John Quincy Adams had the potential to be one of our greatest presidents and is unquestionably the greatest ex-president. He entered office with more experience than anyone before or after and might possibly be the smartest chief executive ever.  He suffered from the same problem his father had, things ran so smoothly during his one … Continue reading Class Notes →

On February 1, 1960, four well-dressed Black college students walked into the Woolworth store in Greensboro, NC and took a seat at the Whites only lunch counter.  They were arrested.  By the end of the week over 300 more sat in those same seats.  They represented the growing frustration of Blacks waiting for equal rights … Continue reading Class Notes →

The man most responsible for the breakdown of the one-party system was Andrew Jackson.  Jackson was everything that past presidents were not.  He came from a poor family and worked his way up to make something of himself.  He was the first man of the people and as such, believed parties were there for the … Continue reading Class Notes →

Before the Brown V. Board of Education decision, the NAACP tried to make segregation too expensive by requiring states to spend money on creating Black institutions.  The 1896 Plessy v Ferguson decision stated that institutions could be separate but equal.  The NAACP tried to use the case against them.  A great example is the case … Continue reading Class Notes →

After Kennedy’s successful handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis, he finally regained the swagger he had when he ran for president, it was time for Camelot. It was really only then, in 1963 that he decided it was time to deal with Civil Rights, a difficult topic within his own party.  Kennedy decided to try … Continue reading Class Notes →

The 1820s changed politics forever.  Gone were the days when a few men wrote letters to each other and chose presidential candidates.  Also gone were the days when everyone saw parties as wrong, even the days where you only saw the other party as wrong.  During this time there was really no need for campaigns, … Continue reading Class Notes →