University of Massachusetts Undergraduate History Journal: Volume 9, Issue 1
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2025
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Atonement for the Unions: The True Story of How the US Got Its Minimum Wage and What It Means Now
(2025) Corbett, Aubrey
This paper examines the crucial role national labor unions played in the implementation of a minimum wage in the United States. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, union membership was widespread and deeply influential. Vastly exceeding today’s numbers, unionized workers organized effectively to challenge exploitative labor conditions. The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) established a federal minimum wage in response to these conditions. While contemporary scholarship often credits President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal, such focus overlooks the sustained pressure of organized labor. Strikes, sit-ins, and collective actions–including the Haymarket Affair (1886) and Pullman Strike (1894)–generated public and political urgency. This paper highlights how national unions like the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations amplified these local movements, coordinated lobbying efforts, and helped secure legislative action. Their influence shaped the FLSA and redefined labor standards for future generations of American workers.
A War Story: World War II, Memory, and Experience
(2025) Johnson, Jaedin
This paper explores World War II and American collective memory in the video game Call of Duty: World at War, (Activision 2008) and how it influences public understanding of the conflict. Drawing on oral histories as well as historical scholarship, the paper analyzes game missions in an effort to discover World at War’s historical fidelity. The findings reveal that many of the game’s missions remain faithful real world locations and dates. While the game encourages historical empathy and moral reflection, its portrayal omits key racial and ethical complexities, particularly in the Pacific theater. This omission reinforces narratives of American exceptionalism when compared to the game’s depiction of the Eastern Front. Nevertheless, World at War offers a unique digital space where players can engage with the trauma and memory of World War II, highlighting the potential and limits of gaming as a medium for historical representation.
Where The Wild Things Are: Columbus's Search for Monsters in the New World
(2025) Lessard, Anna