Texas History Day Archives - Page 4 of 4

Year Zero: How Communism and the Cold War Deformed Cambodia

by Kacey Manlove

Read the Full Research Paper
Primary and secondary sources
Images, primary and secondary sources

The flag of the People’s Republic of Kampuchea (left). Notice the close resemblance to the USSR flag (right).

Political cartoon shows a US Soldier leaning against a domino that says "Bangladesh" on the other side a Vietcong soldier pushes over a domino that says "Vietnam"

The Domino Theory in South East Asia. (Photo courtesy of Kacey Manlove)

Marxist experiments were conducted in countless countries during the course of the twentieth century, and Cambodia was no exception. Kacey Manlove chronicles Cambodia’s transformation from a neutral country during the Vietnam War to a totalitarian state led by Pol Pot’s brutal Khmer Rouge communist party in the years after American defeat in South Vietnam. She shows how the Khmer Rouge in the late 1970s looked to Mao’s China and Stalin’s Russia in search of social, political, and economic models to implement on Cambodian soil, and how the United States played an active role in defending and protecting Pol Pot’s regime despite its visibily brutal nature.

Khmer Rouge forces marching into Phnom Pen on April 17, 1975 under Pol Pot’s leadership. (Image courtesy of Kacey Manlove)

A Cambodian labor camp. (Image courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons)

Child soldiers in Pol Pot’s army. (Image courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons)

Contemporary image of a Khmer Rouge shooting field. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

Two men look on at museum photos of Khmer Rouge victims

Museum visitors view photos of Khmer Rouge victims. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

Street art of sickle and hammer, text reads POL POT!

(Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

Individual Historical Paper (Junior Division)

Teachers: Suzanne Ransleben & Jessica Janota

The Strength of Women in the Iranian Revolution

by Claudia Espinoza

Read the Full Research Paper
See the complete list of Claudia’s primary and secondary sources

The Iranian Revolution of 1979 affected the lives of all Iranian citizens, especially women. Claudia Espinoza illustrates how Ayatollah Khomeini’s new theocratic government implemented segregationist policies that drastically changed the dress code, legal rights, and professional opportunities available to Iranian women. Espinoza emphasizes that while women’s overall role in Iranian society was and remains restricted relative to Western standards, some women have embraced the traditional, desexualized aethetic ushered in by revolutionary reform.

Women in east Iran watch Allied supply trucks en route to the Soviet Union during World War II.

An Iranian newspaper clip from 1968 reads: “A quarter of Iran’s Nuclear Energy scientists are women.” The picture shows some female Iranian PhDs posing in front of Tehran’s research reactor.

Anti-Shah demonstrators marching near a shopping street in Tehran in December 1978.

Supporters strain to catch a glimpse of the Ayatollah Khomeini at the Refah School in Tehran in February 1979.

Two Iranian women wear different versions of the hijab scarf: one is a single scarf that reveals the women’s hair. The other consists of two scarves that cover the woman’s hair entirely.

Individual Historical Paper
Senior Division
Teachers: Linda E. Kleeman, Mari Glamser, Stephen Martin

Photo credits:
Photographer unknown, “Near East Iran – truck convoy of US Supplies for USSR,” 5 June 1943
Courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library & Museum via Wikimedia Commons
Photographer unknown, Untitled, 1968
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
David Burnett, “Anti-Shah demonstrators marching near a shopping street in Tehran,” 27 December 1978
Courtesy of Parsine.com via Wikimedia Commons
David Burnett, “Supporters strain to catch a glimpse of the Ayatollah Khomeini at the Refah School in Tehran,” 3 February 1979
Courtesy of Parsine.com
Hamed Saber, “S+F-N”, 13 July 2007
Courtesy of Hamed Saber/Flickr Creative Commons

Riveting and Welding: The Revolution of Women in the Workforce

by Julia Mora and Sophia Mora

Rosie the Riveter, with her red handkerchief and sculpted biceps, has become an easily recognizable national cultural icon. But what about the message behind the poster? From where did this image of a strong, confident, working woman originate? Julia Mora and Sophia Mora answer these questions and much more in their new website: “Riveting and Welding: The Revolution of Women in the Workplace.”

