The Chico Historian
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THE CHICO HISTORIAN VOLUME 27 2017 The Journal of the CSU, Chico History Department The Chico Historian The Chico Historian "One cannot be a good historian of the outward, visible world without giving some thought to the hidden, private life of ordinary people; and on the other hand one cannot be a good historian of this inner life without taking into account outward events where these are relevant. They are two orders of fact which reflect each other, which are always linked and which sometimes provoke each other." - Victor Hugo Les Misérables The Chico Historian Cover Art & Design Photomechanical print of Woodrow Wilson lobbying congress on April 2, 1917 to enter World War I. Wilson signed the official declaration of war against Germany only days later on April 6. (Used with permission: “For the Freedom of the World,” LC-USZC4-10297, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress [ca. 1917]). The Chico Historian History Department California State University, Chico 400 West First Street Trinity Hall Room 223 Chico, California, 95929-0735 (530) 898-5366 The Chico Historian is an annual publication of the Alpha Delta Omicron Chapter of the Phi Alpha Theta National History Honor Society and the California State University, Chico (CSUC) Department of History. It aims to provide students the opportunity to publish historical works, and to train editorial staff members in producing an academic journal. Issues are published at the end of each academic year. All opinions or statements of fact are the sole responsibility of the authors, and may not reflect the views of the editorial staff. The authors retain rights to individual essays. Phi Alpha Theta’s mission is to promote the study of history through the encouragement of research, good teaching, publication, and the exchange of learning and ideas among historians. The organization seeks to bring students, teachers, and writers of history together for intellectual and social exchanges, which promote and assist historical research and publication by our members in a variety of ways. Copyright © 2017 Alpha Delta Omicron, California State University, Chico. The Chico Historian We dedicate this volume to John Boyle Retired CSUC professor of Asian history John Boyle, a scholar in the area of pre- and post-war Japan, taught courses in East Asian history at Chico State from 1968 until his retirement in 1997. He is the author of Modern Japan: The American Nexus. His generous support of The Chico Historian has made the publication of this and many other issues possible, a fact much appreciated by everyone involved with this journal. The Chico Historian The Chico Historian Volume 27: 2017 The Annual Publication of the Alpha Delta Omicron Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta and the Department of History California State University, Chico Chief Editors Jeanette Adame & Chris Paintner Editorial Board Helen Ryan Rodney Thomson Michael Muraki Amy Foster Kyle Coiner Advising Faculty Dr. Stephen E. Lewis, The Chico Historian Dr. Dallas Deforest, Phi Alpha Theta The Chico Historian Contents Introduction & Acknowledgments x Editor and Contributor Biographies xii Articles The Prophet's Crucible: The Late Antique Near East on the Eve of Islam RODNEY THOMSON 2 From Agriculture to Ammunition: Lee Shaw and his Western Agrarian Family Before, During, and After the First World War JEANETTE ADAME 34 Ould and Anchyent Custom: Cultural Change and the Rebellions of 1549 HELEN RYAN 68 Laundry on Monday: Textiles in the West from 1850 to 1875 AMY FOSTER 82 The Causes of Collapse: The Death of the Federalists and the Legacy of America's First Political Party CHRISTOPHER FUQUA 94 The Clutches of the Eagle JUAN RAMIREZ 104 The American National Exhibition in Moscow, 1959: How the A.N.E.M. Influenced the Cold War MATTHEW WILLIAMS 112 viii The Chico Historian American Isolationism: An Explanation for the United States Not Declaring War on Germany in May 1915 JEREMY BAKKE 122 Appendix Phi Alpha Theta 2017 Initiates 131 ix The Chico Historian Introduction & Acknowledgements On April 2, 1917, Woodrow Wilson appeared before the United States Congress to ask for a declaration of war against Germany. By April 6, Congress overwhelmingly supported Wilson’s proposal, by a vote of 82 to 6 in the Senate, and 373 to 50 in the House. This year’s publication of The Chico Historian, volume twenty-seven, is attributed in part to the 100th anniversary of U.S. involvement in the First World War. All of the articles included in this volume address conflict in both indirect and more explicit ways, and two directly discuss World War I. All of the contributing authors are some of the most talented students in the CSU, Chico History department, and this volume consists of a mixture of offerings from extremely gifted graduate and undergraduate students. The first article, “The Prophet's Crucible: The