African American History in Asheville

The literature on African Americans in Appalachia remains pretty small. Today, WUNC's "The State of Things" hosted Darin Waters, a Ph.D. candidate at UNC who is writing about this long-neglected aspect of Appalachian and North Carolina history. This broadcast is worth your time.

Apparently, John Wilkes Booth's Daddy Was Not an Andrew Johnson Fan

Editors of the Andrew Johnson Papers at the University of Tennessee have authenticated a letter from Julius Brutus Booth, father of actor, assassin, and drunkard John Wilkes Booth, in which Booth the Elder tells the president to pardon two men convicted of piracy or "I will cut your throat whilst you are sleeping." For some reason, I hear Hank Jr.'s "Family Tradition" playing in my head.

Teaching History and Veterans

Recently, one of my friends emailed me for some advice on teaching history in classes with students who are veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. In the interest of full disclosure, I am an officer in the US Army Reserve and served in Iraq during 2006-2007. I also teach American history and chair a history department at a comprehensive state university.

It's a really good question. The influx of veterans on campus is a tough issue and one for which American campuses are not prepared. This issue is getting more attention of late, and the American Council on Education has a list of helpful policy suggestions to aid campuses in preparing for student veterans. After World War II, being a veteran on campus was really nothing special given the number of people who served during the war. Huge segments of student bodies, flooding campus to take advantage of the GI Bill, could serve as ready-made support groups, even if that language didn’t exist at the time. During Vietnam, most soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines survived a year in combat and came home. Like veterans before them, they brought the war with them to college. But the environment which greeted them was different than earlier generations. Campuses were alive with protests against their war and the war infused the politics of the day. Today, is a little different, and in some ways I think the issues faced by vets are more pronounced. We have vets returning to school who have served 2-3 or more years in combat, not just in the military. And campuses, at least for the most part, are likely to be more ambivalent or apathetic about the wars these men and women fought than during Vietnam. Protests don't rock American campuses and students, like many Americans, seem to forget we are fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Faculty remained concerned about the wars and the policies behind them, but their voices are too often cries in the wilderness. A fresh slate of GI Bill benefits – generous and long-overdue – will bring more veterans to college and this new influx of veterans will bring a whole treasure trove of issues for professors and campuses generally.

I've thought a bit about this, and I have some thoughts on how to approach student veterans in the college history classroom.

1. Veterans have much in common with other students and you should treat them as such. They are young, like to party, listen to music, and have lofty goals and aspirations. The relationship between teachers and vets, though, is highly individual. Most of us in higher education have taught veterans, but didn't know it at the time. Some will self-identify, but others will not. Vets have a great deal to contribute to our classrooms and most, me included, come with a good bit of baggage. But the also share much in common with other students.

2. Don't change the way you teach or the subjects you cover. It's intellectually dishonest, and students need to be exposed to different points of view. US military involvement around the world in the twentieth century is not a march to glory. That might be hard for vets to hear sometimes, but they needs to learn about history, good and bad. Likely, though, the vet will be more receptive to different points of view than many in the academy, but this can vary widely. It has been my experience that recently returned vets are much more willing to entertain divergent views than some faculty and many students. Some vets, however, will remain close-minded. While not altering the way you teach, you might consider being sensitive to how you approach certain topics. In a discussion, you might differentiate between the soldier experience in, say, Vietnam, and the policies behind the war. You might actually get the vets to come out of their shells and the whole class might benefit.

3. The entire span of American history does not lead us directly to the Iraq War. Don't try to make it seem so. That's wrong historically and may serve to alienate the vets in class. If you do discuss issues that pertain to Iraq or Afghanistan, fine. You should. Just understand that vets will filter what you say through the lens of their experience.

4. If you pose a question in class and a vet answers, let them talk from their experience. Listen without being judgmental. It can be cathartic for student veterans and educational for the class, but hold them to the same standards as other students. If it's not relevant, move on as you would with any contribution that strays from the topic. Ask about the conclusions they draw, but don't challenge the validity of their experience or their memories. I would also not try to target a student veteran as the representative of some specific group or opinion. You wouldn’t ask an African American student to speak for the black community.

5. Don't try to psychoanalyze the vet, but if the vet manifests behaviors (not opinions) in class that make you think they need help coping with their experiences, refer them to counseling through whatever confidential mechanism your campus has for such matters. Conservative opinions or strong opinions about our current wars don't necessarily mean the vet is a PTSD case. Don't tell them that they need to get help, as they'll likely just tell you to piss off. There is a Veteran's Affairs Office on most campuses. You might ask there what types of referrals are available.

