the filmmakers to render El Salvador recognizable to American audiences. The study focuses on both the ideology of the filmmakers as well as the development of historical characterizations in the films. The findings of this study demonstrate the role of individual bias in representing foreign others as well as the ways in which perpetual stereotypes of Latin America are employed in American cinema. This study, in addition to demonstrating the historicity of the films herein discussed, also situates the portrayal of historical events within the larger context of the Cold War and the Salvadoran Civil War. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts. / Spring Semester, 2007. / April 2, 2007. / El Salvador History, U.S.-El Salvador Foreign Relations / Includes bibliographical references. / Robinson Herrera, Professor Directing Thesis; Matthew Childs, Committee Member; Max Friedman, Committee Member.

Historians have studied Napoleon's Peninsular War for nearly 200 years, focusing in great detail on its military aspect. While many studies are devoted to the Duke of Wellington, Marshal Andre Massena, or other French marshals, there are some individuals who had a remarkable impact on the Peninsula that have been ignored. During the Battle of Salamanca in July 1812, French General Bertrand Clauzel became commander of the Army of Portugal. After the battle, he remained in command for several months. He dealt with an army that was in ruin. Their morale was extremely low, discipline was almost non-existent, and their logistics were in shambles. Nevertheless, he sought to restore the army as an effective fighting force. Throughout his efforts to restore the army, Clauzel faced Spanish guerrillas and the British Army in an exhausted country. Most references to Clauzel during this time period are extremely limited. Due to the recent archival availability of Clauzel's personal papers, this thesis will take an important step in analyzing Clauzel's role and contribution to the French cause in the Peninsular War. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Spring Semester, 2005. / April 7, 2005. / Salamanca, Burgos, Peninsula War / Includes bibliographical references. / Donald Horward, Professor Directing Dissertation; Michael Creswell, Committee Member; Jonathan Grant, Committee Member.

Out of the chaos of World War I grew a unified Jewish military group committed to championing Zionist goals. When Vladimir "Ze'ev" Jabotinsky first conceived the idea of the Jewish Legion, he envisioned it as the nucleus of a Jewish army. But first, it was necessary for Jabotinsky to take practical steps. World War I created the perfect setting for his idea to come to fruition. The world was at war, and each country needed more manpower to overcome the enemy. In addition to this practical necessity, many people in British government and society support the goals of Zionism. What seemed to Jabotinsky like a win-win situation turned into years of struggle with the British government and military. Equally important to government support was the support of the Anglo-Jewish population. The debate over military service for both Anglo-Jews and Russo-Jews played out most clearly in the pages of the Jewish Chronicle, the oldest newspaper serving the Anglo-Jewish community. Should Jews serve as Jews in a special unit, or should they serve in the same way as other citizens? Should non-citizens be forced to serve in the British army, or should they be allowed to live off the land without fighting for its soil? The Jewish Chronicle not only presented these arguments within its pages but took part in the debate, sharing the opinion of the newspaper in editorials and columns throughout the war. The support of key individuals within the British government and Jewish society finally converged toward the end of the war. The Jewish Legion, comprised of Jews from Palestine, Russia, Britain, the United States, Argentina, and Canada, formed the 38th-40th battalions of the Royal Fusiliers and served in the Syria and Palestine campaigns at the end of World War I. The lasting significance of the Jewish Legion lies not in its service as much as in its formation. It was the first time in history when Jews and non-Jews around the world collaborated in a practical way that served the aims of Zionism. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. / Fall Semester, 2006. / July 26, 2006. / Patterson, World War I, Palestine, Jewish history, militarism, Jewish press / Includes bibliographical references. / Jonathan Grant, Professor Directing Thesis; Peter Garretson, Committee Member; Edward Wynot, Committee Member.

The idea of nature in America is a socially constructed fantasy. Nowhere in America can this be seen more clearly than in Walt Disney World in Florida. Nature has been manipulated and domesticated into a completely passive experience within the Disney property in Florida. The nature presented within the park is derived from the lingering vision of Walter Elias Disney, and his singular control over his company. The Disney Company has physically shaped the environment of their property in Florida. Hydrology, flora, fauna, and in some instances geology, have all been altered to present the Disney version of nature. Walt Disney created the Disney version through his world view. However, this altered state is not confined to only the environment. Time, space, and history are all altered in order to present the version that Disney wants to portray. Through their position as a family entertainment leader, Disney creates a manipulated reality that is based on Walt's worldview and consumers buy into. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. / Fall Semester, 2004. / November 1, 2004. / Disney, Nature, Environment, Walt, Walt Disney World / Includes bibliographical references. / Frederick Davis, Professor Directing Thesis; Robinson A. Herrera, 1966-, Committee Member; Neil Jumonville, Committee Member.

