American History Research Articles

Linda Kinoshita: Rediscovering a Forgotten Japanese American Designer

Asian American designers have received increased attention in the twenty-first century as fashion scholarship has broadened its inclusivity. However, most of this research focuses on Asian American designers after the 1980s and excludes the contributions of Japanese American designers during the mid-twentieth century. Out of the considerable number of Japanese American designers and seamstresses of the mid twentieth century one of the most successful creators was Linda Kinoshita. Similarly, to other Japanese Americans during World War II Kinoshita was forced into internment. After she was released, her career accelerated when she started working with English-American fashion designer Charles James. In 1955 Kinoshita opened her own atelier in New York and dressed some of the most fashionable women of New York City including former Vogue fashion editor Babe Paley. Kinoshita’s most prominent period of design occurred in the 1950s and 1960s, and she was most coveted for her skilled construction and creative design. The following research resurfaces Kinoshita’s life and career in efforts to form a more holistic understanding of American fashion history.

“Men who Deserve Nothing Better from a Wronged and Insulted Country than Exile”: The Loyalists and Popular American Misunderstanding

This article surveys the mutable nature of the loyalist memory throughout US history with specific attention to contemporary Americans' propensity to invoke the image of the loyalists during times of political polarization. It also makes a few suggestions on how to ensure we as scholars better represent the loyalists to the public during the commemorations and celebrations planned for Semiquincentennial in 2026.

Not all emotions are the same: an intersectional analysis of women’s political action based on emotive responses

If there was ever a time in US history to understand women’s politics, that time is certainly now, as with the increase of women candidates, the rise of women’s political engagement, and women-led social movements, scholars have little intersectional insight into what motivates women’s political participation. Anger and fear are powerful forces in US politics, yet how negative emotions about race matter for women is less understood. Using the 2020 Collaborative Multiracial Postelection Survey, we find that fear about race is associated with engagement in costlier political acts. Women’s anger about race leads to more frequent non-electoral political engagement once accounting for time, money, and civic skills. No one emotion has the same effect on women’s non-electoral political participation. Not all women are similar in their emotional responses to race, which impacts how women look to political systems to address racial issues.

A Living Classroom: Ongoing Revolutions at Boston’s Old North Church and Historic Site

Boston’s Old North Church and Historic Site welcomes about 200,000 visitors annually. Many arrive at the three-century-old church as part of their patriotic pilgrimage along Boston’s Freedom Trail, a 2.5-mile path that includes museums, churches, meeting houses, burying grounds, parks, a ship, and some historic markers believed to represent critical moments in early American history. Most visitors to Old North expect to learn more about silversmith and patriot Paul Revere’s “midnight ride” and the lanterns that hung in the Old North Church steeple on April 18, 1775. However, when they stand inside the historic edifice, they quickly discover that it has unexpected stories to tell. The Old North Church functions as a living classroom. Its materiality introduces visitors to the hard histories of slavery, colonialism, racism, and religious conflicts. This article shows the evolution of interpretations of the Old North Church. The staff at Old North Illuminated, the non-profit organization that preserves and interprets the church’s history, relies upon the materiality of the church alongside new archival research to reinterpret its history. The current on-site interpretation reflects the staff’s growing awareness of the church’s complicity in histories of racism, slavery, and colonialism in the Atlantic World. Critical research discoveries since 2016, paired with the racial reckonings of the past 10-15 years, have allowed the staff to reinterpret the church’s history in more inclusive ways that will enable visitors to engage with the inequitable revolutions of our times.

Review of Bronski's A Queer History of the United States for Young People

Review of Bronski's A Queer History of the United States for Young People

Fascists and Gentlemen? The Last Dictatorship's Vexed Relationship with Argentinian Fascism (‘Nacionalismo’)

While there is a consensus among historians that Argentina's Last Dictatorship was one of the most radically right-wing regimes in modern Latin American history, the question of whether this regime's ideology was informed by fascist ideology has remained, to a large extent, open. This article explores the relationship between the Proceso de Reorganización Nacional (PRN) and Argentina's fascist movement, self-labeled the ‘nacionalistas’. It begins by examining how, in the 1970s, this movement's ‘revolutionary’ sectors resurged in demand for a constitution of a totalitarian and corporatist regime in Argentina. The study then illuminates which components of the nacionalista doctrine the PRN chose to incorporate into its public discourse, particularly in its early and more ideologically foundational years. Finally, the article explores the strained relationship between the PRN and nacionalistas amid the regime's neoliberal reforms. The article's findings suggest that, despite its murderousness, the PRN was of the least indebted to neo-fascist ideology of the military regimes that had ruled Argentina since 1943.

