By James Finck, Ph.D. For many, the Gilded Age (1877-1900) is the most boring part of political history. All the presidents were bearded white men from New York or Ohio who are hard to distinguish. In fact, it was just as hard to differentiate between Republicans and Democrats, being that neither really did very much. … Continue reading History of American Political Parties, Part X: The Gilded Age →

From the Southwest Ledger 1854 began the destruction of the Second American Party System. When Democrats fought to accept Kansas as a slave state, they were able to claim the mantle of the slavery party. Southern Whigs who supported slavery just as strongly began abandoning their party rather than looking soft on the institution. With … Continue reading History of American Political Parties, Part IX: The Politics of War →

From the Southwest Ledger By James Finck, Ph.D. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” I doubt … Continue reading Andrew Jackson, Teddy Roosevelt, Hillary Clinton and the Watergate Scandal: An Brief, Annotated History of Campaign Finance →

From the Southwest Ledger By James Finck, Ph.D. In grad school one of the hardest parts in studying the Israel/Palestine issue was trying to understand who led the Palestinians. It reminds me of the scene from Monty Python’s The Life of Brian when members of the People's Front of Judea talked about how much they … Continue reading Palestinian Leadership →

From the Southwest Ledger By James Finck, Ph.D. By the 1850s America was in the middle of the Second American Party System of Democrats and Whigs. The two equally strong parties had members in every corner of the country. While there was plenty to argue about – banks, tariffs, and internal improvements – these issues … Continue reading History of American Political Parties, History of Politics Part VIII: The Politics of Slavery →

There are certain days in our nation’s history that are simply more important than others. These days tend to be ones that have changed our nation for better or worse. These are turning point days and generation-defining dates. For my generation, Gen X, that date is Sept. 11, 2001, as we were in high school … Continue reading The Loss of Innocence →

From the Southwest Ledger By James Finck, Ph.D. Love him or hate him, Andrew Jackson is undoubtably one of the most influential and important presidents in American history. Jackson’s presidential victory in 1828 ushered in several major political parties shifts including the creation of a new party and the birth of the Second American Party … Continue reading History of American Political Parties, Part VII: Birth of the Second American Party System →

From the Southwest Ledger By James Finck, Ph.D. If you have followed my column over the years you may have noticed a theme. My belief is that there is really nothing new, that in some way or another we have seen everything before. Most of my writing is comparing modern events to the past. Yet, … Continue reading Selecting Speakers and Turbulent Times →

From the Southwest Ledger By James Finck, Ph.D. The election of 1824 brought a massive change to how parties functioned in the U.S. The Jacksonian Age is highlighted by the growth of democracy. Whereas before only property-owning men could vote, by 1824 most states had dropped property requirements allowing all white men the vote. (Most … Continue reading History of American Political Parties, Part VI: The Rise of Jackson →

From the Southwest Ledger By James Finck, Ph.D. On the morning of Oct 7, the nation of Israel was attacked by rocket fire coming from the Gaza Strip in southern Israel. The missile attacks acted as a screen as thousands of Hamas militants viciously attacked towns and cities in southern Israel killing more than 1,000 … Continue reading Hamas: A History of Violence →