An Undergraduate Journal of History
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ARCHIVE ARCHIVE An Undergraduate Journal of History Volume 15, 2012 ARCHIVE An Undergraduate Journal of History Volume 15, May 2012 Published at the University of Wisconsin—Madison Printing services provided by DoIt Digital Publishing Produced in conjunction with the Lambda-Xi Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society Cover photo courtesy of the University of Wisconsin—Madison Archives and the Duane Hopp Collection ARCHIVE 3 Table of Contents 4 Editor’s Note 5 About ARCHIVE 6 2012 Editorial Board 7 About the Authors 10 “It is not a hospital, but a home they want”: Caring for the Chronically Insane in Nineteenth- Century Dane County 23 Over the Hill: John Riley and the St. Patrick’s Battalion in the Mexican-American War 35 Treasonous Martyrs: the Consequences of Minority Political Beliefs in the Cherokee Nation Prior to Removal 56 Were Women at a Spiritual Disadvantage during the Crusades? 65 The American Jewish Diaspora and the Burmese Indian Diaspora: a Tale of Shared Experience, 1850-1950 85 Germany’s “Political Power Factor”: Tirpitz, the Second Navy Law, and the Genesis of an Anti- British Fleet 4 an Undergraduate Journal of History Editor’s Note With a lack of eloquence hardly befitting of an editor-in-chief, I will begin by saying that publishing a journal, like canoeing or playing catch, simply cannot be done alone. I am thoroughly and inexpressibly grateful for the assistance I have received along the way from both peers and advisers alike. I would especially like to thank the editorial board for their endless cheer, wit, and academic prowess. With any other group, weekend meetings and would hardly have been such a privilege. I would like to thank Scott Burkhardt for his dedication and tireless reading of my emails—no matter how trivial my questions may be. I would like to thank Professor John Hall for his guidance in this process and Professor Sarah Thal for her assistance in acquiring funds for ARCHIVE. Finally, I would like to thank all of our student contributors for meeting the highest standards of academic re- search—I am truly proud of the work you have done. Kristen Schumacher Madison, Wisconsin May, 2012 ARCHIVE 5 About ARCHIVE In 1997, the UW—Madison chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, with the support of the History Department, created ARCHIVE: an Undergraduate Journal of History. To date, AR- CHIVE has published 15 volumes, and has presented undergraduate research on topics as diverse as Wisconsin microbreweries to theater during the French Revolution. Each Feb- ruary, students submit essays for review by the editorial board. Only a handful of the highest quality works are selected, and through a meticulous editing process, are prepared for publication. The students who work for ARCHIVE are not required to be history ma- jors, and all accepted works are produced by the Madison student body. The deadline for Volume 16 submissions will be announced in early fall of 2012. Requirements and submission forms can be found at uwarchive.wordpress.com 6 an Undergraduate Journal of History 2012 Editorial Board Kristen Schumacher, Editor-in-Chief Kristen is a senior majoring in History with certificates in Folklore and Gender and Women’s Studies. She enjoys community history, storytelling, museums, and all the ways in which people share experiences from the past. Her research focuses on the in- fluence of women’s labor activism on the passage of the Taft-Hartley Act in 1947 and consequent changes in women’s workplace bargaining power. In her free time, Kristen enjoys holding friendly conversations with strangers, baking, blogging, and asking oth- ers about their grandparents. Sam Jonas, Editor Sam is a Senior majoring in History and English, and plans on teaching in some capacity after college. His concentration is in general American History, but his true passion lies in the history of Antebellum and Reconstruction America. He also recently announced his candidacy for school elections as a member of the Whig party. James Doing, Editor James is a Senior majoring in history, with a concentration in 20th-century Europe. He also studies German and ESL, and hopes to spend a few years abroad teaching English before coming back to Madison for graduate school. In his free time James enjoys ana- lyzing language and costume errors in historical films (especially atrocious hairstyles from the sixties). Crescentia Stegner-Frietag, Editor Crescentia is a junior who would love nothing better than to be in Rome in 63 BC. Since she cannot do so, she has to content herself with majoring in Classics and Histo- ry. She is an active member of the Undergraduate History Association/Phi Alpha Theta, the Undergraduate History Council, and the Classics Society. In her free time, Cres- centia plays piano and knits. ARCHIVE 7 Shane Polzin, Editor Shane is a Senior majoring in History and Scandinavian Studies, with