108 years ago today, two twins, Michel and Edmond Navratil, saw their father for the last time as he lowered them into a boat full of strangers in a desperate attempt to save their lives. They were on Easter break with their father who unbeknownst to the twins, had kidnapped them, leaving their mother at… Continue reading SOS! She’s Hit an Iceberg!
My day started off hectic, I was late- as always 🤷🏼♀️, threw lunchables in lunch boxes and finally got the boys to their grandma’s so I could get to MSU. It was not ideal, I was frustrated and had major anxiety, but as soon as I sat down here, looking at these documents, I felt… Continue reading “Do something you love and you’ll never work a day in your life”
Until the late 1930s, the narratives of former slaves living in Missouri were unheard. As many slaves were illiterate, documenting their experiences was commonly impossible. Due to the predominance of illiteracy, oral histories of former slaves were collected by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1936 through a series of interviews with former slaves. As… Continue reading The Limits and Strengths of the WPA Missouri Slave Narratives
For decades, conflict has surrounded Korea. Whether it be the fight between China and Japan for control of the country in the Sino-Japanese War, or the Civil War that brought Asia into the first military action of the Cold War, Korea has always been surrounded by hostility and finally fell into Japanese hands who would… Continue reading The Korean War and the Containment of Communism
Perched on top a majestic bluff sits the small town of Vicksburg, Mississippi. With a seat right on the Mississippi River, the town is a prime location for commerce and trade. This was especially true in the Summer of 1863 when the Confederate army held the city, making use of its steep bluffs and the… Continue reading The Anaconda Plan: Using Vicksburg to Constrict Enemy Lines
One of the most interesting aspects of my research of Civil War medicine thus far is the methods women used to achieve their agendas during the Civil War. Being opposed to women as volunteers, both Surgeon General Lawson and Finley maintained that protestant women should not be exposed to the kinds of conditions produced by… Continue reading Women Show Agency Within the United States Sanitary Commission
Historically, women have been discriminated against and have held lower social positions than their male counterpoints. This is no exception in Ancient Rome as women were both exploited and molested at the hands of their husbands and even their parents. Due to the belief that women were weak and “light-minded”, Roman laws were put in… Continue reading Women in Ancient Rome: Discrimination, Double Standards, and Agency
Known for his leadership in China during the 1911 revolution and regarded as the father of China, Dr. Sun Yat Sen may be one of the most influential political leaders of all time. Being both well-traveled and well educated, Sun possessed insight about the world, particularly the Western world which others in China during this… Continue reading Democracy, Nationalism, and Economic Expansion: An Analysis of Western Influence on the Policies of Dr. Sun Yat Sen
If someone is dying, is it the duty of society to save them? Standard moral ethics says, yes; but under what circumstances? Is society responsible for saving a convicted serial murderer facing the death penalty? What if a building was on fire and trapped in one room is your family of four and in another,… Continue reading Sacrificing One for the Good of Many: The Survival Lottery
Stalinist Russia is a popular topic among historians and scholars and has inspired questions such as; what effect did the political policies of the era have on people of the Soviet Union and how did Stalin’s policies change social classes and hierarchical structure of the state? In her book, Everyday Stalinism, Sheila Fitzpatrick gives many… Continue reading A quick look into Fitzpatrick’s Everyday Stalinisum
Webster's World 