Senior Thesis

This semester I am working on my senior thesis. I have mentioned it in a couple of blog posts and thought that I would let me loyal readers know exactly what I have decided to research.

In a U.S. History class last semester we were discussing slavery being predominately in the South. A color coded map was shown that revealed slavery in Salt Lake City. I was shocked to see that slavery had made its way to Utah when the Territories were suppose to be "free" territories. I asked the professor after class what he thought about the map showing slavery in the Utah and said that he thought the map was incorrect in that aspect. I went along my way satisfied with thought that it was in error but something kept grating on me. I decided to look into the issue and found that Brigham Young had brought three slaves with him from Winter Quarters, Nebraska. I couldn't believe what I was reading and as I read further I found that the names of the three slaves (Green Flake, Hark Lay, and Oscar Crosby) were actually on the Brigham Young Monument.

On a trip to see Lyric in Salt Lake City I decided to go and see for myself. In the photo below, on the bottom right hand corner you can see that it says "Colored Servants" and below that are the names of the three slaves. After doing some research I am not shocked that LDS church members had slaves but rather that someone decided to make a divide among the white pioneers and "colored Servants". Therein lies the basis for my thesis. I want to find out the reason that there is a disparity between the races when this monument was erected in 1897 which is well after the Civil War. I have done some research and found that there are many primary sources in the LDS Church library and I am excited to get started. I think that this semester will be a tough one but this experience should be fun and rewarding.

In case you would like to read my senior thesis proposal I have included it here. I did receive an A on the paper even though there are some corrections that need to be made.

photo from www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=35317

A Little Embarrassed/Christmas Break Reading

I have looked at my blog for over a month now trying to figure out how to post my grades without being embarrassed. At the end of the summer semester I posted my grades with pride and admiration. I took six credits and received a 4.0 GPA for my hard work which even made it to Becky's blog. The fall semester came and I worked equally as hard to gain the necessary grades I would need to continue on with a graduate program. The embarrassing part is that I fell short this semester. Becky tells me that It will be fine and that I can still be proud of my accomplishments however my grades have kept me from posting on my blog. In order to get over the hump I am going to post them and move on to something else so that I do not have to dwell on them any longer.

U. S. History and Culture - A

Historian's Craft - A

Modern U.S. History 1929-Present - B+

Comparative Politics - B+

The Presidency - A

Voting and Public Opinion - A

Semester GPA - 3.77

Cume GPA - 3.83

Christmas Break Reading

Over the Christmas break I was able to read a couple of books. The first book was one that I own but was having trouble finding time to read it. The other was a Christmas gift from Becky and she knows me too well.

Yes...this is another Kurt Vonnegut book. I bought this book from a little shop in Hyde Park before we left Boise. It has been the one book that I have held in my hand the longest for fear that once I read it my last tie to the city that I love would be gone forever. It has sat on my night stand since we moved to Pocatello reminding me of the quaint book shop in Hyde Park, Java (a coffee shop where we bought hot chocolate every chance we got), the bustle of the city, the warmth of a small town, the feel of home. Once "Cat's Cradle" was over everything regarding Boise would come to end and Pocatello would be at the forefront. It hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be, however there has been some pain and a urning for the city that gave me so much.

"Cat's Cradle" is not a book for everyone. Like all of Vonnegut's books there are recurring anti-war themes and liberal undertones. I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait to read the next Kurt Vonnegut selection that Becky gave me for Christmas entitled "Armageddon in Retrospect".

The second book I read over the break was the new book by Chris Matthews entitled "Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero". A few years ago I read my first biography and really enjoyed it. Since that time I have read a couple of others and have found that I love biographies of political figures. This book took me back to that first biography in more ways then one because it was the biography of Bobby Kennedy titled "RFK". These books span almost the same time period with a lot of overlap since Bobby worked with Jack on his campaign. This is a great book that discusses John Kennedy's experience in World War II, his campaign tactics, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the legacy that "JFK" left on the executive office. A great read for anyone looking for a biography to start 2012.

I was so excited Christmas morning when I received this book. I had been talking about this one and the new Bill Clinton book. This selection proves that my wife knows me too well. She knows that I am fascinated by the Kennedys and that I love political history almost more then any other genre. Thank you Becky for this book and the many others that I was given Christmas morning.