This thesis examines the defense of Confederate New Orleans during American Civil War, specifically during the year 1861 and the first four months of 1862. The importance of New Orleans to the South is first analyzed in order to give context for its defense. Then both the Confederate military perspective and the city's perspective are taken into account, resulting in the conclusion that the defense can be seen as an inevitable microcosm of the problems that generally plagued the Confederacy. Lack of material resources and manpower, confusion and division between the local population and Confederate authority, disorganized and compartmentalized leadership and overwhelming Federal industrial advantage are all issues that can be seen both in the defense of New Orleans and the Confederacy as a whole. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. / Degree Awarded: Summer Semester, 2009. / Date of Defense: July 2, 2009. / Moore, Monroe, CSS Mississippi, Twiggs, Lovell / Includes bibliographical references. / Jim Jones, Professor Directing Thesis; Jonathan Grant, Committee Member; Sally Hadden, Committee Member.

Naval Air Station Banana River was created as a result of increased military appropriations to defend the Atlantic Coast of the United States of America. The Hepburn Board was charged with finding appropriate sites for new naval installations that could better protect American citizens from attacks along the coastline. After an exhaustive study, a site in Brevard County was selected to become a naval patrol sea plane base. County and city leaders in Brevard rallied around the construction of the Naval Air Station Banana River that they had lobbied the Hepburn Board to bring to their county. They threw their support behind the station throughout its construction and celebrated its commissioning in October 1940. Pearl Harbor brought changes to NAS Banana River as German U-boats stalked the Florida coast and the station's mission was expanded to include patrol duty, search and rescue, bombardier training, sea-plane pilot training, and communications research. Buildings sprang up in response to the increase in personnel needed to fill all of the programs. Brevard County welcomed the sailors into their towns, homes, and lives. Although the base itself was isolated, there were a number of activities on and off base to keep the sailors busy. The county was felt the economic impact of the base with an increased number of employment opportunities, a rise in retail and food service profits, and a demand for additional infrastructure to support the station. Naval Air Station Banana River was deactivated in 1947 to the dismay of the people in Brevard County. Their disappointment did not last long when a few years later the base was reactivated to serve as the headquarters of the newly formed Joint Long Range Proving Ground, a testing site for the American rocket and missile program. The existence of the Naval Air Station Banana River and the infrastructure created to support it helped to bring missile program, and a few years later the space program, to Brevard County. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. / Degree Awarded: Fall Semester, 2003. / Date of Defense: November 10, 2003. / World War II, Florida, Brevard County, Navy / Includes bibliographical references. / James P. Jones, Professor Directing Thesis; V.J Conner, Committee Member; Elna C. Green, Committee Member.

This thesis examines the impact that weather had on armies during the American War of Independence. It argues that weather affected the operations of both American and British armies in three areas: strategy, influencing the planning of campaigns; tactics, affecting the course of battles; and administration, adding to the daily work of maintaining armies in the field and keeping them functional. Year after year, in all four seasons, generals and soldiers had to cope with phenomena such as rain, snow, heat, and fog. Weather was capricious, sometimes helping one army and harming the other, and sometimes hindering both armies. Generals often tried to use the weather to gain an advantage and to mitigate the damage weather might do to their armies. The first chapter addresses weather's activity in early years of the war, up to the end of 1777. The second chapter focuses on the war in the north from 1778 to the end of major fighting in 1781, and the final chapter covers the impact of weather in that same period in the southern theater, concluding with the Franco-American victory at Yorktown. No previous study has concentrated on weather's role in the war as a whole. While weather was not the sole force that guided the armies' actions or decided the outcomes of battles or the war, this thesis demonstrates how the weather helped shape the Revolutionary War alongside other better-recognized factors such as political, economic, or logistical issues, and warrants recognition as such. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. / Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2011. / Date of Defense: March 18, 2011. / Meteorology, Continental Army, Revolutionary War, American War of Independence, Military History, Weather, George Washington / Includes bibliographical references. / Sally Hadden, Professor Directing Thesis; Kristine Harper, Committee Member; James Jones, Committee Member.

When twenty-two year old African American Lloyd Clay was strung up from an old elm tree, burned alive, and his body riddled with bullets by a white lynch mob of approximately one-thousand people on the corner of a major intersection in Vicksburg, Mississippi, nothing happened. Vicksburg in the year 1919 was typical of many other cities throughout the United States deep South. When Clay was unjustly crucified, no whites from the mob were put on trial; and there was no backlash or retaliation from the black Vicksburg citizenry. As a matter of fact, Clay's mother was even told by whites not to go to the morgue to identify her dead son's body; it would be best, they suggested, if she stayed out of it. This case study will specifically situate Vicksburg, Mississippi, and the lynching of Lloyd Clay within the context of the last decade of the 19th century and the first two decades of the 20th century, called by many historians, the Progressive Era. It will examine why black lynchings increased after slavery was constitutionally abolished and the Reconstruction Era in the American South came to an end. It will also juxtapose Mississippi lynchings, blamed for the maintenance of economical, political, and social white privilege, against the Progressive Era to show how those lynchings encumbered black economic, political, and social progress. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. / Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2009. / Date of Defense: March 24, 2009. / Blacks, Vicksburg, Mississippi, Lynching, Lloyd Clay, Progressive Era / Includes bibliographical references. / Maxine D. Jones, Professor Directing Thesis; Maxine L. Montgomery, Committee Member; James P. Jones, Committee Member.

