Eastern Student Christopher Morris of Waterford Presents Research Project at State History Conference

2016 Mar 18

A group of Eastern Connecticut State University history students attended and presented research at the second annual CSU "Making History" conference which was held at Central Connecticut State University on March 11.

Christopher Morris '17 of Waterford, CT, was one of the students that presented their research. Morris is majoring in History and English; the research project was titled, "Got a Donkey in the Crosshairs: The Partisan Anticommunism of Senator Joseph McCarthy."

Morris said, "My research is on the rhetoric used by Senator Joseph R. McCarthy in his little-known 1952 address on the candidacy of Democratic presidential nominee Adlai Stevenson. I studied the history behind the repressionist methods used by McCarthy and the conservative-minded government of the time and the effort to suppress liberalism and equate it with Communism at the height of the Cold War.Rather than fighting for Americanism in the face of the encroaching menace of Communism, McCarthy fought for Eisenhower's conservatism against Stevenson's liberalism."

Morris' faculty mentor is Professor Anna Kirchmann.

The conference is the outcome of the vision of the chairs of the four Connecticut State University Departments of History, who conceived of the conference as a forum for presentations and a preprofessional experience for students. It is also a networking opportunity for history students and faculty and a resource to enhance cross-campus collaborations.

Morris added, "I conducted the vast majority of this research last spring in my History Methods course during the spring 2015 semester. I expanded the research beyond that semester and believe I gained invaluable undergraduate research experience."

The students were accompanied by History Professor and Department Chair Anna Kirchmann and Professors Joan Meznar and Thomas Balcerski.

"The 'Making History' conference brings together both faculty and students in the four CSU departments," said Kirchmann. "By facilitating the exchange of academic knowledge, it helps us to get to know each other better. This year's conference was a great event and allowed our students to experience a professional conference first-hand. All of our presenters did a fantastic job and I am very proud of them."

Professor Balcerski added, "The 'Making History' conference was a banner day for Eastern. Our student presenters were absolutely fantastic and our student contingent received special accolades from the conference organizer for their quality participation and professional comportment."