Henry B. Stobbs, MFA
I am a retired United States Army Military Intelligence Corps first sergeant and a seventh-generation Texan. I first began working at Mohawk High School in 2000, and have been teaching here full-time since 2002. I hold a baccalaureate degree in liberal arts with a concentration in history from Excelsior College and a Master of Fine Arts in Writing degree from Goddard College with an additional 70+ hours of graduate study. I am licensed to teach General Social Studies 7 -12.
My love of political science and international studies began nearly 40 years ago with several early readings: John G. Stoessinger's The Might of Nations, a little book by Paul E. Sigmund titled Natural Law in Political Thought, John Locke's Second Treatise on Government, Plato's The Republic, Machiavelli's The Prince, Adam Smith's An Inquiry into the Origin and Nature of the Wealth of Nations, and Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. My thoughts on politics and government have also been informed by having worked various missions as a German and Russian linguist during the Cold War and from having witnessed first hand the political struggles of the people of Haiti. These experiences led me to love deeply the revolutionary, almost miraculous documents that are our Declaration of Independence and Constitution with its Bill of Rights.
This is my fifth iteration of Political Science 200: Liberal Democracy in America. I am as deeply committed to the course as I am to the principles of liberal democracy upon which the Founders established the foundation of our liberty. My ancestors arrived on America's shores as early as 1615. They established churches, participated in the government at many levels, and built plantations and communities. They fought in the American Revolution, the War of 1812, the War for Texan Independence, and in the War for Southern Independence / Civil War. A third great grandfather, veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto, served in the House of Representatives of the Republic of Texas, a third great grand uncle served as Speaker of the House of that same government, and a second great grand uncle was a United States Representative. Their stories are a large part of why I think the course is critically important.
My hobbies include genealogy, travel, and historical research. I am a member of the National Society of Sons of the American Revolution, the Sons of the Republic of Texas, Sons of Confederate Veterans, and San Jacinto Descendants. My wife Amber, a U.S. Army and Marine Corps veteran, and I live with eight cats in Tiffin, Ohio. We have one grown daughter and a strapping young grandson.
My love of political science and international studies began nearly 40 years ago with several early readings: John G. Stoessinger's The Might of Nations, a little book by Paul E. Sigmund titled Natural Law in Political Thought, John Locke's Second Treatise on Government, Plato's The Republic, Machiavelli's The Prince, Adam Smith's An Inquiry into the Origin and Nature of the Wealth of Nations, and Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. My thoughts on politics and government have also been informed by having worked various missions as a German and Russian linguist during the Cold War and from having witnessed first hand the political struggles of the people of Haiti. These experiences led me to love deeply the revolutionary, almost miraculous documents that are our Declaration of Independence and Constitution with its Bill of Rights.
This is my fifth iteration of Political Science 200: Liberal Democracy in America. I am as deeply committed to the course as I am to the principles of liberal democracy upon which the Founders established the foundation of our liberty. My ancestors arrived on America's shores as early as 1615. They established churches, participated in the government at many levels, and built plantations and communities. They fought in the American Revolution, the War of 1812, the War for Texan Independence, and in the War for Southern Independence / Civil War. A third great grandfather, veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto, served in the House of Representatives of the Republic of Texas, a third great grand uncle served as Speaker of the House of that same government, and a second great grand uncle was a United States Representative. Their stories are a large part of why I think the course is critically important.
My hobbies include genealogy, travel, and historical research. I am a member of the National Society of Sons of the American Revolution, the Sons of the Republic of Texas, Sons of Confederate Veterans, and San Jacinto Descendants. My wife Amber, a U.S. Army and Marine Corps veteran, and I live with eight cats in Tiffin, Ohio. We have one grown daughter and a strapping young grandson.