Date of Award
9-22-2016
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
History, MA
First Advisor
Sarah Wilkerson Freeman
Committee Members
Cherisse Jones-Branch; Joseph Key
Call Number
LD 251 .A566t 2016 J63
Abstract
This study is a multi-faceted examination of the historiographical representation of Jews in the American South using one family’s story to guide the historical analysis. With roots in the Austrian province Galicia, Adolph and Saul Bertig’s story challenges notions and erroneous historical claims regarding American Jewry’s national origins and identities. The narrative thus provides a more nuanced understanding of the historical circumstances central to many Jews’ decisions to migrate and stay in the United States. Jewish transplants into the predominantly Protestant culture of Northeast Arkansas, the Bertig brothers were key players in Greene County, Arkansas’s development and amassed a fortune based upon a variety of business endeavors in seven Arkansas and Missouri counties. Their success, while vital to the region’s growth, also contests the historiographical record of who was at the forefront of incorporating new business models in Northeast Arkansas and proves revealing about broader historical representation in the region.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Johnson, Elizabeth Elaine, "Prejudice, Progress, and Preservation: The "Bertig Dynasty" of Northeast Arkansas, 1870 - 1950" (2016). Student Theses and Dissertations. 643.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/643
