Abstract

Horror is a commonly recognized concept that is closely associated with notions of fear and disturbance. However, horror can also serve as a valuable historical tool to learn about the people of the past through what they feared most. As such, this project adopts this historical approach to horror in investigating an often overlooked period of American history: American imperialism in the late nineteenth century to the early twentieth century. Namely, this project examines the connection between horror and American imperialism to understand how horror shaped and informed imperialism. Performing this examination through the analysis of historical sources that employed subjects of horror from the period, this project ultimately concludes that horror played a prominent role in facilitating American imperialism. The role of horror in this respect can especially be seen in debates over imperialism at the turn of the twentieth century, as both sides of the debate employed horror in varying ways to justify their arguments. Moreover, despite horror being used in different ways, commonalities in the themes and concepts that emerged across uses of horror connected to American imperialism illustrate the dynamics and subjects central to imperialism at the time.

Semester/Year of Award

Spring 2024

Mentor

Joshua A. Lynn

Mentor Department Affiliation

History, Philosophy, and Religious Studies

Access Options

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Honors Scholars

Degree Level

Bachelors

Department

History, Philosophy, and Religious Studies

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