a certificate in European Studies.After graduation, he will be commission as an officer in the US Navy and go to Pensacola, FL for flight school. He enjoys traveling as much as possible, but when home is perfectly content to watch a movie, then endlessly analyze it with friends. DeeDee Hirschtritt, Editor DeeDee is a senior majoring in History and Gender and Women’s Studies with a certifi- cate in Jewish Studies. Her studies focus on Jewish history, specifically Yiddish- speaking women of the 19th-20th centuries. Come September 2012, DeeDee will be teaching elementary school in Detroit, missing Madison terribly. In her free time, Dee- Dee enjoys reading simplistic Yiddish poetry, imagining herself as a famous modern dancer, and biking. Anei Reyes, Editor Aneidys is a junior majoring in history. Her primary focus has been in popular and revo- lutionary history of Latin America as well as in social history of the United States. She is excited to have received a Wisconsin Hilldale Undergraduate/Faculty Research Fel- lowship for the 2012-2013. Entitled Queer Realities In Small-Town Wisconsin, her sen- ior thesis will be both a community-building oral history project as well as a response to queer studies' dominant narratives that make invisible the queerness that exists outside of mainstream, urban, gay communities. Her other academic interests include Portu- guese and Russian language studies and queer studies and poetry. Her poetry recently appeared in the Our Nations of Others Juried Exhibit as well as in the LGBT Campus Center's first edition of the zine, [un]. Aneidys is an avid baker, cook, runner and social justice activist. This is her first time on the editorial board for ARCHIVE. Faculty Advisor Professor John Hall 8 an Undergraduate Journal of History About the Authors Conner Wild Conner is a senior completing a major in History with certificates in German and Ameri- can Indian Studies. Outside of school, Conner is an avid gardener, musician, and cook. He also works as a volunteer with Street Pulse, Madison’s homeless cooperative news- paper. Liz Fried Liz Fried is a freshman with interests in both gender studies and religious studies. On campus, Liz volunteers with the student organization Advocates for Choice, which oper- ates in connection with Planned Parenthood to increase awareness of reproductive health issues. She loves writing, and hopes to continue her scholarly pursuits in the future. Jeff Eversman Jeff Eversman graduated in May, 2011, with degrees in history (with Honors) and Ger- man with a certificate in European studies. He is currently serving a year as an Ameri- Corps VISTA, after which he plans on teaching English abroad in Europe before return- ing to school for a Master's degree to pursue a career in either international business or public policy." Michelle Patten Michelle Patten is a graduating senior majoring in History and Psychology. She wrote "Treasonous Martyrs: the Consequences of Minority Political Beliefs in the Cherokee Nation Prior to Removal" for Professor John Hall's seminar on Indian Removal in Fall 2011. After graduation, she will begin working with Milwaukee Teaching Fellows as a Special Education teacher in the Milwaukee Public School District while pursuing certi- fication and her M.A. in Urban Education. Jason Pickart Jason is an expected December 2012 graduate with a major in history. He recently fin- ished his honor’s thesis, entitled "The Evolution of the English East India Company: 1717-1805." In addition to hi history coursework, Jason works at DoIT as a web editor and is taking computer science classes on the side. When he graduates, Jason hopes to get a job in a computer related field ARCHIVE 9 Aubrey Lauersdorf Aubrey Lauersdorf is a senior majoring in history and anthropology. Her research exam- ines how Iroquois women responded to the social and political effects of colonization from contact until the early nineteenth century. Aubrey serves as the Undergraduate Assistant Director of the Writing Fellows Program and as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Under- graduate International Studies (JUIS), a national undergraduate journal. After graduating in May, she will start work as a technical writer. She hopes to attend graduate school in the future. 10 an Undergraduate Journal of History “It is not a hospital, but a home they want”: Caring for the Chronically Insane in Nineteenth-Century Dane County By Aubrey Lauersdorf The Dane County Asylum, as it appeared in 1893.1 1First Biennial Report of the State Board of Control of Wisconsin Reformatory, Charitable, and Pe- nal Institutions for the Fiscal Years Ending September 30, 1892 (Madison: Democrat Printing Com- pany, 1892), 304. This is a public domain image. ARCHIVE 11 During America’s early years, little societal need existed for insane asylums or hospitals for the insane, a term that will be employed throughout this paper to be con- sistent with early American understandings of mental disorders.