Though Europe will eventually take over as the most powerful region of the world, that was clearly not the case in the years leading up to Columbus’s discovery of the Americas. During this time Civilizations in Asia and the Middle East were much greater. Europe was just coming off the Black Plague and needed time … 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
By the 1852 election it was no matter an issue of which party to vote for, people had already made up their mind which party they supported. Candidates did not really matter; it was about the party. The issue for the parties was not convincing people to vote for them, but to get their people … Continue reading Class Notes
Class Notes
The idea that Natives came across the Baring Straights has been challenged as of lately. Some scientists have questioned how animals could have crossed the land bridge when the land was covered with ice. Without the grass, the animals would not have traveled that far. If animals did not go, humans could not have followed … Continue reading Class Notes
Class Notes
Jefferson liked to call the Election of 1800, "The Revolution of 1800," because he claimed it ushered in a time of more democracy and equality. One person who took Jefferson at his word was a slave named, Gabriel Prosser. Unlike most slaves, Prosser lived in a city, Richmond, and worked as a blacksmith for hire. … Continue reading Class Notes
The Election of 1856 Redo
Instead of writing an entire new article, I want to recycle one I wrote back in January of 2019 but make some minor changes. Back then I was writing about the upcoming election and comparing it to the 1856 election. With the major crisis we are seeing right now, you can decide if my earlier … Continue reading The Election of 1856 Redo
The Fall of Kabul
If you were to stop a Roman around the year 117 A.D. and ask about the future of the empire, he/she would probably boast that they were the greatest empire in the history of the world, and the Roman Empire would last forever. In 117 it would be hard to see it any other way. … Continue reading The Fall of Kabul
Taking a Hiatus
Good Morning, I just wanted to let you know that I am taking a hiatus for a bit from writing Historically Speaking. I am trying to finish a book I have been working on this summer and my family is going to do a bit of traveling. I will pick back up soon. Thank you … Continue reading Taking a Hiatus
Juneteenth
With the creation this week of Juneteenth as a national holiday, I have seen several posts that, though meaning well in celebrating the day, have made mistakes about the history. Even my own college wrote that because the slaves in Texas had not heard about the Emancipation Proclamation, they were not free until federal troops … Continue reading Juneteenth
Class Notes
One of John Adam’s greatest achievements was not taking the nation to war with France when the rest of his party, especially Hamilton, wanted war. He was able to avoid all-out war, but our nation’s first international conflict was what we call the Quasi-War from France. This was contained to a naval war where American … Continue reading Class Notes
Class Notes
One positive aspect of the Founding Fathers was their unselfishness. A good example of this is how the first Congress created provisions to allow for new states to enter the Union. There is nothing in the Constitution that said they had to allow new states and if they did, they could have made them with … Continue reading Class Notes