Racial superiority was deeply embedded in the philosophy and world-view of National Socialism. It was also a key tenet within the Nazi SS (Schutzstaffel), as possessing a superior Nordic racial lineage became a crucial criterion for admission to the organization by the early 1930's. With this racial basis, the SS was posed to serve as a new aristocracy in the fledgling Third Reich. However, this service was only to be the beginning. The leader of the SS, Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, desired that his elite corps not only serve Adolf Hitler's Reich in the present, but perpetually in the future as well. To achieve this goal, he created an ambitious plan to use his SS men as a starting point from which he could establish a larger SS family community (Sippengemeinschaft). To realize this aspiration, the wives and children of SS men also had to be vetted in order to prove their biological and hereditary worth. An entire process was created to oversee the development of the SS Sippengemeinschaft as both a biological and a cultural entity, with the vast majority of it managed by the SS Race and Settlement Main Office (Rasse- und Siedlungshauptamt). This administrative oversight of family life, and in particular the promotion and regulation of fatherhood among SS men, represented one method through which the SS leadership wanted its elite cadre to reshape societal and familial norms, thus having these men and their families serve as the racial and biological vanguard of the Nazi Reich. However, the means used to attempt to achieve this goal were not unique to the SS, the Nazi party, or even to Germany. The vast majority of the measures implemented in the SS to encourage SS men to marry racially suitable women, to father racially healthy children, and therefore to create the ideal SS family community were based on ideas which had been existed for decades as part of a then-valid science, eugenics. Eugenicists, especially those in Germany, Britain, and the United States, had wanted to find a humane means of selection to improve the quantity and quality of their respective populations. Based on their class, racial, religious, or national bias, they wanted to limit benignly the reproduction of certain people while strongly encouraging other people to have more children. However, while many scientists and physicians advocated a wide variety of measures, eugenics had been nothing more than scientific rhetoric in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, particualrly when it came to using this science to promote the birth of "wellborn" children. That changed in the 1930's as among the people who saw value in positive eugenics was Heinrich Himmler. He sought to reshape the SS and to construct a family community within the organization by selectively employing the eugenic ideals which best suited his needs. Therefore, what Himmler and the SS, particularly the Race and Settlement Main Office, attempted to do was to turn rhetoric into reality by applying eugenic ideals. By investigating fatherhood and the family community in the SS, this work contributes to several historiographies. First, it contributes to a stronger understanding of the SS. It evaluates how the construction and implementation of a racial ideology facilitated the burgeoning bureaucracy of the SS, especially in the offices responsible for promoting and supporting families. This research analyzes the notion of the SS as an elite community, both the ideology and the reality of this ideal. In particular, it examines how the SS leadership sought to have its men willingly comply with its racial notions instead of obliging them to obey through force as well as allowed selective compliance from SS men, particularly during the Second World War. Consequently, this dissertation explores why, if the ideal of developing eugenically healthy families represented a goal of the SS, SS leaders permitted their men leeway in their personal decisions and how this tolerance defined the organization's familial ideology. Second, as this endeavor by the SS to foster an elite community was an application of eugenics, it was the first attempt to implement this scientific rhetoric in a positive manner. Therefore, this work adds to the literature which examines the role of the biological sciences in the Third Reich. Third, it engages historical research which focuses on family life in the Third Reich as well as in the postwar era and provides a stronger understanding of the role of the father within the family. Fourth, this research addresses sexual politics in Nazi Germany, specifically how the SS attempted to reconceptualize the purpose and value of sex in order to create its family community. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2010. / April 27, 2010. / Race and Settlement Main Office, Heinrich Himmler, National Socialism, Schutzstaffel (SS), Eugenics, Racial Hygiene / Includes bibliographical references. / Nathan Stoltzfus, Professor Directing Dissertation; Birgit Maier-Katkin, University Representative; Matt Childs, Committee Member; Fritz Davis, Committee Member; Robert Gellately, Committee Member; Jonathan Grant, Committee Member.

