University of Oklahoma Historical Journal

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https://hdl.handle.net/11244/329113

The University of Oklahoma Historical Journal features the very best work produced by our undergraduate students. The Historical Journal testifies to the intellectual values our department espouses: hard work, rigorous thinking, distinctive style, and academic integrity. Published annually, this peer-reviewed journal is governed by five undergraduate editors who are nominated and elected by the history faculty. Their election to the editorial board recognizes their excellence in a broad variety of history courses at OU and marks their transition from students to intellectual leaders.

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Open Access
The Bases The Story of Norman's Naval Bases during 1942
(10/1/12) Edwards, Breanna; Blanchard, Tessa; Carter, Michael; Geary, Ryan; Renner, Scott; Riley, Meghan; Folsom, Raphael; Holguín, Sandie; Levenson, Alan
This paper was selected because it exemplifies good storytelling. The author, Breanna Edwards, traces the establishment of several naval bases in Norman, Oklahoma through reports in the local newspaper in 1942. From the first reports of the coming construction projects, to the Navy Day parade in which the city and its new naval residents celebrated together, Edwards traces the story of the development of the bases and what they meant to the city of Norman at different points. “The Bases” demonstrates that good historical writing does not just point out facts, but connects them into a story that communicates to the reader how people of the day experienced the events and why. -Tessa Blanchard
Open Access
The Death Dealer
(10/1/12) Carter, Michael Lewis; Blanchard, Tessa; Carter, Michael; Geary, Ryan; Renner, Scott; Riley, Meghan; Folsom, Raphael; Holguín, Sandie; Levenson, Alan
The post-war confessions of Rudolf Höss, who, as commandant of Auschwitz, supervised the mass killing of Jews, however, invite readers to re-examine the role of evil as part of the historical commentary on the SS. In Hössʼs memoir, The Death Dealer: The Memoirs of the SS Kommandant at Auschwitz, written in a Polish prison between October 1946 and April 1947, Höss makes no attempt to conceal his crimes. Placing them in the context of careerism and the values of military service, Höss posits that he and other soldiers are in many respects not dissimilar from us. Rather, his actions belong to the current of duty to country, self-sacrifice and obedience that remains an intrinsic, yet problematic, part of military culture in armies including our own.
Open Access
Famine, Genocide, and Memory: Ukrainians and the Commemoration of the 1932-1933 Holodomor
(10/1/12) Schmidt, Taylor; Blanchard, Tessa; Carter, Michael; Geary, Ryan; Renner, Scott; Riley, Meghan; Folsom, Raphael; Holguín, Sandie; Levenson, Alan
History is political. Never has this been truer than in the former Soviet Union, where the past was subject to incessant ‘revisions.’ Mr. Schmidt takes on the Ukrainian famine, or Holodomor, from an international perspective, and does so quite thoroughly. As the paper unfolds, the reader comes to realize how inextricably entwined Ukranian identity is with this event. Genocide perpetrated on Ukranian people, or unintended pan-Soviet tragedy, the Holodomor’s political implications reach across oceans. The paper distinguishes itself with its in depth research and the author’s acute sensitivity to the gravity of the topic he so brilliantly explores. - Ryan Geary
Open Access
The Influence of Indigenous Artistis in the Maps of the Relaciones Geográficas
(10/1/12) Brockway, Mark; Blanchard, Tessa; Carter, Michael; Geary, Ryan; Renner, Scott; Riley, Meghan; Folsom, Raphael; Holguín, Sandie; Levenson, Alan
In the late sixteenth century the Spanish cosmographer López de Velasco ordered maps of cities and towns in America to be produced and returned to Spain to gain a more accurate understanding of Spanish territory in the New World. His instructions known as the Relación Geográfica questionnaire was disseminated to local officials in towns across the Viceroys of New Spain and Peru. In some cases Spanish government officials living in the Americas enlisted indigenous artists and cartographers, particularly those in New Spain. As a result, the maps vary in distinct ways from Spanish and European maps of the same time period. By analyzing the differences in the two types of maps, it becomes possible to gain a unique perspective into spatial viewpoints of native peoples in early colonial America. My research is aimed at describing specific spatial patterns of representation used by indigenous artists in depicting early Latin American towns. These maps communicated many aspects of indigenous art and thought back to the Iberian Peninsula.
