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Date of Award
5-2025
Document Type
Restricted Thesis: Campus only access
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Leadership Studies
First Advisor
Dr. Kristin M.S. Bezio
Second Advisor
Dr. Lauren Henley
Third Advisor
Professor Tom Mullen
Abstract
Both the Sarah Maria Cornell and Lizzie Borden cases unfolded within the historical and cultural context of New England -- a region fundamentally shaped by the Puritan eithos, while the formal institutions had faded by the time of these events, its underlying values and moral codes continued to exert influence, especially in the realms of gender, social order, and community judgment.
In this project, I present a historical analysis comparing two murder cases in Fall River, Massachusetts, separated by sixty years: the 1832 death of Sarah Maria Cornell and the 1892 trial of Lizzie Borden. Though both cases became the subject of national debate, only one – Lizzie Borden’s – has endured in public consciousness. I do not seek to indict, convict, or exonerate any historical figures in this project, nor do I attempt to theorize on the events themselves or the motivations of the individuals involved in them. Rather, my focus is to contextualize the societal factors that shaped the public narrativization of the crimes that led to the immortalization of one while the other has been relegated to obscurity.
Please Note: This thesis is permanently restricted and not available.
Recommended Citation
Beatty, Mary, "Murder, Morality, and the Media: A Comparative Analysis of Sarah Maria Cornell and Lizzie Borden" (2025). Honors Theses. 1792.
https://scholarship.richmond.edu/honors-theses/1792