The Persistence of Confederate, Enslaver, and Segregationist Namesakes in U.S. Public Schools: A Critical Quantitative Toponymic Analysis

In this quantitative toponymic study, we examine U.S. public schools named after Confederates, enslavers, and segregationists (CESs). We find that 4.7% of all public schools (n = 4,172) had CES namesakes, although this number declined slightly after the BLM/George Floyd protests in the summer of 2020. Most of these are named after enslavers, while 467 are named after Confederates and 210 after segregationists. While nearly one-quarter are named after presidents, the remaining three-quarters of namesakes have no such claim on American history. More than half of schools with CES namesakes reproduce their embedding geographies, highlighting how schools amplify the toponyms of other geographies and public spaces. Of particular concern, Black students are particularly concentrated in schools with Confederate namesakes. We discuss the potential harm of these “symbols” and conclude with policy implications.

The Gilded Age and Beyond: The Persistence of Elite Wealth in American History

The Gilded Age and Beyond: The Persistence of Elite Wealth in American History

Gender, Class, and Political Power in Isabel Allende’s The House of the Spirits: A Feminist Reading of the Post-Colonial Landscape in Chile

In The House of the Spirits, Isabel Allende explores the intersection of gender, class, and political power through the lives of the Trueba family, with a focus on the experiences of the female characters. This paper examines how women in the novel engage with political movements, challenge dictatorial oppression, and navigate patriarchal structures. Central to this exploration are Clara, Blanca, and Alba, whose individual journeys highlight the complexities of female agency in times of political and social unrest. Through their activism, spiritual resistance, and personal struggles, these women subvert traditional gender roles and demonstrate how women carve out spaces for resistance within male-dominated spheres. The feminist critique within Allende’s work exposes the limitations imposed on women’s agency in revolutionary movements, while also showcasing their significant contributions to the fight for social justice and gender equality. This analysis reflects the broader feminist discourse on the intersectionality of gender, class, and political struggle in the context of Latin American history.

Navigating trauma: Venezuelan women's and adolescent's experiences before and after migration amidst the humanitarian crisis.

Migrant and refugee women and adolescents are extremely vulnerable in humanitarian crisis and armed conflict contexts. The Venezuelan crisis has unleashed the largest exodus of migrants/refugees in recent Latin American history, most of whom have relocated to Colombia. There is a scarcity of research addressing the how adverse and traumatic experiences related to violence presents mental health amidst the Venezuelan-Colombian humanitarian crisis context and how it affects communities in relocation communities. This study sought to explore how traumatic experiences pre-, during and post-migration might relate to mental health risks for Venezuelan migrant and refugee women and adolescents and assess feasible mechanisms that can protect and promote these populations upon relocation in Colombia. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 30 migrant women and adolescents, inclusive of cis- and transgender women in two Colombian cities using a participatory-action research framework. Key findngs suggest that parental abandonment in origin contexts, experiences of household and community violence before and after migration and structural barriers to access services are main factors impacting this population. Feasible strategies to promote and support wellbeing and better mental health access ought to include community leaderships and community-based support networks post-migration that can support trust in services, disseminate information and engage vulnerable groups in services.

Translating of Knowledge Cultures in the Context of Epistemic Justice

The article considers the situation of the need to translate first the culture of knowledge, and only then the text created on its basis. This problem is considered on the basis of the concept of paradigms of scientific knowledge by the American historian of science Thomas Kuhn and the concept of epistemic cultures by the German philosopher of science Karin Knorr Cetina. The causes of epistemic injustice are traced as deliberate or unforced losses of knowledge during its transmission at the individual, community and institutional levels. The purpose of the article is to consider, using the example of epistemic culture as a subject of professional translation, a more general situation of caring for epistemic justice in the translation of cultures of knowledge. It was found that the translation of a scientific text from or into a foreign language is not only a matter of linguistics, but also of that science, the issues of which are subject to translation. Professional translation of a scientific text requires taking into account the entire integrity of the specific academic experience that the author invested in a certain scientific text. Moreover, the establishment of epistemic justice thanks to the adequate translation of not only the scientific text, but also the culture of knowledge (epistemic culture) that lies at its foundation, not only preserves the accuracy of the scientific message, but also often draws attention to those aspects of scientific research that previously remained unnoticed.

