African Americans are in a continuous struggle for equality in America. The reparations debate, in which African Americans are searching for reparations for slavery and segregation that followed,...Show moreAfrican Americans are in a continuous struggle for equality in America. The reparations debate, in which African Americans are searching for reparations for slavery and segregation that followed, may help create an equal society. In June 2019 the H.R.40 Bill was presented to Congress. This Bill advocates for a commission which will study the repercussions of slavery for African Americans and propose a suitable solution, in short the Bill is a blueprint for how to execute reparations. This thesis researched the historic reparations and the recent reparation debate. More specifically, this thesis aimed to answer the following question: “In what ways is the historical reparations debate incorporated in the current debate on reparations for African Americans searching for justice, and what does that mean for the significance of the current debate?” Based on the already existing historiography, this thesis took a qualitative research approach and draws upon primary and secondary sources to see how the historic debate has influenced the recent debate. Analysis of the primary sources showed that the historic debate is very much incorporated in the recent reparations debate. Furthermore, the reparations movement has never been stronger in its goal to create an equal society. However, the current reparations movement still left some questions unanswered such as who exactly would receive reparations, and who will pay for them.Show less
The contributions of female members are an important and understudied aspect of the Black Panther Party. Survival Programs, the Panthers’ community service programs which were governed mostly by...Show moreThe contributions of female members are an important and understudied aspect of the Black Panther Party. Survival Programs, the Panthers’ community service programs which were governed mostly by women, are a good example of nonviolent techniques carried out by the Panthers to reach some of the goals on their Ten-Point Program Since the Black Panther Party consisted of mostly women for most of its existence, this indicates a difference between the common image of the Black Panther Party and the reality of it. Therefore, this thesis will answer the question “In what ways did female members defy the stereotypical image of the Black Panther Party?” In short, it will argue that not only is the significance of the nonviolent Survival Programs undervalued in the party’s popular image; so is the significance and even the existence of (other forms of) female involvement and crucial contributions to the Black Panther Party. Indeed, although the violent, male contributions to the movement are more known, the nonviolent techniques mostly executed by female members, such as the Survival Programs, take up a larger part of what the Party truly was. This thesis will pay attention to these lesser known acts committed by the Black Panthers.Show less
After the surrender of Japan following WWII, the US occupied Japan for seven years until 1952 – while remaining in Okinawa until 1972. The aim of the occupation’s administration was to demilitarise...Show moreAfter the surrender of Japan following WWII, the US occupied Japan for seven years until 1952 – while remaining in Okinawa until 1972. The aim of the occupation’s administration was to demilitarise and democratise Japan. One of the goals to achieve this aim was the decartelisation of Japan and the dissolution of the Zaibatsu. However, while the decartelisation of Japan was an early goal of the administration, the dissolution of the Zaibatsu was never fully realised. The occupation’s administration was concerned with New Deal liberalist reforms at the onset of the occupation. However, after the first two years of the occupation, the US shifted its decartelisation policy from economic reform to economic recovery in what has been dubbed as Japan’s reverse course. The origin of the reverse course has often been explained as a Cold War phenomenon. However, through archival research, this thesis shows that domestic factors such as the US domestic economic situation and the Republican victory in the 80th Congress significantly changed the course of the Zaibatsu dissolution. As such, these “intermestic” issues influenced the shift away from economic reform to economic recovery and the result of this can be seen in the Japanese economy to this day.Show less