Open Access
The Legacy of Honor in War
(10/1/12) Blanchard, Tessa J; Blanchard, Tessa; Carter, Michael; Geary, Ryan; Renner, Scott; Riley, Meghan; Folsom, Raphael; Holguín, Sandie; Levenson, Alan
From the earliest accounts of warfare, honor has been central to the warrior ethos. But is honor today the same as it was thousands of years ago? From the Iliad to the Peloponnesian War, from the Romans to the Crusaders, and from the Victorians to the soldiers of World War I, honor has shaped warrior’s conduct profoundly. While honor may mean different things to each culture, the core of honor has always been courage on the battlefield, but many facets of the idea, such as of virtue, religion, and how a soldier ought to defend his honor, have changed over time.
Open Access
Stolen Victories, Evaluating the War Cult in Soviet Russia
(10/1/12) Riley, Meghan; Blanchard, Tessa; Carter, Michael; Geary, Ryan; Renner, Scott; Riley, Meghan; Folsom, Raphael; Holguín, Sandie; Levenson, Alan
Meghan Riley is the inaugural winner of the Griswold Prize. Although the competition for this prize was fierce, the editorial board concurred that Ms. Riley’s essay embodied most clearly the standards of exceptional historical scholarship: an original and compelling argument that employed a variety of primary and secondary sources, an understanding of the historiography in her field, and a lucid and engaging writing style that added that extra touch of elegance to an already sophisticated argument. -Sandie Holguín
Open Access
Their Clothes Spoke Louder Than Their Words: How Three Founding Fathers Used Clothes to Convey Their Patriotism
(and the enterprising spirit that motivated them to forge the new nation. History senior Kristina Rosenthal's "Their Clothes Spoke Louder Than Their Words: How Three Founding Fathers Used Clothes to Convey Their Patriotism) Rosenthal, Kristina; http://history.ou.edu/journal; 2012-10-01; OU historical journal ; 1 (Fall 2012); Blanchard, Tessa; Carter, Michael; Geary, Ryan; Renner, Scott; Riley, Meghan
Two hundred and thirty-six years after the Declaration of Independence, Americans remain fascinated by the country's founding generation, and the enterprising spirit that motivated them to forge the new nation. History senior Kristina Rosenthal's
Open Access
The University of Oklahoma Historical Journal
(10/1/12) Blanchard, Tessa; Riley, Meghan; Carter, Michael; Geary, Ryan; Renner, Scott; Folsom, Raphael; Holguín, Sandie; Levenson, Alan
Preface to the Inaugural Issue of the OU Historical Journal by Raphael B. Folsom, Assistant Professor of History
Open Access
Who's the Imperialist? American Marxists Respond to the Russo-Finnish War
(10/1/12) Moore, Nathan; Blanchard, Tessa; Carter, Michael; Geary, Ryan; Renner, Scott; Riley, Meghan; Folsom, Raphael; Holguín, Sandie; Levenson, Alan
In this paper, Nathan Moore explores the complicated question of how American communists responded to the Soviet Union’s 1939-1940 invasion of Finland, and reveals its long-lasting consequences in American political discourse. Using clear and concise prose, Moore painstakingly examines the reactions of the Communist Party of the United States, the Socialist Workers Party Majority, and the Socialist Workers Party Minority to the Winter War and argues that each faction’s response depended on how it defined ‘imperialism.’ Drawing on detailed analyses of primary source documents, this paper constitutes an original contribution to the literature on the international impact of the Winter War. -Meghan Riley
Open Access
The Worlds of Monticello Mountain: How Space Reflected Power and Politics on an Eighteenth Century Chesapeake Plantation
(10/1/12) Pittman, Kayla; Blanchard, Tessa; Carter, Michael; Geary, Ryan; Renner, Scott; Riley, Meghan; Folsom, Raphael; Holguín, Sandie; Levenson, Alan
This distinguished article reminds us that written texts are not the only historical evidence available to us. The author makes creative use of visual and archaeological sources in conjunction with cutting-edge theories of space and place to show us how Monticello's architecture reflected the inner workings of its designer's mind. Thomas Jefferson is among our most important, and hence most thoroughly studied, presidents. This paper performs the remarkable feat of offering new insights on topics we thought were deeply familiar. With the rigor and playfulness of a fine art critic, Kayla Pittman makes the familiar strange. -Raphael Folsom