Stephen Kinzer, All the Shaw’s Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror, John Wiley and Sons, 2008 In 1953, there was an interesting and tragic event that occurred in Iran that hardly any Americans know anything about, but yet almost every Iranian does. The year before the tragedy, the very popular … Continue reading Book Review
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
In many ways during the 1960s the fight against authority or “the Man” started in colleges. They were seen as a microcosm of the larger issues the students felt they were facing. In the 1960s, colleges still functioned as “In Loco Parentis,” or replacing the role of parents when the students were under their care. … Continue reading Class Notes
How the West Was Lost
Though I am a Virginia Kid, the West has always had a huge impact on my life. My parents were both born in the West, my dad had exclusively lived in the West, while only partially for my mon. They lived in the West as newlyweds and had myself and my three siblings all in … Continue reading How the West Was Lost
Class Notes
By the 1830s, the new way of practicing politics was firmly entrenched as the Democrats and Whigs were now decisively legitimized. This new period of party politics will last until the 1890s, even though some of the names will change. This is the heyday of party politics with voter turnout reaching as high as 80%. … Continue reading Class Notes
Class Notes
After the USS Maddox was attacked while trying to intercept radio transmissions, President Johnson went to Congress asking for a resolution to allow him to begin engaging the North Vietnamese. The measure called the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was passed with only two senators opposing. It gave the president carte blanche authority to conduct the … Continue reading Class Notes
Class Notes
The 1836 election was important because it was going to show if parties could ultimately work. 1836 was the first election after Andrew Jackson and the test was to see if the Democratic Party was strong enough to allow the party to mandate the nomination of Martin Van Buren. Van Buren was not a strong … Continue reading Class Notes
Class Notes
In 1954, Ho Chi Minh and the Vietnamese were able to push the French out of Vietnam. With the French out, the nation was divided into northern and southern halves. The plan was for an election in 1956 that would unify the nation. The issue for America was that Minh would probably win the election … Continue reading Class Notes
Class Notes
Andrew Jackson’s biggest political concern coming into office was the Second Bank of the United States (BUS). During the 19th Century banks and tariffs were two of the biggest concerns. Jackson himself completely distrusted the BUS, as most westerners did. It represented the worst of big government. Jackson went even further and distrusted paper money … Continue reading Class Notes
Class Notes
The following is a speech given by Mohammad Mossadegh, the newly elected Iranian Prime Minister. After years of being subjugated by the British and the Shaw, Mossadegh was the first to stand up to both. This speech was one given to the U.N. in 1951. Mossadegh had recently nationalized the Irian oil industry and the … Continue reading Class Notes
Cancel Culture
With the beloved children’s author Dr. Seuess being the latest on the chopping block of what is being called “cancel culture,” it is once again worth taking a look at things historically. First, was Dr. Seuess racist? Yes. I have not even investigated the supposedly racist books, but I know he is a product of … Continue reading Cancel Culture
Historically Speaking 