Arthur Annesley, earl of Anglesey, played an essential role in the English Restoration and was a prominent individual in Anglo-Irish politics before and after. He was one of the major figures who bridged the political divide between England and Ireland. His career spanned a period of some forty years. And yet he has received next to no attention from historians, compared with contemporaries such as Clarendon, Buckingham, and Arlington. Only a thirty-year-old study by Douglas Greene is devoted to his life and career, which is showing its age as historians are devoting increasing attention to this era. The present dissertation will take a closer look at this essential figure in the light of new evidence and fresh perspectives. Recent scholarship, particularly religious studies, offers a more complete view of the Restoration. Prior to this, most assumed that Protestant dissenters were not a credible threat to the British government; however, scholars such as Richard Greaves proves this notion invalid. The dangers of nonconformity were quite real and those who supported dissenters, as Anglesey did, often paid the price politically. We know more now about the convoluted political relationships within a greater Britain, as a result of the work of Ronald Hutton, Jonathan Scott, Tim Harris, and Brendan Bradshaw, just to name a few. Older views of the Cabal government have been overturned. More awareness exists about Charles II's personal control over policy. Also, the inner workings of parliament are better understood, especially the use of crown managers within the house of lords. We are more curious about how Anglo-Irish politicians maintained their balance in the tricky conditions of the new British politics. For in comparison with more familiar periods of the Civil War or the Revolution, Anglesey's was a time of treacherous court intrigues, religious disappointment, and constitutional uncertainty. A broader theme is the complicated political relationship that existed between England and Ireland and how certain individuals, such as Anglesey, were able to sustain their political careers in both countries, though not without a certain amount of risk. Connected to this is the complex nature of Anglo-Irish politics and how political careers rose and fell depending on governmental factions and intrigues. The Anglo-Irish politicians, men who served both countries as Anglesey did, are crucial if we are to bring these kingdoms' histories closer together. Anglesey's connections with the nonconformist religious community in England and Ireland, primarily the Presbyterians, will also be examined to gain further insight into how these groups survived periods of persecution that occurred throughout the Restoration. Throughout his career, Anglesey was truly a political realist very cautious about making hard decisions, preferring to tread a moderate path, one which others followed during these tumultuous times. The one tendency that endangered that path was his sympathy for dissent, though he never went to any real extremes even with this personal belief. Indeed, Anglesey was one to push for "comprehension" rather than toleration. Survival meant compromise whether over political, religious, or personal issues and above all else the earl of Anglesey was a survivor. For most of his life Anglesey sought two goals, advancement for himself and for the Anglo-Irish interest. He helped steer Anglo-Irish politics through turbulent times like the Restoration, two Dutch wars, various plots and threats of rebellion, the Exclusion Crisis, and growing tensions between Court/Country factions and the king. His long career and contributions have been ignored for too long and it is time to bring Anglesey out of the shadows and onto history's center stage. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester, 2005. / July 29, 2005. / Restoration, Early Modern England, Early Modern Ireland, Anglo Irish Relations, Charles II / Includes bibliographical references. / Peter Garretson, Professor Co-Directing Dissertation; C. John Sommerville, Professor Co-Directing Dissertation; James Sickinger, Outside Committee Member; Paul Strait, Committee Member; William J. Tatum, Committee Member.

1821 Guadalajara, Mexico exhibited surprising mobility within its population. Using a set of data from the back-to-back censuses of 1821 and 1822, this study argues that mobility affected almost every individual who lived in Guadalajara during that time period. The methodology used traces individuals who persisted from one year to the next to determine overall rates of mobility. It is my contention that an analysis of short-term stability and change within this set of historically identifiable individuals, families and households reveals a process of mobility that not only has been neglected by studies based on aggregate data, but that is often at variance with the findings of those studies. The evidence shows that a significant portion of the extensive movement of individuals to and from the wards is short term and often cyclical, rather than long term and permanent. Additionally, data sets from 1811-1813 and 1839-1842 are used as "control groups" to conclude that the mobility in 1821-1822 was not a unique historical event based on circumstances, but an overarching trend throughout the 19th century. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2006. / February 23, 2006. / Guadalajara, Household, Family, Mobility, Persistence / Includes bibliographical references. / Rodney Anderson, Professor Directing Dissertation; Kathryn Josserand, Outside Committee Member; Matt Childs, Committee Member; Peter Garretson, Committee Member; Robinson Herrera, Committee Member.

