http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/keyword/american-history Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Sat, 02 May 2026 18:35:13 -0400 Sat, 02 May 2026 18:35:13 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1926/american-construction-reconstruction-and-destruction-the-cultural-historical-and-literary-underpinnings-of-our-great-divide By Michael L. Neely - This thesis explores the inherent conflict between liberty and equality—the twin pillars on which the United States and its Constitution are predicated—and the materialization of this conflict in storm center texts, whose subjects cover the sentiments of the zeitgeist during American construction, destruction, and reconstruction. This paper asserts that American Construction and Reconstruction were fraught with the partition between these twin pillars—liberty and equality—and it brought this partition to the fore. American founders and historical and literary figures gave... Thu, 09 Dec 2021 12:12 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1926/american-construction-reconstruction-and-destruction-the-cultural-historical-and-literary-underpinnings-of-our-great-divide http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1921/vindication-for-tin-foil-hats-an-analysis-of-unethical-cold-war-experiments-and-their-enduring-consequences By Michael D. Opheim - While the Cold War is popularly regarded as a war of ideological conflict, to consider it solely as such does the long-winded tension a great disservice. In actuality, the Cold War manifested itself in numerous areas of life, including the various scientific fields of the Contemporary Era. Accordingly, scientific research became nothing more than a competition to both the United States and Soviet governments, influencing both to hastily expend their resources on progressing their respective understandings of science. In their hasty pursuit of scientific superiority, however, recent investigations... Wed, 10 Nov 2021 09:11 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1921/vindication-for-tin-foil-hats-an-analysis-of-unethical-cold-war-experiments-and-their-enduring-consequences http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1877/inglorious-basterds-a-satirical-criticism-of-wwii-cinema-and-the-myth-of-the-american-war-hero By Nadine Hussein - This article explores the way in which Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds challenges the myth of the American hero and criticizes the glorification of war cinema by satirizing the viewer directly. The particular focus is on the subtly with which Tarantino creates a network of parallels and analogical relations which dissolve the distinction between hero and villain. This article also argues that Tarantino effectively manipulates the audience into confronting the self-aggrandization of the American collective memory of WWII and exposes the ease at which the viewer is propagandized. Tarantino... Tue, 16 Feb 2021 04:53 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1877/inglorious-basterds-a-satirical-criticism-of-wwii-cinema-and-the-myth-of-the-american-war-hero http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1858/the-lingering-influence-of-revolutionary-political-discourse-from-the-civil-war-and-reconstruction-era By Bhadrajee S. Hewage - The Civil War was a seminal moment in the historical development in the United States. The American Revolution may have created the U.S. as a sovereign nation, but the Civil War helped to determine what kind of nation America would become. The Reconstruction era, from Lincoln's 1863 Emancipation Proclamation to Hayes's removal of federal troops from the South in 1877, further defined how exactly the U.S. would evolve into the nation that it is today. By examining the attitudes towards the extension of slavery in the pre-war U.S., the decisions taken by the Union and Confederate governments during... Fri, 08 Jan 2021 10:45 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1858/the-lingering-influence-of-revolutionary-political-discourse-from-the-civil-war-and-reconstruction-era http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1848/examining-the-complex-subjective-filmography-of-oliver-stone-a-comparison-and-critique-of-jfk-to-nixon-and-platoon-to-heaven-and-earth By Mang Lu - Oliver Stone's filmography has levied an unprecedented effect on the popular understanding of American history, especially of the turmoil surrounding the Vietnam War and the assassination of John F. Kennedy. His style has been described as highly subjective, fantastical, impassioned, insensitive, and unabashedly masculine. It is rather undisputed, however, that his features are not without cultural, racial, or religious shortsightedness. Stone's narrative style is particularly strong when working within a certain set of circumstances with respect to story and historical substance. Western, male... Tue, 08 Dec 2020 12:20 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1848/examining-the-complex-subjective-filmography-of-oliver-stone-a-comparison-and-critique-of-jfk-to-nixon-and-platoon-to-heaven-and-earth http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1845/bonds-of-slavery-and-bonds-of-love-investigating-the-role-of-african-american-families-and-marital-unions-in-the-struggle-against-slavery By Xavier G. Reader - Resistance to oppression is often found in the most unlikely of places. This article investigates the significance that families and partnerships played in fostering the emotional support necessary to sustain enslaved peoples throughout the onslaught of slavery in the antebellum South. Despite the