History B.A. Theses
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History 489, the Research Seminar, is the third semester of a three course sequence (288/488/489) required of all history majors at UW-EC. In these courses, students learn about the different theoretical approaches that historians use and complete original research papers, BA theses. The BA thesis is the capstone experience for history majors at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. Although students choose topics ranging from local history to world history, many of the papers deal with the history of Eau Claire, the Chippewa Valley, Wisconsin, and the Upper Midwest.
Copyright for the materials in this collection is owned by the authors. This digital version is published by McIntyre Library, University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire with the consent of the author.
Recent Submissions
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Public Expectation vs. Free Love : Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Borthwick's Controversial Affair
(2017-12)American society had many expectations when it came to marriage, the family, and gender roles in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. By exploring the status of women in marriage during the Gilded Age and ... -
Evolution of the American Airstrike: Psychological Impacts on Drone Operators and WWII Bomber Pilots
(2017-12)This research takes a look at the similarities and differences between bomber pilots during World War II and drone operators in the twenty-first century modern military setting. The comparisons will be based on psychological ... -
Reemergence of Identity Politics: How Donald Trump Recaptured the Identity Politics Movement of George Lincoln Rockwell in the 1960’s
(2017-12)Donald Trump’s win of the oval office was a result of successful campaigning through the idea of Identity Politics. While focusing his rhetoric on black empowerment, white vulnerability, and religious prejudice, Donald ... -
Rearmament, Rhetoric, and Realignment
(2017-12)While there has been much study done on the hardline anti-communist policies of 1950s McCarthyism, there really is not as much research into the rest of Wisconsin’s Congressional history during the Cold War. This paper ... -
Building Relations: The Creation of Eau Claire’s Town Gown Community
(2017-12)The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire has had a large impact on the city it resides in. Through enlargement of the campus and increased student population, the University has been able to change the make-up of the downtown ... -
Polish Power: A Community's Reaction to the Great Migration and the Fair Housing Act of 1968
(2017-11)The South Side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin had been deemed Polish since the 1850s. When they arrived from Europe, the Poles were seen as second class white in the primarily German city and forced to live in a specific area. ... -
Not Your Average Joe: Senator McCarthy's Fight Against the Presidency 1946-1957
(2017-12)Senator Joe McCarthy from Wisconsin has become synonymous with fear mongering and red baiting in American political history due to his public fight against Communism during the 1950s. Many supported his cause but there ... -
Spies Among Us: German-Americans in Wisconsin During World War I
(2018-12-19)World War I was a time of concern both abroad and domestically for the United States. With the US entering into the conflict in 1917, this also brought about the limiting of personal freedoms on the home front with the ... -
TB in EC: The 1911 Tuberculosis Outbreak in Sawdust City
(2017-12)Tuberculosis, named for the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is a terrible illness that can be traced back into the earliest parts of history. It still affects people all over the world today, including the United ... -
Setting a New Course in Native American Protest Movements: The Menominee Warrior Society’s Takeover of the Alexian Brothers Novitiate in 1975
(2017-12)In the 1960s and 1970s, the United States experienced multiple Native American protest movements. These movements came from two different methods of protest: direct action, or grassroots tactics, and long-term political ... -
Queen Cow and the Eau Claire Rule: Eau Claire as the New Deal Base Point for the Federal Milk Marketing Order
(2018-12-19)As a part of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal, Eau Claire quietly was labeled the base point, or the geographical site at which minimum fluid milk prices are set for the federal milking marketing order. This research ... -
Education for All: Understanding Wisconsin’s Arguments for the Education of Wisconsin’s Amish
(2018-12-19)Jonas Yoder was one of three parents fined for the sum of 5 dollars for violating the Compulsory School Attendance Law within Wisconsin. Yoder appealed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, arguing that the law violated the ... -
“We are not making a Black Beer, but a Peoples Beer”: “Black Capitalism” and the Struggles of Black Entrepreneurship
(2018-12-19)During Richard Nixon’s 1968 presidential campaign, he included a plank in his platform with the “Black Capitalism” Initiative. It was meant to promote black entrepreneurship and give the black community an opportunity for ... -
Notes of Nostalgia: Engaging with the Past at the Shake, Rattle, and Roll Music Festival: 1987-1993
(2018-12-19)In the late 1980s, at the beginning of a nationwide music festival craze, Eau Claire music promoter, Larry Barr, saw the opportunity to create a small music festival built on Rock and Roll culture. This music festival ... -
“White Devils”: The Nation of Islam - Origins, Recruitment and the F.B.I.
(2018-12-19)The Nation of Islam has often been described as a radical and aggressive social and political movement occurring simultaneously with the Civil Rights movement in the United States. Founded in 1930 by a mysterious traveling ... -
Fight For Poland, The Fight For Freedom: The Work of Representative Alvin E. O’Konski in the Years 1945-1952
(2018-12-19)Alvin Edward O’Konski was a representative from the state of Wisconsin from 1942 until 1972, and during his time in Congress he was known for his strong anti-communist stance. This paper will cover the work that O’Konski ... -
“Mr. Co-op”: How Ray Theisen Enhanced Cooperative and Community Values in the Chippewa Valley
(2018-12-19)Ray Theisen’s life and career, particularly his 30-plus years as general manager of Consumers’ Co-op of Eau Claire, had a significant impact on Eau Claire community values, organizations, and businesses. This paper examines ... -
“They’ll never get me. I’m too good.” Lee Lue’s life, time, and impacts on the Secret War in Laos, 1967-1969
(2018-12-19)Lee Lue was one of the few Hmong fighter pilots selected to fly T-28 fighter planes during the Secret War. His incredible skills as a fighter pilot has marked him as a heroic ace pilot. Contrary to his skills and heroic ... -
Dangerous Game: Boar Hunting Symbolism from the Ancient Greeks to Romans
(2018-10-28)This paper will discuss the differences in symbolism of the boar hunt between the ancient Greeks and the ancient Romans. Using a variety of primary sources, including vase paintings, mosaics and literary accounts from the ... -
Women of the North: Contributions of Northern Women on the Homefront and on the Battlefield during the American Civil War
(2018-12-19)During the American Civil War, the roles and responsibilities of women were shifting. The previous expectations of women were being greatly challenged due to the absence of their husbands and sons in the household. For the ...
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