One major difference between politics today and politics from around the turn of the century to about the 1980s was some of the major conflicts were not between parties but within parties. During the Progressive Era, there were progressives and conservatives within both parties, TR and Wilson were not that different. The same is true … Continue reading Class Notes
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.”
Class Notes
Remember that voting requirements are done state by state, but the first time a popular vote was ever recorded for the nation was in 1824. This new popular vote is what is responsible for the power of Andrew Jackson, a new type of politician, and one who would use the power of the people to … Continue reading Class Notes
Class Notes
Surprisingly, the 1944 election was only the second time a president had campaigned during a war and this gave FDR a huge advantage. Not was he already incredibly popular, but it set up his slogan perfectly, "Don’t switch horses in mid-stream." Americans will remain with FDR for a fourth term, but it is the smallest … Continue reading Class Notes
Class Notes
Not everyone sees it this way, but I think there was a dark side of the Transcendentalist movement. My own definition of Transcendentalism is romanticism set in the American wilderness and I see authors like Herman Melville as part of the movement. The entire point of Moby Dick was that Ahab was obsessed with conquering … Continue reading Class Notes
Class Notes
The Second Great Awakening and the reform movements that came out of it had one very large unintended consequence, the first women’s movement. It was women that were organizing the religious revivals and running the reform movements and it turned out they were doing a good job. It was not a far jump to go … Continue reading Class Notes
Class Notes
WWII brought new internal issues for the Democratic Party. FDR knew that we would need to get involved in some way, but conservative Democrats feared that the War would allow the government to grow even larger. There were enough concerned Democrats still left in the party that they were able to pass a series of … Continue reading Class Notes
Class Notes
The French Philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville once said about America in 1831, “No country in the world in which the Christian religion retains a greater influence over the souls of men than in America.” He just happened to arrive in the U.S. at the height of the Second Great Awakening, a time of great religious … Continue reading Class Notes
Class Notes
The 1936 election was the first election that the democrats openly called for big government. They had been moving in that direction since 1896, but now it was solidified. FDR was able to dominate that election by creating a new coalition of voters that in some ways lasted until today which is a combination of … Continue reading Class Notes
Class Notes
Even though the administration of FDR moved the government towards big government more than any other president even imagined, his largest critics came from within his party. Some thought he was going too far with government, especially business leaders, but the loudest voices came from parts of the party that did not think he was … Continue reading Class Notes
Class Notes
The most impressive engineering feet of the 19th century in America is the Erie Canal. Built between 1817-1825, it was 363 miles long, four feet deep and 40 feet wide and all dug by hand. It covered an elevation of 571 feet making it necessary for 83 locks. When done it cut a two week … Continue reading Class Notes
Historically Speaking 