Late Antique Near East on the Eve of Islam,” written by Rodney Thompson, addresses inter-tribal conflict on the Arabian Peninsula on the eve of the rise of Islam. Jeanette Adame’s “From Agriculture to Ammunition: Lee Shaw and his Western Agrarian Family Before, During, and After the First World War,” directly engages WWI by examining the life of a Chico veteran, Lee Shaw, who served and died in the conflict. In “Ould and Anchyent Custom: Cultural Change and the Rebellions of 1549,” Helen Ryan discusses cultural conflict in terms of rebellions in sixteenth-century England. Amy Foster addresses conflict in a more indirect form in “Laundry on Mondays: Textiles in the West from 1850 to 1875” by exploring women and the implementation of Eastern ideologies in the American West. In “The Causes of Collapse: The Death of the Federalists and the Legacy of America’s First Political Party,” Christopher Fuqua examines political conflict in the early American Republic and within the Federalist party. Juan Ramirez also discusses political conflict in terms of an increasing resistance in Latin America against imperial pressure from the United States. The final two articles in this volume address the most obvious manifestation of conflict: war. Matthew Williams examines the result of WWII by exploring the influence of American culture on the Soviet Union during the Cold War in “The American National Exhibition in Moscow, 1959: How the A.N.E.M. Influenced the Cold War.” Jeremy Bakke’s “American Isolationism: An Explanation for the United States Not Declaring War on Germany in May 1915” concludes this publication by exploring the reasons why the United States did not immediately get involved in World War One, and thus provides an x The Chico Historian explanation as to why this volume commemorates U.S. involvement in the war in 1917, and not sooner. We the editors would like to thank all the students who sent in submissions for this year’s volume, as well as the faculty members who financially and intellectually support the journal. In particular, Professor John Boyle’s generous contributions made the publication of this volume, and previous ones, possible. The editorial board also owes a tremendous amount of gratitude to Professor Dallas DeForest. The Chico Historian depends upon a close relationship with the CSUC chapter of Phi Alpha Theta and the History Club, and Professor DeForest’s outstanding work advising both of these student organizations plays a critical role in maintaining the department’s academic culture. We would also like to thank Professor Steve Lewis for his tireless work as the History Department Chair and the work of all the faculty, who mentor and inspire their students and foster the creative spirit essential to the historian’s craft. Finally, we must thank the contributors themselves. Without their dedication, commitment, and passion, The Chico Historian could not exist. The Chico Historian Editorial Board xi The Chico Historian Editor and Contributor Biographies Editors Jeanette Adame is currently attending her fifth year at CSU, Chico as a Master’s candidate in History. Her primary area of focus is in early American studies, with an emphasis on gender and diversity. During the course of her graduate career, Jeanette intends to complete a thesis concerning free and enslaved African societies in colonial New Orleans from 1762-1800. After graduation, Jeanette plans to pursue a career in anti-human trafficking efforts on a global and local level. She wrote her paper for Professor Magliari's History 492 (Archival Research Seminar) in Fall 2016. Rodney Thomson, at the time of this writing, is wrapping up his career as a graduate student in History at California State University, Chico. His contribution for this year derives from his thesis, “The Khawārij and Religious Identity Formation in Early Islam.” His historical interests include religious sectarianism as socio-political phenomena and culinary history, followed closely by everything else. He hopes to spend the rest of his working life teaching history, researching and publishing for both academic and popular audiences. Chris Paintner is a graduate student working on his M.A in History. He is continuing his research into the causes and the impact of Kett's Rebellion for a thesis project, particularly the role of popular culture in the rebel's worldview. Kyle Coiner is a current undergraduate student at CSU Chico working on his B.A. in history. He expects to graduate in spring, 2017. While he has no immediate plans for graduate education, Kyle hopes to attend a Master’s or PhD program in the near future, with a focus in the political history of eighteenth-and nineteenth-century Europe. He is currently working on his undergraduate thesis project on drinking, temperance, and prohibition in the United States and Russia and hopes to publish it when it is completed. Helen Ryan is a fourth year student at California State University, Chico.