ever-present threat of separation and sale that sought to split families and spouses apart, the bonds of love that enslaved African-Americans held and shared were not easily severed. This examination of the lived experiences of enslaved folk demonstrates that the creation, mutability, and endurance of... Sat, 28 Nov 2020 10:03 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1845/bonds-of-slavery-and-bonds-of-love-investigating-the-role-of-african-american-families-and-marital-unions-in-the-struggle-against-slavery http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1768/trauma-and-silence-in-no-no-boy-an-interdisciplinary-reading By Yuxin Zheng - Depicting the rugged reintegration of Ichiro Yamada, a no-no boy imprisoned during WWII, Japanese American author John Okada presents a traumatized and conflicted Japanese American community during the mid-1940s in his novel No-No Boy (1957). Applying Dan McAdams’ psychological theory to their literary study of the novel, Floyd Cheung and Bill Peterson demonstrate that an interdisciplinary approach can “provide inspiration for different disciplines in the academy to view Asian American experience in new and exciting ways” (213). Using an interdisciplinary approach as Cheung and... Thu, 03 Oct 2019 08:09 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1768/trauma-and-silence-in-no-no-boy-an-interdisciplinary-reading http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1751/the-captains-compromise-political-symbolism-in-herman-melvilles-benito-cereno By Brian Chen - Until the outbreak of civil war, the United States would continually try and fail to subdue the existential threat of slavery, with each attempt exacerbating the sectional tensions between slave and free states. In 1830, Massachusetts Senator Daniel Webster claimed that the country stood on the “precipice of disunion” and foresaw a future in which “the broken and dishonored fragments of a once glorious Union” are drenched in “fraternal blood.”[1] As tribalism tore away the shared history between the North and South, Webster’s grim prediction would eventually... Wed, 09 Jan 2019 10:37 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1751/the-captains-compromise-political-symbolism-in-herman-melvilles-benito-cereno http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1596/scientific-federal-agencies-andand-the-united-states-negotiation-for-the-limited-test-ban-treaty-1962-1963 By Helen Thompson - In October of 1962, the United States and Soviet Union’s arms race in ballistic missiles escalated to an unnerving confrontation that lasted thirteen days, while both world leaders waited on opposite sides of the world for the other to say the word and start a nuclear war. This confrontation became known as the Cuban Missile Crisis and is equated to be the climax of the Cold War.[1] During these frightening thirteen days, President John F. Kennedy and Premier Nikita Khrushchev deliberated over launching nuclear warheads to begin a nuclear war in the Western hemisphere. The magnitude of this... Mon, 27 Mar 2017 12:38 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1596/scientific-federal-agencies-andand-the-united-states-negotiation-for-the-limited-test-ban-treaty-1962-1963 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1552/world-war-ii-in-the-united-states-colony-of-the-philippines-beyond-the-bataan-death-march-and-douglas-macarthur By Martha M. Helak - World War II ranks among the deadliest military conflicts in history. From 1939-1945, the estimated number of casualties worldwide exceeded 60 million.[1] The United States suffered military fatalities in excess of four hundred thousand, and the Philippines, an archipelago in Southeast Asia and an American colony from 1898 to1946, endured horrifying atrocities such as the Bataan Death March.[2] One hundred thousand Filipino civilians (the majority being women, children, and the elderly), were ultimately slaughtered by Japanese Marines during the sack of Manila.[3] By March of 1945, this cosmopolitan... Tue, 07 Mar 2017 05:03 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1552/world-war-ii-in-the-united-states-colony-of-the-philippines-beyond-the-bataan-death-march-and-douglas-macarthur http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1498/the-use-of-violence-on-the-american-frontiers-examining-us-native-american-relations-in-the-18th-and-19th-centuries By Kaden Prowse - Following the end of the American Revolutionary War of 1776 to 1783, the U.S. government adopted an aggressive and expansionistic policy towards Native Americans on its frontiers. From the closing years of the 18th century to the end of the 19th century, the U.S. continually relied on these policies to open up the western frontiers for settlement and colonization by American settlers and immigrants from Europe. Native American tribes that opposed the U.S., or unintentionally got in its way, were swiftly dealt with by the U.S. and forced onto reservations where they could be controlled. The history... Mon, 21 Nov 2016 08:23 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1498/the-use-of-violence-on-the-american-frontiers-examining-us-native-american-relations-in-the-18th-and-19th-centuries http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1458/the-polar-bear-expedition-of-1918--1919-interpreting-masculinity-through-the-eyes-of-a-soldier By James G. Partain - While historians argued over the reason for the expedition’s failure, from military problems, political problems, or a lack of a proper objective, what has not been discussed, however, is what the men on the expedition experienced. The human element