During World War II, the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 required conscientious objectors (COs) who opposed any form of military service to perform "work of national importance under civilian direction." The program that carried out this alternative service was the Civilian Public Service (CPS), in which approximately 12,000 pacifists served at 151 camps established across the nation during the war. Some of those camps were in Florida and Mississippi, where CPS men worked with state and local public health authorities to combat diseases that plagued the South's poor, including hookworm and malaria. Though an advance over previous options for COs, CPS was not always well-received, by either the American people or the men who served within it. This dissertation will examine the camps in Florida and Mississippi to assess the success (or lack thereof) of the CPS alternative service program during the war, and also to explore the larger question of how well the United States upholds and protects the right of its citizens (particularly, nonconformist citizens) during a time of national crisis. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester 2015. / October 30, 2015. / Alternative Service, Civilian Public Service, Conscientious Objection, CPS, Selective Service, World War II / Includes bibliographical references. / Maxine D. Jones, Professor Directing Dissertation; Maxine L. Montgomery, University Representative; James P. Jones, Committee Member; Jennifer L. Koslow, Committee Member.

The scholarly study of hip hop is still in its infancy, and the focus in 2005 still rests largely upon African roots. However, many influences helped to shape hip hop culture in New York during its formative period in the 1970s. One of the most important of these was the Chinese kung-fu film, and the kung-fu heroes upon whom this cinema centered. Rather than being seen as a foreign concept, the kung-fu hero fit into American culture as an ideological descendant of the mythological American cowboy. By tracing the history of the cowboy as American hero and then investigating the similarities between cowboy hero and kung-fu hero, the reasons for the kung-fu hero's acceptance in America, particularly by minority audiences, become clear. Finally, an analysis of the movement in kung-fu films and hip hop dance (called breaking or b-boying), reveals how the kung-fu hero affected the development of hip hop culture, and its aesthetic and philosophical underpinnings. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. / Fall Semester, 2005. / October 19, 2005. / Chinese Cinema, Chinese Film, Asian Film, Dance, Hiphop, Hip-Hop, Rap, Breakdancing, Martial Arts, Bboy, Breakdance, Breaking, African American Dance, Popular Culture / Includes bibliographical references. / Neil Jumonville, Professor Directing Thesis; Maxine Jones, Committee Member; Matt D. Childs, Committee Member.

The historiography of the early American navy and, more definitively, the USS Constitution's role in American consciousness revolve around the valorous acts associated with the naval engagement between the Constitution and the HMS Guerriere during the War of 1812. The basis for this mass public appeal was presented, disseminated, and perpetuated by historians, journalists, and popular writers. Paralleling historical and popular works, the public perception of the Constitution and the prowess of America's frigate fleet as a whole subsequently rose to dizzying heights after the War of 1812—based on the evidence emanating from a single naval engagement that lasted just over half an hour. This work seeks to examine how the Constitution ascended to such great military heights when all the odds were against American naval hegemony following the Revolutionary War. By comparing and contrasting naval correspondence, captain's logs, and ship records associated with America's original frigate fleet, a better sense of the collective biographies of the six frigates will be achieved; and, in the process, lend greater perspective to the history of the early American Navy. The methodology of this dissertation is to view the American Navy through the lens of the captains, officers, and crew that served on the Constitution. While this study looks to add insight into naval development by comparing and contrasting each of the original six American frigates, the USS Constitution is at the center of the investigation. This is a case study that utilizes the Constitution as a means to view and balance the successes and failures of the early American Navy. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester 2015. / October 9, 2015. / American, History, Military, Navy / Includes bibliographical references. / Rafe Blaufarb, Professor Directing Dissertation; Candace Ward, University Representative; Jonathan Grant, Committee Member; Maxine Jones, Committee Member; Nathan Stoltzfus, Committee Member.

