When it comes to the history of American music possibly the most forgotten name is James Reese Europe.  Born in 1881 to freed slaves, Reese is one of the founders of what we call American music.  Before this time period we had American literature and art, but not really anything uniquely American in music for … Continue reading Class Notes →

Sharia law for Muslims is made up of four parts. First the Quran, which is the word of God as spoken by the Prophet Muhammad.  Second are the Hadiths, the saying of the Prophet.  These come from different men who knew him.  Not all Muslims agree with the same Hadiths.  Think of them like books … Continue reading Class Notes →

If you want to understand how hard life was in the Gilded Age think about this. When the government finally passed child labor laws for factory workers it said children younger than 12 could not work and children over 12 can only work for 10 hours a day.  If these laws were meant to help, … Continue reading Class Note →

First, I want to say thank you for the service of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.  She served with honor.  She was only the second female justice on the Supreme Court and championed the causes of women and all Americans.  What I will remember the most about her was her pop star status.  Few justices become famous.  … Continue reading Supreme Court →

With race issues being so complicated right now, it is important to understand the meaning of race historically.  Race is a social construct.  Where we use the word race today, we should use ethnicity.  Ethnicity is biological.  If you use DNA today to trace your history it will tell you percentages of different ethnicities, not … Continue reading Class Notes →

For years now I have been saying that we have seen worse times in our nation’s history and we are not as divided now as we have been in the past.  I always say that we are not yet to 1860 and not even to 1968.  As I think about this now, I finally believe … Continue reading Class Notes →

Islamic belief is such...God has always spoken to prophets beginning with Adam.  He spoke to the Jewish prophets and gave them the Torah.  He later spoke to Jesus, who plays a prominent role in the Quran, and gave them the New Testament.  Eventually, man corrupted the scriptures so God sent his final prophet with the … Continue reading Class Notes →

Most don’t think of the Gilded age as an exciting time in history.  To a point I agree, however, I think it would have been an exciting time to have lived.  Some of their technological advances changed the world more than many of our advancements change how we live today.  In 1866, we laid a … Continue reading Class Notes →

"Tonight, I ask for your prayers for all those who grieve, for the children whose worlds have been shattered, for all whose sense of safety and security has been threatened. And I pray they will be comforted by a Power greater than any of us, spoken through the ages in Psalm 23:Even though I walk … Continue reading Class Notes →