of the story is left out. More importantly, how did they process their experiences when they returned home? To answer this question, I will examine a number of primary sources written by those present during the expedition. These sources will not only reveal how events on the Expedition were viewed by the men, but also how they viewed other countries... Tue, 11 Oct 2016 08:32 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1458/the-polar-bear-expedition-of-1918--1919-interpreting-masculinity-through-the-eyes-of-a-soldier http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1445/creating-life-within-the-confines-of-slavery-comparing-northrups-memoir-twelve-years-a-slave-and-genoveses-the-world-the-slaves-made By Hayley E. Tartell - Solomon Northup’s Twelve Years a Slave (1853) provides a comprehensive first-hand account of slavery that both corroborates and challenges Eugene Genovese’s argument in his later analysis of the institution of slavery in The World the Slaves Made (1976). Genovese’s description of slaves’ recognition of their situation is reflected in Northup’s picture of slavery. By the same token, resilience and determination to live life as fully as possible – despite the narrow confines to which life was restrained by the slaveholding institution – is epitomized in... Tue, 13 Sep 2016 09:27 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1445/creating-life-within-the-confines-of-slavery-comparing-northrups-memoir-twelve-years-a-slave-and-genoveses-the-world-the-slaves-made http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1409/the-uprisings-of-nat-turner-and-john-brown-response-and-treatment-from-the-abolitionist-movement-and-the-press By Franco A. Paz - This paper examines two influential slave uprisings and the treatment these received by both the abolitionist movement and the press. The first section explores the country’s reaction to John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry, as well as his subsequent trial, conviction, and execution. The second section discusses the media coverage of and reaction to the Southampton Insurrection, the largest slave rebellion in the history of the United States. The third section explores the contrasting reactions to Nat Turner’s and John Brown’s respective revolts, and analyzes some... Mon, 23 May 2016 05:55 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1409/the-uprisings-of-nat-turner-and-john-brown-response-and-treatment-from-the-abolitionist-movement-and-the-press http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1391/the-ferris-wheel-the-worlds-columbian-exposition-of-1893-and-the-display-of-american-superiority By Violette H.P. Ho - The appearance of new technology such as electric lights and skyscrapers in urban centers prompted many to see cities as places of excitement and economic advancement. As more people continued to migrate, these American cities begun to suffer from overcrowding. In some areas, such as in New York City, the population reached as high as 334,000 people per square mile. Women made as little as 25 cents a day for working in a sweatshop. Most city dwellers barely earned enough to get by. They live in tenements with dozens of other families, with no access to safe drinking water. People sold food on... Sun, 17 Apr 2016 02:48 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1391/the-ferris-wheel-the-worlds-columbian-exposition-of-1893-and-the-display-of-american-superiority http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1386/questioning-community-in-the-ku-klux-klan By Alan D. Songer - Despite this, however, most people certainly do not view the KKK as many scholars agree it once was. Words such as terror, murderous, or law-breaking are often associated with the Klan (Trelease, 1971, Title Page). So, why the disparity? Of course, the KKK is a horrific blemish on American history. They were a group that terrorized not only a race or community, but also an entire nation. The Klan, like any group, had its beginnings. A strong sense of brotherhood and loyalty existed in its community. It was this community that led to the violence and destruction for which the Klan was all too well... Sat, 26 Mar 2016 02:30 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1386/questioning-community-in-the-ku-klux-klan http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1380/adam-smith-and-religious-plurality-in-america By Drew Liquerman - Smith's writings, most importantly An Enquiry into the Wealth of Nations,[1] greatly influenced James Madison in his thoughts on the disestablishment of religion as espoused in Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments (Remonstrance),[2] in the Federalist Papers (specifically #10 and #51), and in the First Amendment’s Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses. Due in part to Smith’s influence on Madison, our country was founded on the principles of separation of church and state and religious liberty, which has led to the flourishing and acceptance of a multitude of religious... Mon, 21 Mar 2016 10:14 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1380/adam-smith-and-religious-plurality-in-america http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1337/economic-historiography-of-the-war-of-1812 By Dhruv Y. Patel - While the overall focus of most scholarships related to the 32-month War of 1812 concentrates on the war’s political and military history, it is also imperative to examine how scholars and historians framed its economic contexts. In particular, one major discussion is about the economic causes or factors for this conflict, alongside its economic implication. The