Omeka - Digital History at Ursinus

Browse Exhibits (2 total)

Ursinus Remembers

Weekly War Extra - 12-8-1941(reduced+OCR).pdf

Beginning with the Bears Make History course, taught by Dr. Susanna Throop and Dr. Kara McShane in the Fall of 2016, this project has grown and hopefully will continue to grow in the future. While each of the projects have their own specific goals and questions in mind, the common factor between them is that they wish to shed light on Ursinus's connection with a greater event or events. 

Because the Ursinus campus is small and relatively secluded, it can sometimes feel that we live in our own little bubble. That quite simply is not the case. Being able to examine these events and the effects they have on Ursinus allows for an interesting microhistory on how the outside world can have a greater impact on our little community in Collegeville.

Not only do we hope future students will continue to build on this project but we encourage it. Ursinus has a rich and long history, which is just waiting to be tackled from innumerable perspectives. Being able to bring that history and the stories attached to it to life and share it with the world only helps to enhance Ursinus and the school's legacy.

With that, please continue on and explore the projects here. Hopefully you will come away having learned something about our school and maybe even a question of your own you wish to pursue.

 

-Ursinus Students

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Vietnam War Propaganda at Ursinus College, 1955-1973

Introduction

This exhibit features collection of Ursinus Weekly and Lantern articles displaying how the Ursinus Community interacted with Vietnam War propaganda between 1955-1973. In doing so, we hope to answer the following question: How did Ursinus react to and interact with Vietnam propaganda between 1955 and 1975?

1955-1960

In the years of 1955-1960, the Military tried to build a sense of militaristic pride in the general public by using monetary rewards and tales of glory to make joining the armed forces seem like a noble, logical step for college grads. Nevertheless, there was still a growing contention regarding the war not only domestically but abroad.

1961-1965

While military culture was thriving at the very beginning of the 1960s as a result of the Cold War, it wasn't until around 1963 that the conflict between North and South Vietnam began to permeate our national consciousness. As we crept closer to war with Vietnam, there was no small amount of protest from students and student societies. This backlash was met by a corrective backlash from some educational institutions and other pro-intervention student groups.

1966-1970

In the years from 1966-1970, the government disseminated many prograganda statements regarding the war--that America was winning and that it was the duty of Americans to enlist. Ursinus, in accordance with the general public, reacted against such statements strongly. To Ursinus, the U.S. was not winning in Vietnam. To voice their strong opinions against the war, Ursinus hosted many anti-Vietnam speakers and participated in a nationwide Vietnam War moratorium that occurred amid a backdrop of nationwide protests over Vietnam.

1971-1973

In the years 1971 to 1973, the Ursinus community was focused on getting the soldiers home and what to do once the war officially ended. While there seems to be a consensus throughout the community that the war should end, there was a great deal of contention over what to do once the war was over. The Ursinus Weekly articles feature the community interacting with Vietnam War propaganda to try and navigate how to view the United States, how far to take protests, how to handle returning soldiers and draft dodgers, and who should take responsibility for the war. There appeared to be a great deal of unanswered questions regarding the war.

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