Justin R. Bates

  Courtesy of Charmaine Zoe, reprinted in 1926 edition of The Film Daily. Politician and entrepreneur John Paul Harris had a storied career, in no small part due to his helping found the Nickelodeon Era of early twentieth century America. This research describes and assesses Harris’s role in the development of the film industry using qualitative indicators such as first-person accounts, extant trade publications, and secondary academic sources. Harris was born in 1871 to a family already involved in the entertainment industry, with his father being a vaudeville producer. While his father had shown films in the late 1900s, they were always a secondary act to his vaudeville productions, not the primary reason audiences came to the show. Harris, and his brother-in-law Harry Davis, are credited as the first ones to open a theater dedicated to showing films when they started their original “Nickelodeon” theater “on Smithfield Street in Pittsburgh on June 19 ,1905.” [1] As evidence of t...

               On May 10 th , 1869, railroad engineers Grenville Dodge and Samuel Montague drove the last spike, the so-called “Golden Spike,” of the first North American Transcontinental Railroad at Promontory Summit, Utah. 1  This event was significant for the economic development of towns and populations within reach of the railroad. One of these impacted populations was that of the San Francisco Bay area. Although San Francisco had its origins as a humble pueblo called Yerba Buena, the arrival of a ship of Latter-day Saint immigrants in 1846 coupled with the California Gold Rush starting in 1848, had helped it become the largest city on the West Coast by 1849. The arrival of the railroad in 1869 added fuel to that fire and helped create a more “integrated, unified [national] economy” wherein items could be transported more economically to and from the Bay Area. 2  This research will comparatively analyze the economic development...

Sarah Selina Dolloway, known throughout her life as 'Lena,' is my paternal great grandmother and a woman of remarkable courage, fortitude, and determination. For the benefit of her descendants, and anyone else in need of inspiration, I will briefly describe her life, including a difficult childhood, adventures in America, and ample measure of loss, love, and laughter. Challenging Childhood Lena was born on May 19, 1892 in London, England.1 She had many interesting stories about being a child in that place and time but one will suffice for now. In that era, it was common for adults to "drink beer with their meals," and the children were usually the ones sent to go get the beer for their parents.2 As such, Lena said that often "there would be a line-up of children waiting to get their buckets full of beer."3 Both her parents died by the time Lena was 10 years old, leaving her in the custody of her stepfather and new stepmother. As a result, she moved around to...

In the last few decades, it has become popular to deemphasize the influence of the Bible on the American Revolution. Proponents of this theory sometimes argue that the Founding Fathers were simply rationally motivated by their own economic self-interest. Contrary to popular belief, this research suggests two main ways that the Bible influenced the colonists' decision to seek their independence: first, the Bible was a major cultural influence that informed the colonists' identity and justified their growing desire to rebel; second, the Founding Fathers and other social leaders consistently utilized biblical themes and citations as tools in their efforts to stoke the colonial coals of indignation and promote independence from Great Britain.  The Bible as a Major Cultural Influence “Camp Meeting” By Bridport, Hugh, 1794-ca. 1868, lithographer - This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs divisionunder the digital ID ds.03095...

An experienced religious educator and published researcher with extensive project management and team leadership experience. An exceptional writer and communicator who excels at teaching for understanding and application, regardless of the audience. A skilled interpersonal, bilingual communicator. Publications Articles and Chapters "The Divine Principle of Stewardship." In  Doctrine and Covenants Insights: Capstone of Doctrinal Understanding . Edited by Kenneth Alford, et. al. Jan 2025. Religious Studies Center : 142-152. "Constructing a Religious Paradox: The Nauvoo Temple, 1841-1846."  In Montview Journal. Other Writings Master's Thesis: "The Forgotten Pioneers: Assessing the Brooklyn Latter-day Saints’ Impact on Early California’s Development." "Historiographical Evolution: Changing Interpretations of the Mountain Meadows Massacre." "Samuel de Champlain & the Native Americans: A Unique Approach to Colonization." "A Forgo...