Stand up for Alabama : Governor George Wallace / Jeff Frederick.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Frederick, Jeff, 1963-

Series:

Modern South

The modern South

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Wallace, George C. (George Corley), 1919-1998.

Wallace, George C.

Wallace, George C. (George Corley), 1919-1998--Political and social views.

Wallace, George C. (George Corley), 1919-1998--Influence.

Governors--Alabama--Biography.

Governors.

Political culture.

History.

Political and social views.

Alabama.

Alabama--Politics and government--1951-.

Politics and government.

Political culture--Alabama--History--20th century.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xiv, 489 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

Tuscaloosa : University of Alabama Press, [2007]

Summary:

Whereas other studies have focused on George Wallace's career as a national figure, Stand Up for Alabama provides a detailed, comprehensive, and analytical study of Wallace's political life that emphasizes his activities and their impact within the state of Alabama. Jeff Frederick answers two fundamental questions: What was George Wallace's impact on the state of Alabama? Why did Alabamians continue to embrace him over a twenty-five year period? Using a variety of sources to document the state's performance in areas including mental health, education, conservation, prisons, and industrial development, Frederick answers question number one. He cites comparisons between Alabama and both peer states in the South and national averages. Wallace's policies improved the state, but only in relation to Alabama's past, not in relation to peer states in the region or national averages. As a result, energy was expended but little progress was made. To answer the second question, Frederick uses the words of Alabamians themselves through oral history, correspondence, letters to the editor, and other sources. Alabamians, white and eventually black, supported Wallace because race was but one of his appeals. Stand Up for Alabama shows that Wallace connected to Alabamians at a gut level, reminding them of their history and memory, championing their causes on the stump, and soothing their concerns about their place in the region and the nation. Jeff Frederick examines the development of policy during the Wallace administrations and documents relationships with his constituents in ways that go beyond racial politics. He also analyzes the connections between Wallace's career and Alabamians' understanding of their history, sense of morality, and class system. "Stand up for Alabama" was the governor's campaign slogan.

Contents:

Shadows and light

Reconstruction redux, 1963

Sins of omission, sins of commission, 1964

Checks and balances, 1965

Means to an end, 1966

Governor, two governors, or no governor, 1967-1968

Crossroads, 1968-1970

Turning point, 1970-1972

A new reality, 1972-1974

Stuck in neutral, 1974-1978

The last campaign, 1982-1987

Appendix : people interviewed.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [409]-474) and index.

ISBN:

9780817315740

0817315748

OCLC:

85692854

Online:

Publisher description

Contributor biographical information