6. Don't assume that all veterans are male. It might shock the professoriate, but some of the women in your classes have served in combat and their experiences cover a wide spectrum. They are also the most ignored segment of the veteran population. That’s unfortunate and sad, but true.

7. Understand that vets often come with life experiences and a level of maturity that make them different than the average 21-year old. They will likely be impatient with campus bureaucracy and might point put when policies lack common sense. Try to be patient and help them out if you can.

These men and women have a great deal to offer our classrooms and our society. Don’t let them slip through the cracks.

Lincoln and Obama

The Presidential campaign and the inauguration were alive with reference to the Lincoln legacy. The train trip retracing Lincoln's journey to Washington, the rhetorical references, and the constant comparison in the press between Lincoln and Obama. In the days leading up to the election, the First Family even made a nighttime visit to the Lincoln Memorial, an act that seemed to solidify the link between the two men from Illinois. In the New York Times, Henry Louis Gates and John Stauffer offer an interesting op-ed speculating on what Lincoln might think about a black president. Interesting and thought-provoking.

The NCAA proves once again...

That it is practically useless at regulating college sports. Funny thing is, that's what it's supposed to do. Now, seventh graders can be legally contacted by college basketball coaches. This august body decided to take action because college coaches were conducting middle school camps and participating in developmental leagues, and scouting players all the while, and the organization was powerless to stop them because these activities fell outside current rules. Now these players are officially prospects, which means their contact with coaches can be regulated. Yeah, right. Why not just say that no college coach can have any contact with any player before high school under any circumstance? Period. Let them be kids. It seem to me that this change will make AAU leagues and private camps more of of a recruiting nightmare then they already are.

Maybe I'm being a bit hasty. My son is halfway through second grade. Maybe I need to develop a five year plan so my dreams of retiring to a beach house can be realized? Sorry, I have to go run some rebounding drills...Where my whistle?

Will the Humanities Survive?

Although I am not exactly a fan of Stanley Fish, his recent blog post on the future of the humanities in higher education does ring true. The increasingly for-profit mindset of higher education threatens to strip the arts, literature, philosophy, history, and allied fields (such as political science) from curriculums at institutions across the nation though under-funding, under-staffing, and a failure to understand what these field provide both students and society at large. Perhaps we practitioners of these fields should do a better job showing why critical thinking, reasoning skills, and cultural literacy remain important, and I would say essential, to society. But we better do so quickly.

The Culmination of the Dream?

In a piece in Newsweek, historian David Garrow notes that, in the rush to make President Obama's inauguration the fulfillment of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream, the new administration and the media ignore that King moved well beyond voting rights in his quest for equality. Will we see anyone beat the drum for full social and economic justice? That's a much harder dream to realize, something King knew all too well.

An Anniversary of a Forgotten Amendment

In the lead-up to President Obama's historic inauguration, the media has plumbed the depths of civil rights movement history to point out how far America has come in the quest for racial equality. The president retraced Lincoln's train route on his way to the capital and Rev. Joseph Lowry took the podium after the inaugural address and preached a sermon of a benediction, as only an old Civil Rights preacher can, about how far we have come and how far we have to go in the quest for equality. ABC News even unearthed an old BBC interview with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. predicting the election of an African American president. The ghosts of the civil rights movement were certainly felt from the election to the inauguration.

But, an anniversary seems to have been missed as the media and the new administration strummed the mystic chords of memory. On January 23, 1964, the 24th Amendment gained ratification. Most Americans probably can't name six of the top ten amendments, so it's easy to understand why one so far down the list has escaped attention. The 24th Amendment outlawed the poll tax, an institution designed in the wake of Reconstruction to strip the right to vote away from African American men in the South. Now, you might say, the 15th Amendment gave African American men the right to vote. Right you are, but there are rights and then there are rights. After Reconstruction, southern states began to enact voting restrictions as soon as federal authorities turned their attentions elsewhere.The tax, however minimal it may have been, created an artificial barrier between the citizen and his right to vote. The poll tax, as part of a package of nasty and ingenious state voting requirements, effectively ended African American voter participation in the South until the 1960s. But the 24th Amendment ended the practice, and Congress soon followed with the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, both of which sought to extend political and social equality to every American, Nevertheless, the 24th Amendment remains something of a forgotten landmark of the civil rights movement. So 45 years (minus three days) after it became unconstitutional to use a tax to limit voting rights, our first African American president takes office. Powerful stuff. We all know that for President Obama, the hard stuff comes after the band packs up at the inaugural ball. But at a time of political transition, it is right and proper to pause and reflect.

