Category: Virginia history
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“Retained and Contextualized” at VMI
by Donald Smith The Stonewall-Jackson-statue-at-VMI controversy is one of many, both in Virginia and across the country, where communities and their elected/appointed representatives have grappled with tough questions: how do we honor past heroes in modern times? Do we continue to honor them at all? When do the feelings of a minority of a community…
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The Next Memorial or the Next Boondoggle?
by Jon Baliles The Defenders for Freedom, Justice, and Equality organization is run by Ana Edwards and Phil Wilayto and has been publishing quarterly in Richmond since 2005. This summer’s edition from last week is an eye-opener and sure to cause some needed and welcome discussion. The Defenders published two articles about what is and…
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Sorry Tarheels, Virginia Invented Barbecue
by Jon Baliles Yes, Virginia, it us true, we invented barbecue. Last week my podcast library downloaded the latest episode of Eat It, Virginia, a podcast hosted by Wise and Martin as they welcomed Deb Freeman, a local Richmond rockstar who hosts her own podcast called Setting the Table. Her new-ish series focuses on the…
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Will W&L Wall Off Historic Site?
by Scott Dreyer Virginia, known as “The Cradle of Presidents,” has held an important and honored place in American history. For example, due to British explorers founding Jamestown along the James River in 1607, the Old Dominion became the birthplace of English-speaking America. Signage from the National Park Service explains that, owing to Richmond serving…
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Lee, Jackson, the Right of Rebellion, and Hanging Cromwell’s Corpse
by Jock Yellott As an August vacation from current events, let’s explore Virginia’s Right of Rebellion — and the question of Confederate treason. It’s in our state constitution Bill of Rights: “Whenever any government shall be found inadequate or contrary to [the benefit, protection, and security of the people] a majority of the community hath…
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Want a Woke Version of UVa History? Go on a Student-Guided Tour
by James A. Bacon In June 2022 a University of Virginia alumnus took his college-bound daughter to visit Mr. Jefferson’s university. UVa was one of the young woman’s two top choices, and she looked forward to a tour of the Lawn and the Grounds. But disillusion set in quickly. At the orientation, a senior assistant…
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Marginalizing Another Dissident
by James A. Bacon The Washington Post recently published a story about a gubernatorial appointment to one of Virginia’s more obscure commissions: the state Board of Historic Resources, which oversees state historic-site designations. The article focused on Governor Glenn Youngkin’s selection of Ann McLean, who believes that Virginia’s heritage is “under attack,” and has condemned…
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Jefferson Fought Slavery Throughout His Life
by Robert F. Turner Thomas Jefferson famously declared that “all men are created equal,” yet he owned hundreds of human beings during his lifetime. Does he deserve our respect? Slavery was obviously a heinous institution and Thomas Jefferson did own slaves. That has led some very decent people to denounce him as a hypocrite and…
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Jefferson and Madison Legacies Debated in Library Hearing
by Ann McLean From the first comment of “Don’t burn our past!” a June 27th public hearing to discuss striking the names of the two Founding Fathers from the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library turned into verbal fireworks. Two camps quickly formed. The first five speakers defended Mr. Jefferson, who most realize needs no defense given his…
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Your Alumni Association Dollars at Work
by James A. Bacon Above is an ad that The Jefferson Council submitted to run in the University of Virginia Alumni Society publication, Virginia. Before I tell you the fate that befell this ad, please take a moment to read it, and then ask yourself: is there anything political about it? Is there anything contentious…
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A New Classic on Thomas Jefferson and Public Education in Virginia
by James C. Sherlock On April 29, 1962, President John F. Kennedy addressed a group of Nobel Prize winners at a dinner in their honor at The White House. Kennedy, raised patrician, classically educated and fired in war and politics graciously toasted another such man. I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent,…
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No Rest Even for the Dead
The American culture wars have moved way beyond the removal of statues of prominent Confederate statues from visible public places like Richmond’s Monument Avenue or any number of county courthouses. The wars have morphed into a cultural cleansing designed to obliterate symbols and traditions that have great meaning to a large segment of the population.…
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The Continuing Transformation of Virginia Politics
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Toscano, David. Bellwether: Virginia’s Political Transformation, 2006-2020. Lanham: Hamilton Books, 2022 In this book, David Toscano, whose prior work was Fighting Political Gridlock: How States Shape Our Nation and Our Lives (2021), turns his focus on Virginia. The author is a former Democratic member of the Virginia House of Delegates (2006-2020) from…
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Once Upon a Time, Schools Didn’t Need Fancy Buildings, Big Bureaucracies and Trauma Counselors to Teach
by James A. Bacon When Gail Smith talks about growing up in 1950s-era Goochland County, she calls her time attending the Second Union Rosenwald School as “the best years of my life.” The two-room schoolhouse was lacking in what we refer to today as “amenities.” But it was supported by the local African-American community, and…
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1619–A Portentous Year. A Book Review and Summary
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Horn, James. 1619: Jamestown and the Forging of American Democracy. New York: Basic Books, 2018. Notwithstanding the title, this book is not part of the controversial 1619 Project. The author is currently the most prominent and knowledgeable scholar of early colonial Virginia. He is the president and chief officer of the Jamestown…