Social Studies Department

This dissertation examines the coronation of King Henry IV of England in 1399. It argues that the medieval English coronation was not some passive, conservative ritual but a dynamic tool for actively shaping political culture. It demonstrates how Henry used his coronation to help establish and legitimize his rule in the midst of the political instability caused by his usurpation of the throne.

Research in historical archaeology has often focused on analyzing the degree to which African diaspora material culture has been shaped by the beliefs and practices of particular African cultures impacted by the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Landscapes, architecture, and objects can, at times, be analyzed to evaluate whether their design, construction, or use has been influenced by such cultural traditions. Through the concepts of innovation and creolization, material culture such as this can be reinterpreted in new ways. This article re-examines English manufactured smoking pipes recovered from Newton Plantation cemetery on Barbados. I argue that within an African diasporic burial context, unmodified European manufactured objects, such as English manufactured smoking pipes, could carry cultural significance shaped by African cultural beliefs and practices. Artifacts such as these are embedded in both diversity and situational complexity

The end of slavery in North America presented an opportunity for African Americans in Jacksonville, Florida to reinvent themselves. The reconstruction era brought about new social, political, and economic opportunities for African Americans living in Jacksonville. Despite the failure of Reconstruction and the implementation of Jim Crow, Jacksonville gave birth to a vibrant African American aristocracy. Jacksonville’s Black elite comprised of doctors, lawyers, morticians, religious leaders, business people and other professionals. Jacksonville’s Black elite thrived in the early half of the twentieth century, many of them used their knowledge and skills to contribute to the social and economic development of Jacksonville’s African American community. During this period, Jacksonville’s African American aristocracy provided their community with legal protection, healthcare, vocational training, employment opportunities, goods, and other critical services such as life insurance and burial.  This study centers on a historical African American cemetery cluster that was established during the early twentieth century by Jacksonville’s Black aristocrats. This cemetery cluster consists of four cemeteries which include: Pinehurst, Mount Olive, Sunset Memorial, and Memorial. This cluster is located on the Northside of Jacksonville city, along the intersecting roads of 45th street and Moncrief road, and contains an estimated 70,000 African American burials. I argue that this cemetery is reflective of the social, political, and economic changes undergone by Jacksonville’s African American community.