economic historiography of the War of 1812 received relatively less attention after the war itself and throughout the nineteenth century as historians focused mainly on its maritime aspects. However, contemporary historians of the... Mon, 25 Jan 2016 09:56 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1337/economic-historiography-of-the-war-of-1812 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1002/roosevelts-imperialism-the-venezuelan-crisis-the-panama-canal-and-the-origins-of-the-roosevelt-corollary By Christopher J. Kshyk - The Roosevelt Corollary, outlined in Theodore Roosevelt’s 1904 and 1905 State of the Union addresses, proclaimed a new imperialist doctrine for American foreign policy in the western hemisphere and represents the culmination in the evolution of Roosevelt’s imperialist ideology. Roosevelt proclaimed the United States’ right to intervene in the internal affairs of any sovereign state in the western hemisphere if it conflicted with American interests in the region, and to resist European imperial ambitions in Central and South America, whether commercial or territorial, by force... Mon, 02 Mar 2015 05:49 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1002/roosevelts-imperialism-the-venezuelan-crisis-the-panama-canal-and-the-origins-of-the-roosevelt-corollary http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1001/the-double-victory-campaign-and-the-black-press-a-conservative-approach-to-victory-at-home-and-abroad By Haley D. O'Shaughnessy - During World War II, the black press and several prominent black leaders called for a “Double V” victory against fascism abroad and against Jim Crow at home. With such a slogan, many historians regarded this campaign as the groundwork for the black revolts that characterized the civil rights movement. While there is ample evidence that the readers of the black press were receptive to a more militant approach, black newspapers themselves undertook a conservative effort to channel black militancy into nationalistic ends. By seeking government concessions rather than supporting militant... Wed, 18 Feb 2015 11:29 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1001/the-double-victory-campaign-and-the-black-press-a-conservative-approach-to-victory-at-home-and-abroad http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1072/the-concept-of-property-and-ownership-in-the-antebellum-american-south-slaves-slaveholders-theft-conflict-and-the-law By John Wood - The role of personal property in our lives is one that to a very great extent we take for granted. We, in a crowded country such as the UK, all clearly understand that some things are ‘ours’, some things ‘others’ and some things ‘public’, most people in Western society have a fully developed conception of ownership and property from an early age. For slaves, condemned by law to be treated as property due to being the descendants of black Africans imported in the pre-revolutionary period,1 and their white masters, as those who owned other human beings as property... Thu, 01 Jan 2015 07:58 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1072/the-concept-of-property-and-ownership-in-the-antebellum-american-south-slaves-slaveholders-theft-conflict-and-the-law http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/891/the-international-military-police-and-the-allied-intervention-in-the-russian-civil-war By Christopher T. McMaster - In 1914 Russia was a powerful empire. It constituted a fundamental part of the European balance of power. However, years of bloody and costly war changed the nation by bringing to boil all the inequities and discontent built up under the Tsarist order. By 1917 up to two million men lay dead, with nearly three million more wounded and sick.1 In February of that year the Romanov dynasty was overthrown and a provisional government formed. Unwisely deciding to continue the fight against Germany, that government was likewise overthrown. On November 7, 1917 the Bolsheviks entered the Winter Palace and... Thu, 24 Apr 2014 11:12 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/891/the-international-military-police-and-the-allied-intervention-in-the-russian-civil-war http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/889/woodrow-wilson-and-the-american-expeditionary-force-to-siberia-1918-1920 By Christopher T. McMaster - Several explanations of Wilson’s actions have since emerged.1 Two interpretations see intervention as part of the Allied war effort, with the President portrayed as believing claims that the Bolsheviks were actually German Agents, or as acting in a way to steer his allies into supporting Russian ‘liberal nationalism’ against the threats of both Russian Bolshevism and German militarism.2 A third interpretation, offered by the former diplomat George Kennan, explains the dispatch of troops ultimately as an effort to rescue the beleaguered “Czech Legion,” which had just... Tue, 15 Apr 2014 12:40 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/889/woodrow-wilson-and-the-american-expeditionary-force-to-siberia-1918-1920 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/884/the-roving-ambassador-bayard-rustins-quaker-cosmopolitanism-and-the-civil-rights-movement By Sebastian C. Galbo - Just eight months after Gandhi's assassination, Rustin arrived in India to give a series of lectures to pacifist organizations. Between 1947 and 1952, Rustin made several important trips to Africa and India where he met and exchanged ideas with other prominent social reformers, which left an indelible imprint on his strategies of organizing African-American protest. While these highly successful