Curl, Donald W.

This thesis discusses the effects of the United States space program at Cape Canaveral on the City of Cocoa Beach, Florida from 1950 to 1973. Prior to 1950, Cocoa Beach was a typical small coastal community. However, with the establishment of missile launching facilities at nearby Cape Canaveral, Cocoa Beach rode atop a great wave of growth and prosperity for two decades. National space efforts pumped millions of dollars into the Cape Canaveral area. As a result, the City of Cocoa Beach and other Brevard communities became inextricably dependent on Federal dollars. Massive cutbacks in space appropriations, beginning in 1968, forced the City of Cocoa Beach to diversify. After a brief period of economic hardship, Cocoa Beach evolved into a tourist and retirement mecca.

This thesis discusses Elisha Newton "Cap" Dimick from 1876 when he arrived in Palm Beach until his death in 1919. Dimick, one of the area's first settlers, arrived when the island was a wilderness. When he died Palm Beach was a world renowned resort. Henry Morrison Flagler, Standard Oil magnate, is often cited as the founder of Palm Beach and the initiator of tourism in the town. Although Flagler's contribution to the town was great, Cap Dimick must be chosen as Palm Beach's founder. Dimick's efforts led to the opening up of isolated Palm Beach. His Cocoanut Grove House was the town's first tourist hotel and its charm successfully enticed many northerners to the area, including Henry Flagler.

In the 1980s, confronted by severe problems created by one hundred years of drainage and flood control in Florida, public officials realized a new policy, while continuing to provide flood protection, must protect the environment and wildlife. This involved restoring the natural water flows to wildlife refuges, Everglades National Park, and other wetland areas. New legislation controlling the water supply, water quality, and the wetlands was passed. The Save Our Everglades program proposed to restore the Everglades (the Kissimmee River Basin, Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades) to look and function more as it did in 1900 than in 1983 when the program was initiated. Problems, primarily caused by increasing population and agriculture, continued to thwart restoration efforts.

This thesis examines the roles and contributions of women
who pioneered Southeast Florida in the late nineteenth
century. The area researched is nineteenth century Dade
County which extended from the St. Lucie River south to
Indian Key. Dade County women and women's groups were
instrumental in transforming the wilderness settlements
into communities through the establishment of comfortable
homes, public schools, churches, libraries, and community
service organizations. Of particular importance, the
thesis studies the change in lifestyles as women adapted to
the new subtropical environment. Also examined are the
three centers of pioneer population (Lake Worth, Biscayne
Bay, and Fort Lauderdale) and the individual women who
contributed to these settlements.

This paper examines the rise of George Corley Wallace on the national
political scene. The 1968 election is placed in its social, economic
and political context and the forces which enabled Wallace to run as
a third party candidate are explained. There is a detailed analysis
of Wallace's support in the 1968 campaign. The economic, social,
political, geographical and attitudinal backgrounds of Wallaceites are
examined. The causes of Wallace's decline are itemized and the impact
he and his supporters have had on American politics are evaluated.

The election of 1948 helped to bring about a dramatic turning
point in Florida politics. Prior to this time, Florida was arbitrarily
dominated by the Democratic party. This election is significant
because 1948 helped give rise to the reemergence of a two-party
political system in Florida. It was in 1948 that the Republicans
began their long rise out of obscurity. The Dixiecrats and Progressive
parties were also active in this campaign. This paper will examine
the activities of each of these four political parties within the
state during 1948 and attempt to show how this political rebirth contributed
to alter Florida politics.

The course of the 1952 presidential election in Florida is
traced from the time of the campaign for the primpary in
the Democratic party and for delegate selection in the
Republican party through the November election. Particular
emphasis is placed on candidates and issues during the
various campaigns. The significance of this election lies
in the reversal of the traditional Democratic voting
pattern in national elections and the beginning of a
history of support for the Republican candidate for
President.

This is a study of President Grant's adoption of a proposal in
early 1869 from the President of the Dominican Republic for the
annexation of his country to the United States with a view to
eventual statehood. It examines Grant's motivations for support
of the proposal and his efforts to obtain annexation treaty
ratification from an unconvinced Senate. It concludes that Grant
gave a maladroit performance and showed a lack of political
acumen; that Santo Domingo annexation was doomed from the start;
and that Grant harmed himself and his party by stubborn fighting
of a lost cause.

This was written as a beginning study of the relationships between
blacks and poor whites during Reconstruction. The heritage of
slavery is discussed as a prerequisite for understanding later developments. A brief synopsis of Reconstruction is included. The last
chapters concern the actual relations between blacks and poor whites.
Reasons for the inability of these two groups to ally and cooperate lie
in the low opinion each had for the other and the inability of poor
whites to allow the Negro a measure of equality. For the poor white
the Negro was too much a threat as an equal. As a result violence,
intimidation and suppression were practiced by poor whites against
blacks and their white Republican allies, until the South was finally
redeemed by white Democrats and southern demagogues.

This thesis studies an important phase of American temperance
reform in the early nineteenth century. For twenty
two years preceding Civil War, temperance reforms attempted
to gain political and legal sanction for their crusade.
Such efforts resulted in varying degrees of success in
different states. In researching this thesis many books,
sermons, and journals from the period were used. These
have led the author to conclude that temperance reformers
successfully applied pressure tactics on politicians. They
also perceived the necessity of gaining lasting public
opinion formation to pass and sustain restrictive liquor
laws. Their inability to maintain such favorable public
opinion led to rapid decline in coercive temperance by
1860, bringing to an end the first stage in American legal
temperance.