Anti-Immigration Rhetoric in the United States of America: From the Chinese Exclusion Act to Donald Trump’s First Presidential Term

Donald Trump’s presidential campaign of 2015/16 marks a turning point in the use of inflammatory anti-immigration rhetoric. This paper will examine how this moment has once again magnified a specific type of discourse around race. Under the Trump administration, the call for immigration control at borders, building walls, as well as stopping immigration altogether for selected nationalities, has come into the center of public and political debates. However, today’s discourse on immigration, security, and exclusion can be traced back to examples of public and political discourse at various times in the history of the United States. Moreover, solutions for the immigration “problem” from the 19th and early 20th century still resonate in today’s debates on restrictions and exclusions of immigrants. The paper analyses the anti-immigration rhetoric in media products from different historical moments to trace the genealogy of exclusivist and discriminatory discourse and politics.

Cultural Chronicles – Uncovering the Legacy of Oppressive Black Architecture in Memphis and Other Cities

Architectural structures and the spaces they create are not neutral; instead, they mirror the values and power dynamics of the societies in which they are constructed. This observation is particularly noticeable in the buildings African Americans inhabited throughout American history. Nevertheless, Black architecture has yet to be recognized as a culturally significant field within academia. To tackle this issue, this paper seeks to expand the architectural discourse by exploring what constitutes Black architecture. Specifically, we will investigate the histories of five houses that hold a particular place in African American historical architecture:• The barrack,• The slave cabin,• The shotgun house,• The housing projects,• The Black suburban homes.Our investigation will delve into the repercussions of each style, the societal goals in establishing each class, and the policies passed that instigated their creations. We will emphasize the connections between these styles and how each type has changed over time. This exploration will allow us to scrutinize Memphis’ architectural choices, placing them in the broader context of architectural trends at the national and regional levels. Exploring Black architecture’s evolution will also help us comprehend how architecture can contribute to racial inequality in our society. We aim to challenge the notion that architecture is only a symbol of beauty, shape, and form and instead recognize its potential to perpetuate subjugation, oppression, and control.

War’s Effect on Criminality

This article analyzes how war affects criminal behavior by examining both historical and contemporary conflicts. It focuses on the ongoing war in Ukraine, looking at crime before, and during the conflict. The study also considers the American Civil War, the rise of outlaws in the American West, and the post-World War I crime wave in the U. S. Additionally, it looks at the collapse of the Soviet Union and the role of riots and the “War on Drugs” in shaping crime in America. The article provides insights into how war and social unrest impact criminality, offering lessons for understanding modern wars.

Petrified tears: Joy Harjo’s “Exile of Memory” and the story of Lot’s Wife

Abstract This article examines how Mvskoke poet Joy Harjo’s poem “Exile of Memory” uses the image of Lot’s Wife from Genesis 19:26 to portray the aftereffects of historical trauma and to investigate the dangers of bearing witness to trauma. “Exile of Memory,” the second poem in Harjo’s 2019 collection An American Sunrise, uses Jewish and Christian scripture to interrogate the role of Christianity and the Bible in colonial violence against the Mvskoke. Commemorating the Trail of Tears period in American history, when President Andrew Jackson unlawfully ordered the forced march of numerous Native communities from the southeastern United States to Oklahoma, “Exile of Memory” deploys biblical imagery to decry atrocities by Christian settlers and to activate the healing power attributed to storytelling in Mvskoke theological and religious tradition.

Representation of Altruism in War Journalists in the Film “Civil War” (Roland Barthes Semiotic Analysis)

Civil War is a dystopian genre film produced by A24, which explores the theme of the American Civil War from the perspective of a war correspondent. The film showcases the dedication of war journalists in reporting events at the front lines as a form of altruistic value. This study aims to examine and elaborate on the representation of the altruistic values of war correspondents depicted in Civil War. The research will employ a constructivist paradigm, a qualitative approach, Roland Barthes' semiotic analysis method, and will be descriptive in nature. The study focuses on scenes that portray attitudes representing the altruism of war correspondents. The findings reveal four attitudes representing the altruistic values of war correspondents in Civil War: helping colleagues, high dedication, disregarding personal risk, and concern for mental health.

