Dr. Don Fehrenbacher, Historian of the Week

This week's historian of the week is Don Fehrenbacher.  Dr. Fehrenbacher is the author of The Dred Scott Case: Its Signifiance is American Law and Politics which won the Pulitzer Prize in History in 1979.  In the same year, Dr. Fehrenbacher won the distinguished Lincoln Prize from the Gettysburg College which is the highest annual award for Civil War Studies in the nation.  He held many distinguished visiting chairs at several universities including Oxford, LSU and the College of William and Mary.

   His work is remarkable.  He was working on a constitutional history of slavery when he died in 1997.       His influence still lives in a generation of American history scholars and his work graces the bookshelves of many more, including mine. 

Historian Rock Star of the Week (okay sometimes monthly). Edward Larson!

Edward Larson is best know for his book Summer of the Gods: The Scopes Trail and America's Continuing Debate over Science and Religion which won the Pulitzer Prize in History in 1998.  He is currently a visiting professor at Stanford University.  He holds the Darling Chair in Law at Pepperdine University and recently held a similar chair at the University of Georgia.  I have the pleasure of owning his effort at on the 1800 presidential campaign, A Magnificent Catastrophe: The Tumultuous Election of 1800, America's First Presidential Campaign.  It is a great narrative piece illustrating the importance of the first partisan campaigning which results in the peaceful change of government from one political party to another.  A testament to our democracy.  If you want the facts in a clear written narrative with insight from a keen mind, this is the book.  Great, work Dr. Larson!  I look forward to your next publication.

Photo taken from University of Arkansas press release.

The Presidential Office

After the Rose Garden interruption of the president's speech I felt compelled to say something.  I have no memory of other presidents receiving the absurd lack of respect as the current president.  From the "You lie!", to Jan Brewer's finger, to the O'Riley interview to the Rose Garden. Come on!!  I know that many Americans do not like the president and that is fine.  But like it or not, he is the president.  And even if you do not respect the man, you should respect the office.  There is a certain level of decorum which is not present.  The real truth lies under and is only hinted at...so...I will go ahead and say it.  It is because he is black?  Black, orange, purple, or pink the president should receive the level of respect that his office commands.  And that does not include finger pointing.

Roanoke Colony, New Clues?

The mystery is one more step to being solved.  Centuries without checking on patches on an original map?  Really? Check out the link for the story.  I think that there may be resistance to tearing up the golf course that the archeological evidence may be buried under since it was designed by Arnold Palmer.

This image was taken from Fox News image, on-line.


See the story on Huffington Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/03/lost-colony-of-roanoke-re_n_1474199.html

Native Americans - No future, no citizenship?

As of June 2, 1924, the Secretary of Interior was authorized by Congress to issue certificates of citizenship to Indians.  Until then, Indians were considered members of foreign nations and therefore were not subject to or protected by U.S. or state law.  Used, abused, subjugated.....and finally..still are not treated equally or even well.  There is no future for a Native American that wants to maintain any semblance of real traditional cultural heritage.  Tragic.  Check out the congressional act at the National Archives.

Justified

I love this FX TV series. It is based on a short story by Elmore Leonard.  It is the way that I like to imagine U.S. Marshals to really be in law enforcement.  I own all of the previous seasons and was introduced to Elmore Leonard this way.  It is rumored that due to the popularity of the show, on which he is a consultant, has prodded Leonard to write another story about Marshal Givins.   The casting of the show could not be more perfect.  I am afraid that this may have typecast Timothy Olyphant as a police officer, though.

Justified!!!! 

Charter Schools,Comments on public school

I have just become a follower for Diane Ravitch's blog, a well respected scholar of public education in the United States. Her last post about the ability of charter schools to market themselves vs the public community school is an interesting observation that I have not thought of before.  For-profit charters and the ones that really get me.  I do not see how a public service like health care and education can be effectively run for profit if not at the expense of the customer, i.e., you.  After 11 years as an educator, I can honestly tell you that it can not be run as a business and fulfill the expectations of the public.  It is messy, sometimes slow and addresses such a myriad of issues it is unfathomable.

Luckily, we still have a large public commitment to public schools in Texas that charters have not made very much headway and their performance has been really spotty.  School budgets are tight, just as all governments budges are, so the future will be really interesting as it is the majority of the public expenditure by the state.  More and more expenses are just being handed down to the districts and the state wonders why things are getting missed. 

Oh,  and anyone outside of Texas that wonder about teacher's unions?  Organizing Ppublic protest and some lobbying are all that that they can do.  Texas is a right to work state, no strikes or collective bargaining here.  So, want to see an independent minded states failing in education and looking for solutions?  Look no further than Texas.