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 →

One of the biggest issues facing the new government when Washington took over was our debt.  We owed a total of 83 million in their time, a larger debt to income ration than we have today.  To solve this major issue, he turned to his young prodigy, Alexander Hamilton.  In 1790-1791, Hamilton issued three reports … Continue reading Class Notes →

As soon as the Constitution was finished the nation split into two camps, the Federalists who wanted to accept the Constitution and the Anti-Federalists who did not.  Generally speaking, the Federalists were the wealthy and educated.  Their interests were better served by a strong government and now they needed more to hold the nation together.  … Continue reading Class Notes →

Class Notes is back as I am starting my summer semester.  This summer I will be teaching U.S. History from the creation of the Constitution to the Civil War. Probably the biggest argument in the 19th Century and in some ways today is over the “Necessary and Proper” clause or sometimes called the elastic clause … Continue reading Class Notes →

After seeing today’s vote to remove Liz Cheney from the House leadership after she stood up against the Republican majority reminded me once again of the quotes from Edmund Burke, the great 18th Century British legislator.  He understood the role of a representative in a Republic much better than any of our political leaders do … Continue reading Class Notes →

It is that time of the year when I have to put Class Notes on pause for a while.  Today is my last day of the semester.  I am teaching American History from 1789-1865 in June and will pick back up then.  I will continue with my Historically Speaking columns in the meantime. By 1858 … Continue reading Class Notes →

Ronald Reagan was able to come to power by riding in on the coattails of a coalition of voters created by Nixon.  Yet as well as the silent majority, Reagan added the Christian Right, Businessmen, Cold War Democrats, and disgruntled blue-collar workers.  The Christian Right was concerned about new social issues and what they saw … Continue reading Class Notes →

There are some similarities with the election law debates today and the 1852 election.  By the 1850s, the parties were solidified, you were either a Whig or a Democrat.  Both parties ran a war hero from the Mexican War and both parties endorsed the biggest issue of the day, the 1850 Compromise.  So, for this … Continue reading Class Notes →

By the 1970s the environment had started to become a major political issue.  Americans had begun to realize that they were hurting the planet.  A very savvy President Nixon was able to use the environment as a unifying issue. The silent majority, businessmen, and student protesters could all agree saving the planet was a positive … Continue reading Class Notes →

The Mexican War made it difficult to keep the new political parties intact.  Because the north saw the war as an attempt to acquire more slave land the politicians began to side more with their section than with their party.  When David Wilmot tried to pass a rider on an appropriations bill that outlawed slavery … Continue reading Class Notes →