Author: James Finck

Dr. James W. Finck was raised in the shadows of history in the great state of Virginia. Growing up it was difficult to travel too far without running into a monument or battlefield from the Revolutionary or Civil War. In this environment, Finck developed a love for studying the past and from his youth knew that he wanted to make it his life’s work. Finck received a B.A. from the College of William and Mary in Virginia. He then studied under James I. Robertson and William C. Davis at Virginia Tech, while earning a Master’s degree. Finally, he received his Ph.D. at the University of Arkansas, under the direction of Daniel Sutherland. For five years, Finck taught at the University of Texas-Pan American before accepting his current position as American Historian at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma in 2011. At a small liberal arts institution, Finck considers himself a generalist in history, but his specialties are the Civil War and American Politics. Finck has established himself in Oklahoma with the creation of the Oklahoma Civil War Symposium, which has brought in leading Civil War scholars for the past eight years, and he has spoken at many venues around Oklahoma, especially working with the Honey Spring Battlefield. Finck is the author of Divided Loyalties: Kentucky’s Struggle for Armed Neutrality in the Civil War, as well as Images of America: Chickasha. Finck is also the author of the syndicated newspaper column “Historically Speaking.”

Presidential Competence in an Age of Instantaneous Interaction and Decisiveness

By James Finck, Ph.D. A bombshell was dropped earlier this month when Department of Justice Special Counsel Robert Hur released his findings on President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents. The good news for Biden was Hur does not plan to bring charges. However, the bad news was that even though Hur concluded that Biden … Continue reading Presidential Competence in an Age of Instantaneous Interaction and Decisiveness →

Father, son give insightful review of Temple Grandin

From Southwest Ledger I rarely get personal with my articles, but this week’s subject resonates with me. One of the hardest days of my life was when a doctor confirmed to my wife and me what we already suspected – that my son, my oldest child had autism. We knew that not all was lost. … Continue reading Father, son give insightful review of Temple Grandin →

Are Super Bowl Commercials Shaping Our Country? If So, At What Cost?

From Southwest Ledger By James Finck, Ph.D. In 1984, Democrats needed a candidate to challenge the very popular Republican incumbent President Ronald Reagan. Democratic frontrunner Walter Mondale, an ex-U.S. senator and state attorney general from Minnesota who had also served as Jimmy Carter’s vice president, seemed as though he would be a shoo-in for the … Continue reading Are Super Bowl Commercials Shaping Our Country? If So, At What Cost? →

Challenging the sitting president: ‘Is democracy still America’s sacred cause?’

From Southwest Ledger By James Finck, Ph.D. During his Valley Forge speech earlier this month, where he stated this election is about whether democracy would survive, President Joe Biden asked, “Is democracy still America’s sacred cause?” Biden believes former president and Republican frontrunner Donald Trump wants to end democracy while his campaign aims to preserve … Continue reading Challenging the sitting president: ‘Is democracy still America’s sacred cause?’ →

‘You were always Mom’s favorite:’ a historic tribute to Tommy Smothers

From Southwest Ledger By James Finck, Ph.D. When I was in college back in the 1990s, I like so many other students began getting my political commentary Monday through Thursday nights on Comedy Central with The Daily Show with John Stewart. While the show was not an official news show and Stewart, who had graduated … Continue reading ‘You were always Mom’s favorite:’ a historic tribute to Tommy Smothers →

Deliberating the Constitutionality of Presidential Ballot Restrictions

An amendment meant to keep ex-Confederates from holding office after the Civil War is once again coming into play as Colorado and Maine have announced that former President Donald Trump will not appear on the ballot of their upcoming presidential primaries. The 14th Amendment, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution states, “No person shall be … Continue reading Deliberating the Constitutionality of Presidential Ballot Restrictions →

History of American Political Parties, Part X: The Gilded Age

By James Finck, Ph.D. For many, the Gilded Age (1877-1900) is the most boring part of political history. All the presidents were bearded white men from New York or Ohio who are hard to distinguish. In fact, it was just as hard to differentiate between Republicans and Democrats, being that neither really did very much. … Continue reading History of American Political Parties, Part X: The Gilded Age →

History of American Political Parties, Part IX: The Politics of War

From the Southwest Ledger 1854 began the destruction of the Second American Party System. When Democrats fought to accept Kansas as a slave state, they were able to claim the mantle of the slavery party. Southern Whigs who supported slavery just as strongly began abandoning their party rather than looking soft on the institution. With … Continue reading History of American Political Parties, Part IX: The Politics of War →