The Iraqi and American armies made changes in the wake of the 1991 Gulf War, but they made those changes within the constraints imposed upon them by their political overseers and their own political cultures. Unlike other works regarding the conflicts between Iraq and the United States, which are often historical narratives of the wars themselves, this paper is a comparative analysis of the changes made and the effects they would eventually have on the two states' respective performances in 2003. The Iraqi Army was badly hindered by Saddam Hussein's belief that they represented a threat to him. This suspicion caused the Iraqi dictator to form multiple rival services that competed with the Iraqi Army for men, equipment, and funding. Saddam also promoted on the basis of perceived loyalty, dismissing competent officers as threats to his power. Finally, the U.N.-imposed sanctions prevented Iraq from replacing destroyed or dilapidated weapons. The United States Army, in contrast, engaged in an expensive effort to correct perceived flaws in its force structure. At the same time, due to budget cuts, the United States Army had to find ways to perform the same duties with fewer resources. It did so using two paths. First, it attempted to modify its equipment and force structure in order to provide soldiers with firepower that would previously have been available only to larger units. Second, it made increased use of private contractors in an effort to free uniformed soldiers for combat duties. In the end, neither Iraq nor the United States was fully prepared for the war in 2003. Iraq's forces were designed with internal security in mind; repelling an external enemy as powerful as the United States proved to be beyond their capabilities. The United States Army was fully capable and prepared for the initial campaign against the Iraqi Army, but it found itself unable to control the subsequent outburst of civil strife. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. / Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2011. / Date of Defense: March 23, 2011. / Saddam, Republican Guard, Gulf War, Al-Quds, Qusay, Fedayeen Saddam, Ashbal Saddam, Uday, United States, Iraq / Includes bibliographical references. / Peter Garretson, Professor Directing Thesis; Michael Creswell, Committee Member; Mark Souva, Committee Member.

Mardi Gras Carnival balls are traditional New Orleans events when krewe organizations present their seasonal mock monarchs. Traditionally, these ballroom spectacles included tableaux vivants performances, the grand march and promenade of the season's royal court, special dances with masked krewemen, and general ballroom dancing. These events reinforced generational ties through the display of social power in a place where women were crystallized into perfect images of Southern beauty. Since the mid nineteenth century, old-line krewes (the oldest, most elite Carnival organizations) have cultivated patriarchal traditions in their ball presentations and have acted as historical vehicles of commentary on personal and social identity. The manner in which krewe members used their bodies to proclaim their royalty, to promenade, or to dance, all signified individual social roles and represented the evolving mores of their connected group. Likewise, masked courtiers and fashionable guests used their bodies in ballroom dancing to uphold or refute acceptable standards of male and female behavior. From 1870 to 1920, old-line krewes dominated the private terrain of New Orleans Mardi Gras. Through their steadfast commitment to performing white elitism, traditional krewes set the stage for the gender battles of the twentieth century, when female, black, and gay bodies, within newly formed krewes, used dance in their own carnival balls to define modern and diverse sexual, personal, and communal identities. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2008. / Date of Defense: March 25, 2008. / Mardi Gras, New Orleans, Tableaux Vivants, Ballroom Dancing, Old-Line Krewes, Gender in Performance / Includes bibliographical references. / Suzanne Sinke, Professor Directing Dissertation; John O. Perpener, III, Outside Committee Member; Sally Hadden, Committee Member; V.J. Conner, Committee Member; Tricia Young, Committee Member.

This dissertation examines the importance of the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. It explores briefly the history of the Olympic movement in Mexico, and the origins of the Mexican bid to host the Olympics. In winning the bid, the Mexican Olympic Committee not only staged a thorough and well-prepared presentation, but also shrewdly negotiated the waters between the Cold War superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union. Even before the Opening Ceremonies, these Olympics were fraught with controversy, including the altitude issue, the debate over amateurism, and the question of whether to admit South Africa, which proved so divisive it inspired an international boycott movement. Each of these controversies detracted from the purely athletic interest in the Games, lending them a political feel from the beginning. These controversies were soon superceded by the "Revolt of the Black Athlete" in the United States, as black athletes threatened to boycott the Games, and a burgeoning student movement in Mexico. The latter ended in a brutal massacre initiated by Mexican police and authorities. The movement among black athletes peaked as Tommie Smith and John Carlos delivered the black power salute while on the medal stand, again drawing attention away from the athletic contests. The dissertation concludes with an analysis of the broader significance of the Olympics, from its economic impact to the meanings of the social movements attached to it. By the end of the fortnight, several hundred Mexican students lay dead, racial discord in the United States was again a topic of international discussion, and all aspirations for a separation of sport and politics lay in ruins. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Degree Awarded: Fall Semester, 2003. / Date of Defense: October 6, 2003. / Black Athletes, Tlatelolco, Mexico, Olympics, Sport History / Includes bibliographical references. / James P. Jones, Professor Directing Dissertation; Patrick O'Sullivan, Outside Committee Member; Joe M. Richardson, Committee Member; Valerie J. Conner, Committee Member; Robinson Herrera, Committee Member.