History Majors at UPS participate in a section of History 400, in which they complete a research paper based on primary and secondary sources—AKA, the "Senior Thesis." In my section of History 400, I used to encourage students to work on some topic related to the North American West or the Pacific Northwest—in part because local archives support such research, and in part because Western and Pacific Northwestern history are central to my work. As a department, we now formally make all sections of History 400 open to all topics in history, no matter region or period. In recent years, many students have taken up topics in medieval history.
Some students do take up local and regional topics. For example, students in one section of History 400 wrote papers on the Cushman Indian School in Puyallup, the commemoration of the Whitmans and the creation of a sense of place in Walla Walla, the "frontier" experience of "Rosie the Riveter," the role of food in 19th century travel and exploration in the West—and a host of other topics. I hope that this online archive of papers will be a way to share the fruits of their original research with people interested in Western and Pacific Northwestern history—both within the Puget Sound community and beyond. As you will see, students often explore topics outside of this area as well. Below is a sampling of the papers that have been written over the years. I hope to add more papers in the future. Each of the papers has something new to offer—you're invited to browse and enjoy!
Note to former students: If you are a former history 400 student, and your paper is not below, that is probably because I don't have an electronic copy of your final paper. If you would like it to be included, please send it to me (and I hope all is well). doug
Micah Coleman Campbell,Morality, Piety, and Muscular Christianity: Lessons in Manliness from Mid-Nineteenth Century American Sunday School Books
Madeline Bailey, On the Fringes of Society:The Relationship between Mormon Settlers and Utah’s Native American tribes in relation to the Mountain Meadows Massacre
Kainoa Correa, Voyaging into History: The Revival of Ancient Polynesian Voyaging
Kevin Curlett, Witch Hunt in the Snow: Progressive Era Ideology in the Courts and Newspapers Following America’s Deadliest Avalanche
Ayanna K. Drakos, Challenging How We Remember: Preparation and Practice of Black Teachers in Pre-Brown Black Schools
Sarah K. Jenson, Renaissance of the Western Man: How Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Became a Model for Masculinity 1883-1916
Julia Miller, “God Save Us Nelly Queens”: Religion and Homophile Activism in the Council on Religion and the Homosexual, 1964 - 1968
Kathleen Powers, When Hate Inhabits Space:The Aryan Nation’s use of Free Space in Idaho and the State’s Refusal to be defined by the White Power Movement
Rob Wellington,The Mourning After Columbine:Controversial Christian Commemoratives
Garner Andrews, A Superior Order of Red Men": Constructing the Alaskan Native in Turn-of-the-Century America
Caitlin Barrow, "Sex, Lies, and Tenure": How The Trail Handled Scandal
Tedra Hamel, Silencing Sacagawea: Eva Emery Dye and the Origin of an American Myth (1902-1905)
Jeanne Krenzer, Fly Me to the Moon: Space, race, and the American Dream
Hattie Lindsley,Viva Fiesta San Antonio: Race Plays a Part in 'the Sublime Memory of Glory and Pageantry'
Jennifer Miller, Destroying "The Path to Knowledge and the False University": Democratic Participation and Identity Assertion in the Chicano Education and Mural Movements
Steffen Minner, Claiming Mount Tahoma
Jessica Murray, Traditional Silence to Political Activism: The Evolution of the Ideal First Lady
Katrine Nielsen, Understanding Army Advertising: Repairing the Divergence of American Liberalism and the Realities of Army Culture since the All-Volunteer Force