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History Department Theses
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This collection represents the research of IUPUI history master's degree scholars. Areas of research include United States History, European History, and Public History, as well as dual degree research--combining an M.A. degree in history with a master's degree in either library science or philanthropic studies. Also included is research as part of the Graduate Certificate programs in Museum Studies and Professional Editing.
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Browsing History Department Theses by Author "Badertscher, Katherine"
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Item Gendered and Racialized Experiences at Central State Hospital, Indianapolis, 1877 - 1910(2020-12) Downey, Caitlin June; Robertson, Nancy Marie; Scarpino, Philip V.; Badertscher, Katherine; Nelson, Elizabeth Angeline“Gendered and Racialized Experiences at Central State Hospital, Indianapolis, 1877 – 1910” analyzes the treatment of African American patients at the now-defunct Central State Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana, throughout the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, from the late 1870s through the 1900s. This thesis examines the impact of scientific racism and institutionalized sexism on female African American patients’ diagnoses, medical treatment, and the outcome of institutionalization through a close reading of hospital publications and a series of statistical studies of patient data. This thesis also analyzes the intersection of race and gender through the case study of one African American woman, Elizabeth Williams Furniss, who was institutionalized during the 1890s until her death in 1909. I argue that scientific racism and a deeply entrenched sexism significantly shaped the treatment of African American patients and women of all races throughout the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. Preconceived notions of race, gender, and class determined diagnoses, treatments, and treatments outcomes, without regard to individual patients’ needs. I also suggest ways for historians to identify and measure the impact of scientific racism and institutionalized sexism on African American patients in northern psychiatric institutions through statistical studies of patient data.Item "Somebody's Spinster": Roles, Intimate Relationships, and Identity of Julia Graydon Sharpe(2020-06) Mahon, Leeah Nicole; Robertson, Nancy M.; Badertscher, Katherine; Morgan, AnitaSingle women living in nineteenth- and twentieth-century America faced ever-changing, but constant, analyses of their lives. It seemed privacy was revoked when a woman chose to remain single in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, leaving them to be hyperaware and conscious of all other choices that they made in their lives. Not only was their business not theirs alone, but single women were often also defined by their lack of spouse, regardless of their accomplishments or fulfilled lives. Despite the full life that she led and ways in which her singleness allowed her to contribute to her family, friendships, and community, Julia Graydon Sharpe, a white, elite woman from Indianapolis, Indiana, was one of the many women whose legacy has been defined by her marital status. Sharpe was many things in her life: an artist and clubwoman being two of the most visible. However, it was her role as a sister, aunt, daughter, and friend that were the most fulfilling and important to her in her life as a single woman. An examination of what Sharpe saw as her defining roles within her immediate family and close friendships, as well as what coming from elite family afforded her, helps reveal the life she was able to lead and how she chose to present herself. The exploration of her many intimate roles also put into context how indispensable Sharpe’s commitment and contributions, albeit not monetary, were to her family and friends. Understanding these roles challenges the way we view the “spinsters” of the late-nineteenth to early-twentieth century.Item A tale of two orphanages: charity in nineteenth-century Indianapolis(2018-05) Engle, Emily Anne; Morgan, Anita; Badertscher, Katherine; Robertson, Nancy Marie, 1956-This thesis studies the way Indianapolis women and men from the 1820s to 1890s influenced the social development of the city through the creation and operation of benevolent institutions. Before the Civil War, Indianapolis citizens created benevolent institutions to aid individuals who could not care for themselves—specifically, individuals with physical and mental needs. When the city’s population drastically increased following the Civil War (and the emergence of railroads), Indianapolis citizens began founding benevolent organizations intended to shape certain behaviors/control specific societal problems—specifically, juvenile offenders and prostitution. A study of two Indianapolis orphanages reveals that some Indianapolis citizens established childcare institutions to care for individuals who could not care for themselves (i.e., dependent children) while other individuals created childcare institutions in attempts to control how children were raised. Founded in 1849 by white, Protestant Indianapolis women, the Widows and Orphans Friends’ Society (WOFS) subscribed to the belief that poor children should be raised away from the influence of their parents in orderly environments so they would grow into productive, contributing members of society. Established in 1870 by Quaker women, the Indianapolis Asylum for Friendless Colored Children (IAFCC) did not subscribe to this belief. Rather, African American parents used the IAFCC as a means of temporary childcare during a family crisis. The rich records left behind by the WOFS and the IAFCC allow for a study of these organizations’ founding, finances, and operations. This thesis concludes that African American parents had more agency with the Quaker-run IAFCC than white parents had with the WOFS.