Tag: Bushnell History Symposium Fall 21

Kaitlynn Edrington

Fleischer Animation Studios and the American Dream

During the period 1921 to 1941, the idealism of the American Dream prevailed, and can be seen through the lens of early animated media. Current histography reinforces that early animation image ideals and successes come from the Walt Disney studios, excluding many studios in operation, and innovating the field before them, namely Fleischer Studios. Literature and academics have addressed Fleischer Studios and the founders Max and Dave Fleischer in relation to animation innovation and depictions, but often do not reflect on the influence their personal lives had on their work. Doing so removes the diverse voice their experience as Jewish immigrants/first generation Americans from tenement housing in Brooklynn New York gives to the images and depictions of American life they created. The works of Mark Langer among others bring context and regional comparison of the Fleischer Studio’s works to other studios at the time nationwide but does not fully acknowledge the impact of the founders and the studio as an entity as a reflection of American society. The innovations and inventions of Max Fleischer, the themes and topics shown through the medium of animation, and the business dealings that led to the quick rise to fame and later paved the way for their downfall provide a unique viewpoint to an up and rising form of media as well as depictions and reality of American social life. This paper and accompanying presentation aims to draw these points together and put on display the unique diverse image of American social life and the ideal of the American dream as told through early animation.

HIST 499, Senior Capstone

Melisa Ortiz Berry

Bushnell History Symposium, P103

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9:30 AM – Noon

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Kalani Miller

Risen From the Ashes: The Church Born From a Crucifixion

I will be covering the history of crucifixion and what we can learn from it in our modern era. This includes the scientific way Jesus died, the history of crucifixion in the Roman Empire, and how it continued into the early church era.

BTM 307, History of the Bible

Melisa Ortiz Berry

Bushnell History Symposium, P103

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9:30 AM – Noon

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Emmalee Rusk

A History of John Hinckley v. United States and Incarceration of the Mentally Ill

John W. Hinckley Jr. attempted to kill President Ronald Reagan, killing White House Press Secretary James Bradley in the process. The jury of the trial of John W. Hinckley Jr. v. United States found him Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity. This sent the people of the United States into an uproar as they desired justice.

The Insanity Defense Reform Act of 1984 was then put in place to restrict the use of the Insanity Plea. 

However, the Act is now under scrutiny for an unfounded relation between it and the mass incarceration of the mentally ill in U.S. jails and prisons today. This presentation comes to the defense of the Insanity Defense Reform Act of 1984 from these allegations through the history of John Hinckley and his attempted murder of President Reagan, the trial, and the affect of the Act.

HIST 499, Senior Capstone

Melisa Ortiz Berry

Bushnell History Symposium, P103

Join by Zoom

9:30 AM – Noon

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Anthony Wurst

The 60s Student Movement: Ignoring Marxist Evil on Display

During the 1960s, many key formative movements happened in the life of our nation. One such movement was the communist student movement. In this project, I explored the communist student movement by attempting to answer the following question, “Didn’t the students of the 1960s know that communism was a catalyst for hundreds of millions of deaths and countlesss other human rights offenses?” In answering this query, we might speak in defense of the students that the former attempts at communism “did not do it right”, and further that the students would not have had access to real time information about the ills of Mao and Khrushchev during their time. But the evidence suggests that these are false assumptions. I reveal in this project some of the most prominent voices in the communist student movement of the 1960s to show what the students were being taught about commmunism. I then reveal some blaring, prominent, credible, and easily accessible sources of information on the contemporary ills of communism that the students should have used to respond in rejecting those teachings. I discuss the question of how this could have happened then, what we can learn from this dilemna and what encouragement the Bible has for us today on this subject. To finish, I welcome critical feedback and discussion.

HIST 317, Studies in American History: The 1960s

Melisa Ortiz Berry

Bushnell History Symposium, P103

Join by Zoom

9:30 AM – Noon

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