New and anxious

Introduce Yourself
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Hi All,
My name is Joshua and I thought I would introduce myself. I am a disabled vet, just finished my MA in History. I grew up in a WBC like fundamentalist home and disagree with that upbringing and I have branched out since. Unfortunately, I am currently stuck in upstate NY (ft drum area). I look forward to being a part of (I hope) some lively discussions. Thanks

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Hi All, My name is Joshua and I thought I would introduce myself. I am a disabled vet, just finished my MA in History. I grew up in a WBC like fundamentalist home and disagree with that upbringing and I have branched out since. Unfortunately, I am currently stuck in upstate NY (ft drum area). I look forward to being a part of (I hope) some lively discussions. Thanks
Hey JB, welcome to the forum and I'm looking forward to your posts. Glad to hear you finished your masters in History! what's your emphasis, World, American or both? Fort Drum huh? Home of the 10th Mountain. My doc is a former captain in the 10th. Anyway, join in; we have some lively discussions on religion here. Cap't Jack
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Welcome JB. I’ve always envied history majors since that was one of the few areas that I was quite incompetent in in college. :slight_smile:
Looking forward to your participation.
Occam

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Hi All, My name is Joshua and I thought I would introduce myself. I am a disabled vet, just finished my MA in History. I grew up in a WBC like fundamentalist home and disagree with that upbringing and I have branched out since. Unfortunately, I am currently stuck in upstate NY (ft drum area). I look forward to being a part of (I hope) some lively discussions. Thanks
Welcome aboard. I'm sure you'll have some unique viewpoints. Thank you for the sacrifice you've made.
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Good to have a history expert on these forums. Please stick around and participate. Welcome aboard.

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Hi Josh and welcome!
I too love history.
Which particular eras did you focus on in college?

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Hi All, My name is Joshua and I thought I would introduce myself. I am a disabled vet, just finished my MA in History. I grew up in a WBC like fundamentalist home and disagree with that upbringing and I have branched out since. Unfortunately, I am currently stuck in upstate NY (ft drum area). I look forward to being a part of (I hope) some lively discussions. Thanks
Hey JB, welcome to the forum and I'm looking forward to your posts. Glad to hear you finished your masters in History! what's your emphasis, World, American or both? Fort Drum huh? Home of the 10th Mountain. My doc is a former captain in the 10th. Anyway, join in; we have some lively discussions on religion here. Cap't Jack
Cap't Jack, Yeah Ft. drum, it isn't a bad area but long drives to go many places and too cold! I have focused on American history, particularly Social and Cultural history in Modern (1900-present) America. Look forward to getting into discussions and I am considering starting my own blog. Thanks for the warm welcome!
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Thanks everyone for the encouraging welcome and I look forward to speaking with you all.
-JB
p.s. if anyone knows of any job positions let me know, looking for a job that I can help people.

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Yeah Ft. drum, it isn’t a bad area but long drives to go many places and too cold! I have focused on American history, particularly Social and Cultural history in Modern (1900-present) America. Look forward to getting into discussions and I am considering starting my own blog. Thanks for the warm welcome!
Ah, from McKinley to Obama with two World Wars in between, not to mention the boom/bust of the 20's 30's! There's a lot to discuss in the last hundred years. did you write a thesis, and if so what was your topic? I have a masters in History and a social studies equiv with an emphasis on the Victorian Era. Have you done much reading on union history and the Civil Rights movement? good to have a fellow historian on the forum! Let me know more about your blog. Cap't Jack
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Cap’t Jack,
Yes I wrote a thesis but I am still not happy with it because I rushed everything. Finished my BA in just under 3 years and my MA 18 months after. But I wrote it about the social impact of the Braves moving to Atlanta. Baseball is my mental escape. There is a lot that happened in the last 100 years. I really focus on the first 40 years (1880-1940) really. I found that the social impacts of new technology really starts to manifest itself in American culture. But recently I have been looking into the 1960s counter culture and the role of psychedelics in free thought. And, due to my background (I once helped ‘street preach’ for a fundamental church) the role of religion in society and how it is evolving. Honestly if I find something interesting I try to learn as much as I can, why just because I can.
-JB
So hard to find open minded people around here

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That sounds like an interesting thesis! America’s game had a great impact on the country and still does. Have you seen the Ken Burns series? The 60’s era is a decade I know about personally and ironically that’s when I began to loose my religious beliefs. I was briefly involved in the counter culture on campus and became politically active then. Ever read David Halberstam’s Book on the 60’s? He pretty much sums up the decade. It was an exciting time and as you say lots of societal changes. BTW, do you plan to go for your PhD? This would make a good topic.
Cap’t Jack

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Cap't Jack, Yes I wrote a thesis but I am still not happy with it because I rushed everything. Finished my BA in just under 3 years and my MA 18 months after. But I wrote it about the social impact of the Braves moving to Atlanta. Baseball is my mental escape. There is a lot that happened in the last 100 years. I really focus on the first 40 years (1880-1940) really. I found that the social impacts of new technology really starts to manifest itself in American culture. But recently I have been looking into the 1960s counter culture and the role of psychedelics in free thought. And, due to my background (I once helped 'street preach' for a fundamental church) the role of religion in society and how it is evolving. Honestly if I find something interesting I try to learn as much as I can, why just because I can. -JB So hard to find open minded people around here
Welcome Josh. I have a great interest in history although my degree's not in that area. i particularly like cultural history. I am also a Viet Nam Vet and came back and protested the war. Spent 25 years reading military history trying to figure out how my (at that time :-S ) young butt ended up fighting a bunch of rice farmers on their own land. Now I read much general world history particularly the uses and cultural impact of religions. (Religion as social, organization not theology). Looking forward to your posts.