Julia and Sophia argue convincingly that Word War II triggered a female labor revolution by allowing women to leave the home and apply for jobs previously reserved for men. Once the war ended, men returned home with the expectation that women should abandon their jobs and return home.

However, World War II work enticed new feminist thoughts, and they began to think about life outside the home. This thought process triggered a series of labor, legal, and social reforms for women – what the Moras call a real “revolution” – resulting in a more female-friendly workforce today.

“Riveting and Welding” highlights the origins of the revolution and the legislative and social reforms it sparked, as well as popular reactions to women’s newly visible presence in the traditionally male-dominated workplace and the revolution’s legacy in today’s feminist movement. (Don’t miss out on an excellent critique of the portrayal of women in the TV show “I Love Lucy”).

Countless photographs, videos, audio clips, primary source documents, and timelines guide readers through more than half a century’s worth of information about women’s long road from the home to the workplace.

Photo credits:

All photos courtesy of “Riveting and Welding: The Revolution of Women in the Workplace.”

From Poison to Pure Joy: The Revolution in Milk Safety

by Sidarth Subramanian and Henry Roseman

From the beginning, our goal was to have a fair amount of primary as well as secondary research. We knew that there was a well-known local dairy, Lucky Layla Farms, close-by. When we contacted them, we found out that they pasteurized locally and offered tours. We interviewed some of the technicians and toured the plant. We also toured a dairy farm, and while there, bought a bottle of raw milk for our experiments.

A Wisconsin milk pasteurization facility.

We conducted a number of experiments on raw milk and pasteurized milk. We started by doing a pH test using pH strips and a starch test using iodine. Then we looked at milk under a microscope. We also cultured the milk in an incubator for 48 hours then looked at it under microscopes. In addition, we consulted with Professor Ellen Jordan, a dairy specialist at Texas A&M University.

Checking the temperature in a pasteurization facility.

In addition to this primary research, we did a great deal of research online and discovered the contributions of Louis Pasteur and Nathan Straus. We also read many books, including Straus’ book on his journey. We continued researching even after completing the video for the regional competition. In fact, we discovered an interesting connection between Nathan Straus and Anne Frank in our research after the state competition, but it was unrelated to our topic.

A woman takes home milk from a milk station.

1912 Newspaper. Headline reads: "Milk for 2,200 babies: Straus stations gave 2,193,684 bottles during year just closed."

We like technology and cinematography, so we chose the documentary category. We started our documentary by collecting a lot of research. Then, we wrote the script outline. We used Power Director, Google Docs, and Dropbox to work on it together. We took turns editing the script, finding pictures, splicing video, and updating the bibliography. The last few weeks were spent editing, adding final touches, and wrapping up loose ends. After every stage of the competition, we incorporated feedback from the judges.

Nurses weigh a newborn baby at a milk station.

We do not think much about the milk we drink everyday. However, at the turn of the 20^th century, milk was a harbinger of death to many infants. It took great science, many battles, and much persistence to reform milk production in the United States. The pasteurization of milk has revolutionized our lives today. We can consume tasty dairy products without fear of contamination because of Louis Pasteur’s discovery and Nathan Straus’ work. Furthermore, Straus’ reaction to the problem posed by raw milk led to reform in the milk industry and directed us toward national food safety. The Federal Department of Agriculture (FDA) was created as an indirect result of Straus’ campaign. Strauss’ fight for safe milk has been forgotten, but his legacy lives on every time someone drinks pasteurized milk.”

Awards:

Group Documentary (Junior Division)

Greenhill School, Addison, TX

(Teacher: Monica Bullock )

Photo credits:

All images courtesy of the Library of Congress

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