The Long Life and History of the Ebony Test Kitchens

In 2022, the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) acquired the Ebony Test Kitchen—the space used to test and style recipes for the iconic magazine, Ebony, from 1972 to 2010. Noted for its eye-popping colors and technological advances, the kitchen was designed by William Raiser and Arthur Elrod and located in Chicago-based Johnson Publications Company’s headquarters. The Ebony Test Kitchen has garnered significant attention since being saved from demolition in 2017, placed on display in the Museum of Food and Drink’s 2021 exhibition African/American: Making the Nation’s Table, and acquired by the NMAAHC. Public excitement about the NMAACH’s shrouded plans for it remains high. This article examines the long life of the kitchen, from its functional origins to its grassroots rescue from demolition to its transformation into a cultural and museum-made object. It also explores the importance of the kitchen as a counternarrative to ideas about food and race that devalue and have stigmatized Black culinary contributions in American kitchens. JPC has been lauded as the company that “revolutionized how Black Americans saw themselves.” This article will illustrate how the Ebony Test Kitchen and its functions transformed the image of Black Americans and food.

Morton's neuroma: who, when and how contributed to its description and treatment?

The interdigital nerve neuroma of the forefoot is commonly known as Morton's Neuroma. Many authors have described and treated this condition before and after Morton. This study aims to investigate the past scientific literature to better understand what comprehension and treatments have been used to master this pathology. Historical and modern scientific accounts were searched for descriptions of interdigital nerve neuroma or metatarsalgia (as some authors described it) to have a thorough overview of the subject. The scientific literature was searched to highlight the evolution of the nomenclature and to summarise historical and current treatments, especially conservative ones. Influential authors described the interdigital nerve neuroma and its symptoms. Durlacher, the King's podiatrist in England in the 1800s, was the first to understand that this was a neuralgic affection; with his practical approach, he treated the Neuroma using pressure-relieving footwear. The first anatomical description should be credited to the Italian anatomist Civinini. Morton, the American Civil War surgeon, was the first to understand the aetiology of pain better and the first to propose a surgical treatment to relieve symptoms. Tubby, the British alpine climber, linguist, archaeologist and orthopaedic surgeon, observed a nodular mass on the third common digital nerve and proposed surgical treatment with resection of the metatarso-phalangeal joint. the use of a term widely accepted and recognised by all its users with a precise meaning and symbolisation makes it easily understandable and lasting. Also, if it is known that what is called Morton's neuroma is not a neuroma but a benign perineural fibrosis of a common plantar digital nerve, the use of the terminology Morton's neuroma is still universally accepted and recognised.

Representasi Perubahan Sosial dalam Kampanye LGBT pada Produk IKEA

Advertisement can be used to campaign on social issues, such as the IKEA’s product campaign on the issue of equality for the LGBT community viewed negatively by the people. This article aims to identify the IKEA attempts to change people's perspective through visual communication. This research uses the theory of structuration and Saussure's semiotic method to interpret signs based on signifiers and signifieds. As a result, the social change represented by IKEA with the theme of equality in American history is a donation communication strategy for the LGBT community, that is vulnerable to suicide, by considering local views and culture.

History of contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS).

The 50th year of the European Federation of Societies in Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (EFSUMB) has been celebrated 2022 publishing articles on the history of US. Contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) allows to visualize blood flow and tissue perfusion. CEUS has proven to be safe without risk of nephrotoxicity. The availability of a contrast agent (tracer) for ultrasound imaging allows for the first time a dynamic assessment of tissue perfusion (blood flow and wash-in/wash-out pattern) which is an essential part for the detection and characterisation of pathological tissue and abnormal organ function. It was an outstanding achievement of academic centers in close cooperation with EFSUMB to investigate and validate the clinical potential of this new technology for the diagnosis and monitoring of various diseases and to develop clinical guidelines based on an in-depth assessment of the existing scientific publications. An important part of the implementation of CEUS in clinical practice was the development of contrast-specific imaging modes on the ultrasound scanners (in close cooperation with the machine manufacturers), the optimization of the machine setups for contrast imaging and the education provided to clinical users in form of workshops, webinars, textbooks and scientific congresses.