lectures gained valuable political traction for the African-American cause, A. J. Muste feared Rustin was overly invested in global pacifist movements. As director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation (... Sun, 06 Apr 2014 09:40 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/884/the-roving-ambassador-bayard-rustins-quaker-cosmopolitanism-and-the-civil-rights-movement http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1277/reliving-american-slavery-in-12-years-a-slave By Dustin R. Turin - As if for the first time, the film unveiled the simple and uncorrupted evil that was American slavery, the institution we would rather forget but which stalks nevertheless through our nation’s all-too-recent history. The place whereto we are delivered is soul-crushing, a black hole of hatred so virulent as to extinguish any notion of redemption. We bear witness to a reality from which we have been feverishly running: American slavery, in its fundamental brutality, by virtue of its massive scale, and on account of its lengthy tenure, was one of the worst crimes in human history. Yes: as bad... Wed, 20 Nov 2013 11:34 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1277/reliving-american-slavery-in-12-years-a-slave http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1674/sexual-relations-between-elite-white-women-and-enslaved-men-in-the-antebellum-south-a-socio-historical-analysis By Anon S. Anon - There is ample evidence of sexual relations, from rapes to what appear to be relatively symbiotic romantic partnerships, between white slave masters and black women in the Antebellum South. Much rarer were sexual relations between white women and black slave men, yet they too occurred. Using an intersectional socio-historical analysis, this paper explores the factors that contributed or may have contributed to the incidence of sexual encounters between elite white women and slave men, the power dynamics embedded in them, and their implications in terms of sexual consent. The paper demonstrates... Sun, 18 Aug 2013 04:44 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1674/sexual-relations-between-elite-white-women-and-enslaved-men-in-the-antebellum-south-a-socio-historical-analysis http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/703/a-nation-divided-civil-war-politics-and-emancipation By Joshua A. Jones - The Emancipation Proclamation was arguably the United States’ first step away from hypocrisy and toward true racial equality. However, commentators often obscure its pivotal role in bringing the Civil War to a close by inferring that it was contrived out of benevolence and concern for the civil rights of minorities. These romanticized narratives overlook the position of slavery in the pre-Civil War economy and the use of segregation as a social control mechanism. This paper examines the content of various speeches given by the “Great Emancipator” Abraham Lincoln during his campaign... Fri, 28 Sep 2012 09:54 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/703/a-nation-divided-civil-war-politics-and-emancipation http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1224/the-illusion-of-us-isolationism By Eugenio Lilli - As of September 2011, the United States was involved, at different levels, in military operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Yemen and Somalia. America has more than 700 military installations overseas , and its military expenses account for almost half of the world’s total . This substantial foreign engagement directly contradicts the United States’ self-professed isolationism in foreign policy. The concept of US isolationism dates back to the colonial days. Evidence for example can be found in Thomas Paine’s work, Common Sense (1776). It was then often reiterated by US leaders... Tue, 01 Nov 2011 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1224/the-illusion-of-us-isolationism http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/387/the-formation-of-new-social-conventions-in-early-america By Sujay Kulshrestha - Early American society experienced moments of great change, politically, economically and socially. With the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Americans shattered previous paradigms of political thought, providing the opportunity for a new form of government to emerge from the ruins of tyrannical oppression. The founding fathers set up this new republic to be, simply put, a government for the people, by the people. This atmosphere of revolution and self-determination extended itself from the political arena to the social arena−Americans began to question longstanding social practices... Fri, 11 Feb 2011 08:57 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/387/the-formation-of-new-social-conventions-in-early-america http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/380/thomas-jeffersons-view-on-post-jefferson-america By Sujay Kulshrestha - Furthermore, seven states were admitted to the union during this period: Arkansas, Michigan, Florida, Texas, Iowa, Wisconsin, and California. Each of these admissions stoked the debates on slavery in the new territories, leading to increased tensions between abolitionists and slave-owning classes. If Thomas Jefferson was able to examine the state of America in 1856, he would most likely have mixed views on the progress of American society−pleased with some aspects, frowning upon others. Jefferson’s mixed views when comparing American society as he left it in 1826 until three decades... Thu, 03 Feb 2011 09:44 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/380/thomas-jeffersons-view-on-post-jefferson-america