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Portrait of an Age: The Political Career of Stephen W. Dorsey, 1868-1889 (open access)

Portrait of an Age: The Political Career of Stephen W. Dorsey, 1868-1889

This study traces the public life of Stephen Dorsey chronologically from his service in the Civil War to the end of his political career, which came with his failure to have a friend appointed governor of New Mexico Territory in 1889. Traditional interpretations of Dorsey are based on a combination of scant evidence, carpetbagger stereotypes, and the assumption that he was guilty of masterminding the monumental swindle of the Star Route Frauds. Closer examination of Dorsey's public life, however, reveals that this traditional view is distorted. A major conclusion of this study is that the assumption on which most traditional views of Dorsey are based, that he was the mastermind behind the Star Route Frauds, is not supported by the evidence. This study shows that it is impossible to study a Gilded Age political figure without also considering his business interests. Many of Dorsey's political activities, for example his involvement in the Compromise of 1877, can be traced to his business enterprises. Although Dorsey was not entirely innocent in the frauds, he was not guilty of the crimes with which the government charged him. This study also concludes that Dorsey was left vulnerable to the prosecution which ended his career …
Date: May 1980
Creator: Lowry, Sharon K.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Pedro De Moctezuma and His Descendents (1521-1718) (open access)

Pedro De Moctezuma and His Descendents (1521-1718)

In 1521 a band of several hundred Spaniards overthrew the Aztec empire in Mexico and its ruler, Moctezuma II. This defeat in itself created a major cultural shock for the indigenious population, but the later arrival of Spanish officials and colonists constituted a far greater if less dramatic upheaval. For the victorious Spaniards rejected Aztec governmental institutions, considering them to be distinctly inferior, and quickly substituted their own. Moctezuma II and a substantial number of the Aztec ruling class had died during the violence which accompanied the conquest and those who remained were not permitted to exercise leadership. It was, however, the stated policy of the Spanish Crown that the Indian population of New Spain should be treated with kindness, allowed to retain their property, and led gently toward acceptance of the Christian faith. Among the surviving members of the Aztec nobility were several of the emperor's children, to whom Spanish authorities accorded special attention because of their unique position. Moctezuma II's son, Tlacahuepan, who on his conversion was baptized Pedro de Moctezuma, was one who received special grants and favors, for it was the Crown's intention that members of the emperor's family should be treated with consideration and be …
Date: May 1980
Creator: Hollingsworth, Ann Prather
System: The UNT Digital Library
Unlike Things Must Meet: Metaphor in the Novels of Herman Melville (open access)

Unlike Things Must Meet: Metaphor in the Novels of Herman Melville

For the purpose of this study, metaphor is defined as a comparison which is not literally true. Such a comparison may be explicitly stated, as in a simile, or it may merely be implied, as in synecdoche, metonymy, hyperbole, or personification. In each case the primary or tenor image, a person, place, object, or idea in the novel, is compared to a secondary or vehicle image, a person, place, object, or idea not literally the same as the tenor image. The body of data on which this investigation is based consists of over fourteen thousand metaphors taken from Melville's nine novels. Each of these metaphors has been classified on the basis of its vehicle image. There are eight general categories, and tables are provided which show the number of metaphors in each category in each novel and the frequency with which the metaphors in each category occur in each novel. Overall, his metaphors suggest that Melville's vision of life was more often pessimistic than optimistic. They also reveal his growth as a writer. In the later novels, metaphors generally are more original than those in the early novels and are more skillfully related to his major themes.
Date: May 1980
Creator: Gongre, Charles E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Study to Determine the Competencies Needed by Superintendents in the Area of Public Relations (open access)

A Study to Determine the Competencies Needed by Superintendents in the Area of Public Relations

The problem of this study was to determine specific competencies associated with the superintendent's role in public relations and to determine the relationship between school district size and public relations competencies needed by the superintendent. Conclusions of the study were Public relations competencies for superintendents can be identified in seven competency areas with specific competencies within each area. The seventy-seven specific public relations competencies identified in this study are all needed by practicing superintendents. There is a priority of importance among the seventy seven specific competencies with the competency area of "Relations With the Board of Education" receiving top priority and the competency area of "Personality Traits" receiving second priority. Superintendents from differing size school districts generally do not vary in their perceptions of the competency areas. Differences do exist between perceptions of superintendents of different size schools to specific competencies within competency areas.
Date: May 1980
Creator: Daves, Drennon
System: The UNT Digital Library