Start Date
25-4-2017 5:00 PM
End Date
25-4-2017 5:20 PM
Description
My research looks at the power dynamic between the state government and its citizens, as influenced by developing technology from the 1890s to 1930s. This research considers the following question: who ultimately holds power within the state? Early twentieth-century court cases from three state-level courts, including the Snyder County Court, the Pennsylvania Superior Court, and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, demonstrate how Pennsylvania citizens used the court system to empower themselves in reaction to technological harm. This project reveals that ultimately the state government holds power. When technology fails, the citizens turn to the state controlled court system for reassurance and guidance.
Sources of Power or Harm? Pennsylvania Courts and Changing Technology, 1890s-1930s
My research looks at the power dynamic between the state government and its citizens, as influenced by developing technology from the 1890s to 1930s. This research considers the following question: who ultimately holds power within the state? Early twentieth-century court cases from three state-level courts, including the Snyder County Court, the Pennsylvania Superior Court, and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, demonstrate how Pennsylvania citizens used the court system to empower themselves in reaction to technological harm. This project reveals that ultimately the state government holds power. When technology fails, the citizens turn to the state controlled court system for reassurance and guidance.