James Madison University JMU Scholarly Commons Masters Theses The Graduate School Spring 2012 Signs of the times Felicia Hersh James Madison University Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/master201019 Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Hersh, Felicia, "Signs of the times" (2012). Masters Theses. 235. https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/master201019/235 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the The Graduate School at JMU Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of JMU Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Signs of the Times Felicia Hersh A research project submitted to the Graduate Faculty of JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Local, Regional, and Public History May 2012 Dedication As a little girl, I deeply respected and admired my father. He was a history teacher in the New York City public school system for 33 years, and not only did he instill in me a love of learning, but a profound interest in what would eventually become my discipline. Throughout my academic career, I have made it a priority to strive to make my father proud… …Dad… wherever you are… this work is a culmination of your inspiration. ii Acknowledgements There are several people I would like to thank who helped make this research project possible. I am indebted to my thesis director, Dr. Gabrielle Lanier, for her guidance in shaping and improving this study, for her enthusiasm and encouragement, and for her willingness to humor me as I threw ideas at the wall to see which ones would “stick.” I would also like to thank my committee members, Dr.