In seeking to build the Thousand Year Reich, the German government under the administration of the National Socialist party constructed many different ideologies to create the foundation for its new community. Although not as highly prominent others, the ideology of fatherhood had a role in the formation of this state. Because of the scientific trends prevalent during the early to mid twentieth century, fatherhood at this time had a strong biological bent; men were mainly regarded as fathers due to their reproductive contributions. Therefore, the Nazi government wanted to encourage each man to sustain his personal lineage because a healthy, burgeoning population would guarantee the longevity of the German nation founded by its leadership. In seeking a stronger and larger population, the Nazi party adopted a contemporary science movement: eugenics. The government divided people based on racial criteria, and the individuals whom it deemed most eligible to pass on their genes belonged to the "blond hair, blue eyed" Aryan race. After firmly establishing this archetype as the ultimate goal, the state had to disseminate this information to the general population and persuade these people to adopt this racial hierarchy willingly. It propagated this information through both formal education and direct contact with the German people through speeches and publications. This instruction served to inspire healthy citizens to have offspring who would strengthen the position of Germany through racial superiority. Of the male German population, the men who best personified the Aryan elite belonged to the Schutzstaffeln (SS). As the most unwavering followers of the Nazi party and Adolf Hitler, the soldiers of the SS provided the best paternal audience. The leader of the SS, Heinrich Himmler, sought to convince these men that their responsibilities included supplying the Third Reich with an abundance of racially healthy children. Himmler's directives and other documents substantiated this desire to encourage his men to reproduce copiously and to furnish Germany with a new aristocracy based on blood. Furthermore, the newspaper of the SS, Das Schwarze Korps, publicly correlated many of Himmler's perspectives. Articles, editorials, and letters encourage marriage, link SS men with images of healthy families, and promote fatherhood as a respectable and natural duty. Despite these efforts, the SS did not raise the birthrate in Germany, and the inability to produce enough children resulted in the failure of the eugenical measures. However, an investigation into the role of fatherhood during this era still addresses many historiographical issues. Beyond showing one way in which the Nazi government attempted to foster a new national community, it demonstrates the changing role of paternity throughout the twentieth century as well as merges with studies of German fatherhood in the post Second World War era. Examining fatherhood also explains the attempted application of eugenics to increase the population of a country. Finally, it dovetails with existing research on motherhood during the Third Reich, and therefore provides a more comprehensive understanding of familial life and parental relations during the reign of the Nazi regime. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. / Summer Semester, 2005. / April 28, 2005. / Schutzstaffeln, Fatherhood, Eugenics, Nazi Germany / Includes bibliographical references. / Nathan Stoltzfus, Professor Directing Thesis; Jonathan Grant, Committee Member; Matt Childs, Committee Member.

The purpose of this dissertation is to evaluate the utilization and effectiveness of the British cavalry during the Peninsular War. The accomplishments and reputation of the mounted arm has been in dispute since the end of the Napoleonic era, and no systematic study has been undertaken to either refute or support the various claims. Numerous books and articles have been written on the British cavalry under Sir John Moore and the Duke of Wellington. They tend towards two schools. In the first, the cavalry could do no wrong-- gallantly charging against superior number, usually with the sun shining, reflecting off their sabers, and being successful everywhere is the core of this premise. The second tends towards examining the cavalry only during the major battles of the war, particularly the cavalry charges where the cavalry either had a spectacular success or failure. In this genre, the cavalry can often do nothing well, and the failure of the charge means the eternal condemnation of the branch. This dissertation attempts to fill in the gaps between these two extremes, examining the pre-war training, doctrine, officer education and selection as it pertains to the cavalry. With that base, systematically scrutinizing the organization and evaluating the effectiveness of the cavalry as an auxiliary arm will help to place their performance into the larger context of the operations of the British Army in the Peninsula. The charge, the quintessential aspect of cavalry, was but a small portion of the cavalryman's life. The cavalry, compared to the 18th century infantry, was more often on duty, facing a far-off enemy in lonely and monotonous outpost duty. This portion of the cavalryman's life, the daily vicissitudes of protecting the army and providing early warning of their opponent's action, has been too often missed in studies of the Peninsular War cavalry and yet forms the most important portion of their duties. The effectiveness of how the cavalry did this duty, as well as protecting the Anglo-Portuguese Army during advances and retreats, is the true essence of the role that cavalry provided to the army. The leadership of the cavalry also is normally painted in a broad brush of extremes—bravery and heroism; incompetence and stupidity. Officer education, duties expected of an officer, both field grade and general, are often ignored. The British Army of the Napoleonic Wars has been called the last of the Ancien Regime armies; patronage and purchase seemed more important than performance and study. However, the professionalism of the officer core that occurred during this period has rarely been applied to their operations in the field. When Great Britain deployed its small army to the Iberian Peninsula in 1808, it faced the most modern and effective army in Europe. That this small force was able to survive, grow, learn and finally contribute to the defeat of Napoleonic France is a testament to the officers and men who did take their profession seriously. The effectiveness of the British cavalry, and contribution it made should be placed into the context of the success of the Peninsular Army. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2005. / June 15, 2005. / Portugal, King's German Legion, Duke of Wellington, Napoleonic Wars, British Cavalry, Spain, Stapleton Cotton / Includes bibliographical references. / Donald D. Horward, Professor Directing Dissertation; Alec Hargreaves, Outside Committee Member; William O. Oldson, Committee Member; Michael Creswell, Committee Member; Jonathan Grant, Committee Member.