How far have we come? All or part of eighteen states are still federally supervised under the Voting Rights Act so as to protect the rights of individual voters. In the last few years, Congress has considered getting out of the voter protection business, but President Bush signed a 25-year extension of the Act in 2006. Nothing is more fundamental to a democracy than the free exercise of voting rights. Hopefully, President Obama and his allies in Congress will make it their business to ensure that our American freedoms continue to be freely exercised. The anniversary of the 24th Amendment occurring the same week as President Obama goes to Washington reminds us that our rights are only as good as the willingness of leaders to guarantee them. And, that bad things can happen when our leaders turn a blind eye to the protection of every American's civil rights.

Saving the Smokies

Yesterday, US District Court Judge Lacy Thornburg ordered the Tennessee Valley Authority to begin installing new pollution control technology on coal-fired power plants in east Tennessee and north Alabama in order to improve air quality in the North Carolina mountains. Now, I've lived here most of my life and I'm not the only one who has noticed that the Great Smokies are smokier than the mountains of my childhood. TVA has until 2013 to fully comply. Let's hope this is a step in the right direction to preserve the mountain landscape for future generations.

Appalachian Sludge

Last month at a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) power plant near Kingston, Tennessee, a coal ash holding pond ruptured, sending a cascade of very nasty stuff into the valley below. The coal ash, which contains arsenic, various heavy metals, and other contaminates, has destroyed homes and contaminated water supplies. Long term effects remain unknown. Residents are fearful about more than losing their homes in these bad economic times. They fear for their health and the health of their children. Check out Duke's Institute for Southern Studies, which has provided some of the best coverage I have read concerning this incident and the social, political, and economic issues it raises. Also check out coverage by United Mountain Defense.

The South's environment, especially in the southern mountains, is threatened by overdevelopment, extractive industries, air pollution, overstressed aquifers, hazardous waste, and countless other environmental time bombs. This issue should have a prominent place on the political agenda of leaders at the local, state, and national level. But despite hang-wringing when something like this happens, there is little real effort to address what is happening on the southern landscape. Henry Grady has many twenty-first century kindred spirits who see economic development at all costs to be the region's driving force. What are those costs? The people in Roane County, TN know them all too well.

BCS Predictions - You Heard it Here First

1. People, me included, will continue to hate the BCS with great gusto. I suggest college football fans take the BCS to the World Court of Justice and demand some type of playoff.

2. Auburn will not win the BCS National Championship.

3. Florida 42, Oklahoma 28.

Will Obama's Stimulus Invest in our Intellectual Infrastructure?

Debate continues over what should be stimulated in President-elect Obama's economic stimulus package while the nation notes the passing of Rhode Island Senator Claiborne Pell, the architect one of the most important federal student aid programs. We have read about bail-out for banks, investment houses, and other institutions, but it seems to me that it might be wise to invest in America's intellectual infrastructure. The recently enhanced GI Bill will allow veterans to tap into their promise at institutions of higher learning across the country. What about other Americans? An updated, enhanced, and broad-based student aid program would allow Americans to train for the jobs of tomorrow as well as prepare the nation to better face the economic, social, and political challenges which confront us. Roads, bridges, and other infrastructure are important, and I think we know that improving them is a worthy cause. At a time when America need to prepare for the economy of the future, and at a time when college costs are keeping countless students from achieving their potential, perhaps the new administration would do well to consider investing in our intellectual infrastructure as well.

An Addendum, 7 January 2009: After I posted this, I discovered that the Obama tranisition website has a message board asking for input on keeping college affordable. Thanks to Insidehighered.com.

Obama's Southern Strategy?

Today we learn that President-elect Barack Obama will appoint Virginia Governor Tom Kaine to head the Democratic National Committee. You may remember that last fall some floated Kaine's name as a potential Vice-Presidential nominee. Kaine has good relations with Republicans in Virginia and is seen as a rising southern star in Democratic circles. Is this the beginning of a southern strategy by the new President? That remains to be seen, but the case of North Carolina, Virginia, and Florida indicate that some states in the South are legitimately in play for the first time since Jimmy Carter. Is Kaine's nomination a sign that Democratics are going to make a real effort to gain a stronger foothold in the South? Professor Jim Cobb, a noted southern historian, has offered some interesting analysis about what happened to the Republicans when they "gave their hearts to Dixie." Will two-party politics return to the South? We'll wait and see.

A Russian Take on Regionalism

Have you heard that Russian intelligence analysts now predict that the United States will soon break up into six different regions? Igor Panarin, an KGB-trained analyst in the Kremlin, believes that we're are on the way out. California will go its own way, which is not exactly news, while the old Confederacy will split. South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia will join the mid-Atlantic states and New England in seceding, not to form their own government this time, but to join the European Union. The lower South, Florida, Texas, and the Southwest will unite with Mexico. It is good to see that Russian intelligence works just about as well as our own. Save your Euros, ya'll.