Ibid. Volume 18 Spring 2025

The 18th volume of Ibid. features a diverse collection of essays exploring the complexities of historical experience across a wide range of topics, regions and time periods.

Written by undergraduate and graduate students, these works reflect a variety of research approaches and interpretive perspectives. From studies of material culture in colonial America to analyses of African American history and the role of women in European societies, the essays reveal how individuals and communities have navigated the forces of change, conflict, and continuity.

Each essay in this edition of Ibid. reflects the authors' thoughtful engagement with the past and a commitment to rigorous historical inquiry. Collectively, these works demonstrate the value of student research in expanding our understanding of history and its relevance in the present.

The 18th volume opens with a selection of award-winning essays that exemplify excellence in historical scholarship. These papers were recognized for their originality, analytical depth, and strong use of sources, and they stand out as exemplary contributions to the field.

Valentine J. Belfiglio Award winners

These papers were recognized for their originality, analytical depth, and strong use of sources and they stand out as exemplary contributions to the field. Awarded by the Student Editorial Board, the highly-coveted Valentine J. Belfiglio Paper Prize recognizes the finest papers submitted to the journal in the calendar year. Named for Cornaro Professor of Government Valentine J. Belfiglio, PhD, the award honors the professor’s commitment to academic writing and scholarly excellence.

The Civilian Conservation Corps in Texas State Parks
Education During the Great Depression
by Miranda Adams

Love Bombing Puerto Rico
How U.S. Attitudes Towards Puerto Rican Identities and Movements Denote the Role of American Nativism in U.S. Policy
by Katelyn Briscoe

Editors’ Choice Award winner

Awarded by the Student Editorial Board, the Editors’ Choice Award recognizes creativity and unique historical perspectives in student scholarship.

Kehinde Wiley and the Centering of Black Individuals in Fine Art
by Marlene Schaffer

Forum on Material Culture in Colonial America

These essays examine how material life shaped social structures and cultural values in early American history, and consider the significance of physical goods, economic systems and daily practices in the formation of colonial identities and institutions.

Objects of Status
Material Culture and Gentility in Early America
by Miranda Adams

The Prolonged Fight for Prestige and Power
A Material Culture Analysis of 18th Century Probate Inventories from York County Virginia
by Katelyn Briscoe

Material Culture and Its Role in Emulating Genteel Society in Early America
by Meghan Pearce

Objects Defining Gentility
Material Culture in Colonial Williamsburg
by Madelon Proctor

Forum on African American History

Investigates the struggles, contributions and cultural life of Black Americans, and explore how African American communities responded to systems of oppression and found ways to assert agency and preserve identity.

The Unintended Forged Alliance
The Philippine Insurrection Regarding the Solidarity Between African American Soldiers and the Filipino People
by Leslie Jacquez

On On Juneteenth
A Review of Annette Gordon Reed’s On Juneteeth
by Sierra Trammell

Forum on Texas History

Exploring the unique historical narratives of Texas, these papers place local events in conversation with broader national and international themes, showing how the state's past reflects patterns of migration, conflict and change.

The Making of a City Through War
Race and Trade in Eagle Pass During the Civil War
by Connie Gomez

For the Love of Nocona
by Philip Wysong

Forum on European Women’s History

These essays highlight the diverse roles and experiences of women across Europe and address topics such as gender, reform, education and resistance, illustrating the ways in which women participated in and shaped the course of European history.

Who is Anne Boleyn?
A Look into the Woman behind the Crown
by Haylee Cardinal

Royal Paradox
An Examination of Queen Victoria Influence on 19th Century Gender Ideologies
by Madison Lankford

Examining Mass Rape During the Fall of Berlin
by Aimee Noe

Gender Roles in WWI
Britain’s Use of Women in War and Propaganda
by Abbey Parker

“Just Prostitutes”
A Review of Halle Rubenhold’s The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper
by Melissa Luz Walters

Forum on the History of the United Kingdom

The final section focuses on British political, social and cultural developments and offer insight into how historical actors and events contributed to the formation of national identity, state power and social transformation within the British Isles.

The Burdens of Industrialization on the British Working Class
by Leslie Jacquez

The Great Famine
Devastation and British and American Responses
by Madelon Proctor

Depravity and Exploitation of the Unprotected
by Tanya Souther