I have been asked a few times now about Kamala Harris’s quote about Abraham Lincoln not wanting to nominate a new Chief Justice so that the people could decide in the upcoming presidential election.  I have never heard that quote before and to the best of my research have not been able to find it, … Continue reading Class Notes →

I know this is sports, but there is some history in here Why This NBA Finals will Shape the NBA's Future I think this NBA finals might be one of the most important finals for the future of the game. This year pits the Miami Heat against the LA Lakers. The Heat is straight out … Continue reading Class Notes →

It is difficult to say who is the most significant cultural figure in the U.S.  There are many choices and all are good, Elvis, Sinatra, Babe Ruth, Mohamed Ali, or John Wayne.  It gets even harder as younger Americans are not as familiar with these icons.  It would be even harder to say who is … Continue reading Class Notes →

According to the Preamble to the Constitution, the Government has three things to protect, domestic tranquility, common defense, and general welfare.  In the Gilded Age, the government only had one function it performed for domestic tranquility.  When workers had strikes, the government would send in the army to put it down.  That was basically the … Continue reading Class Notes →

If you are worried about Amy Coney Barrett’s limited time as an actual judge here are some numbers that should help.  There have been 114 Supreme Court Judges.  Of that, 40 had never been judges before, including famous ones like William Rehnquist, Earl Warren, Louis Brandeis, Charles Evans Hughes and John Marshal.  Of the 114, … Continue reading Class Notes →

As the Middle East moved into the 20th Century, they were inspired by the West to start to reform and modernize.  What stopped most of their reform efforts were European nations that felt better when the Ottoman Empire was united and stagnant.  The last thing they wanted was the Ottomans to fall and separate nations … Continue reading Class Notes →

I was listening to a duet this morning and thought to myself this must be the most famous country duet ever.  Of course that sparked my interest and so I came up with my Mount Rushmore of country duets.  This is history right? 4. Whiskey Lullaby by Allison Krauss and Brad Paisley.  The song I … Continue reading Class Notes →

The largest and longest lasting Muslim empire was the Ottomans.  During their reign, they divided their subjects up into religious communities called Millits.  Each of these Millits had autonomy over their own people.  They had their own schools, looked out for their own needs, and most importantly followed their own laws.  In other words, Sharia … Continue reading Class Notes →

When it comes to the history of American music possibly the most forgotten name is James Reese Europe.  Born in 1881 to freed slaves, Reese is one of the founders of what we call American music.  Before this time period we had American literature and art, but not really anything uniquely American in music for … Continue reading Class Notes →

Sharia law for Muslims is made up of four parts. First the Quran, which is the word of God as spoken by the Prophet Muhammad.  Second are the Hadiths, the saying of the Prophet.  These come from different men who knew him.  Not all Muslims agree with the same Hadiths.  Think of them like books … Continue reading Class Notes →