For those who miss any of the in-class lecture experience:
Remember, all of the class lectures from which the essay exams are drawn from are on my website on the world wide web.
August 17, 2022. Well, everyone except one person attended this class, which is great. We went over the class syllabus and talked about current events and the importance of the South. However, lectures for the midterm test will not begin until Friday. A student asked a good question about the required textbook, and I recommended that they buy it from our bookstore, as it is available for a reasonable price. One student said she got an electronic copy for a reasonable price, but I warned her to check to make sure that all tables and figures are readable, as they sometimes aren't for such devices.
August 19, 2022. We talked about introductory material that won't be on the test. It was the first three pages (single spaced) of the notes for Weeks 1-2. We talked about defining the South, Deep v. Rim South, and Growth vs. stagnant states. Also, we talked about the first four party systems from 1796-1932. We had a good class discussion about why Mississippi isn't growing much, such as problems with the elementary and secondary education system, not enough high skill jobs, and other matters.
August 22, 2022. At the end of the on-line notes for Weeks 1-2, I have summarized the key points that we will cover for the rest of the subject of these weeks. There are 13 key themes, each pertaining to a time period from 1932 to the present. Today, we talked about the 1932-1944, the 1948, and the 1952-1960 time periods.
August 24, 2022. We covered the 1964, 1968, and 1972 presidential elections today. Check out those three paragraphs in the notes for Weeks 1-2.
August 26, 2022. Under weeks 1-2 notes, we covered the 1976 presidential election, the 1980 presidential election, and the 1984-1988 presidential elections. Students drew parallels between current events and these past elections, so it was an interesting class discussion. The class suggested that it would be best for the Republican Party if Trump did not run for President again, and the lecturer pointed out that Republicans won all three statewide offices in Virginia last year by the GOP gubernatorial candidate talking about state issues and keeping Trump out of the state; the victorious lieutenant governor is an African American female and veteran who is conservative but has charities that help disadvantaged people; the new GOP attorney general is a Latino who has made it clear that he regards Biden as the legitimate President (and he fired an election denier staff member). On Monday, we'll finish up most of the lecture notes from Weeks 1-2.
August 29, 2022. We covered the 1992-96 presidential elections, the 2000-2004 presidential election, and the 2008-2012 presidential elections.
August 31, 2022. We talked about the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, and the South. I gave a little intro into racial relations in the South, and indicated that we will switch weeks 3 and 4 of the notes.
September 2, 2022. We covered topics not on the test today, personal accounts of racial segregation. Those topics were the culture of white supremacy, segregated universities, lynching, economic intimidation, and white violence. We briefly talked about the importance of hard long hours of work, and other topics in the Conner book. Next week we turn to a very important topic on the test.
September 7, 2022. Under Week 3, the Old South notes, we covered the first three of the 12 different ways that white Mississippians maintained their white-ruled segregationist system. They were the Mississippi Plan, the 1890 Constitution, and lynching. We'll continue talking about this subject Friday and early next week.
September 9, 2022. We covered the next five topics of the 12 different ways that white Mississippians maintained their segregationist system. Those were: racist rhetoric, white primary, Dixiecrats, newspapers publishing new voters' names, and all-white Democratic national convention delegates. Monday, we finish up this important topic.
September 12, 2022. Today we finished talking about the 12 different ways that white Mississippians maintained their segregationist system. Those were: the all white state legislature splitting the black majority Delta U.S. House district between three majority white U.S. House districts; the legislature combining black areas with white areas to create majority white multi-member legislative districts; most average white voters in the 1960s supported segregation and elected segregationist governors such as Ross Barnett and Paul Johnson; all white state boards and commissions existed, such as the College Board.
September 14, 2022. The important topic of Strom Thurmond from South Carolina can be divided into three eras. Today, we talked about the pre-1964 era, and the 1964 era when he switched parties to the Republicans.
September 16, 2022. We finished talking about Strom Thurmond by talking about his third era, the post 1971 era of constituency service. We also talked about Nikki Haley.
September 19, 2022. We finished up South Carolina by talking about Senator Tim Scott. We started talking about Georgia by covering Jimmy Carter and the two Democratic governors after him. We also talked about the book report.
September 21, 2022. We talked in depth about Zell Miller, and briefly talked about the two, 2-term Republican governors of Georgia after him.
September 23, 2022. We finished talking about Georgia by discussing recent Republican U.S. Senators, and the 2020 Senate elections. We also talked about Governor Kemp's election, and the current senate and gubernatorial campaigns.
September 26, 2022. We covered the important topic of George Wallace, the Alabama governor. We talked about his start as an economic liberal, and then his racist period.
September 28, 2022. We finished George Wallace by talking about his last period, that of a biracial economic liberalism. We briefly talked about the post-Wallace era, as Republicans gained control of both of the state's U.S. Senate seats.
September 30, 2022. We finished talking about Alabama, covering the most recent period that will not be on the test. We also talked about the Alabama book chapter in your required book. We also talked about the midterm exam, which will be Wednesday. A copy of the test is on my website, which should help you to start preparing. It is an in-class exam on Wednesday, and Monday we will have a brief study session.
October 3, 2022. We had a review session for the midterm exam, which is Wednesday, October 5. A copy of the test is on my website, which should help you to start preparing. It is an in-class exam on Wednesday.
October 5, 2022. The midterm essay exam is today.
October 7, 2022. Mississippi will not be on the final, so the next week will be more informal. Today, we talked about the old-time conservative white southern Democrats- Senator John Stennis and Congressman Sonny Montgomery, both MSU alumni; and Congressman Jamie Whitten. We also talked about some current elections, such as the Georgia governor and senate races.
October 10, 2022. We covered Senators Lott, Wicker, Cochran, and Hyde-Smith. This material and the next class' material won't be on the test.
October 12, 2022. We covered Mississippi governors from Bill Waller thru Kirk Fordice.
October 17, 2022. We talked about Mississippi governors from Musgrove up through Tate Reeves.
Octoer 19, 2022. We talked about Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards- his background, personality, graciousness. We also talked about his programs as governor, which included the open primary. We talked about his first two elections as governor. These are important topics, which we will continue on Friday.
October 21, 2022. We talked about the Louisiana gubernatorial elections from 1971 up to and including 1991. Make sure that you know which ones Edwards won, which one he withdrew from, and which one he wasn't eligible to run in. Also know the issues and candidates in each election. Also, we talked at length about the 1991 election, so make sure you know the notes on that election.
October 24, 2022. We talked about Louisiana politics after rhe Edwin Edwards administrations. See the single spaced notes on-line. We also talked about the requirements for the book report. See the syllabus.
October 26, 2022. We started talking about Texas, mentioning Democratic Senator Bentsen and Republican Senators Tower and Gramm. Especially important is that we talked about Ann Richards, the last Democratic governor, and Republican governor George Bush (his background, how he got elected, his gubernatorial programs), which are all important subjects.
October 28, 2022. We finished talking about Bush, especially talking about how amiable and bipartisan he was a governor, and how he won a landslide election. We then talked about more recent governors, and the recent Republican U.S. Senators.
October 31, 2022. We talked about North Carolina's Jesse Helms, so make sure you thoroughly study those notes. We also combined the key points about him into two major categories- his ideological conservatism, and his constituency service, personal style, experience.
November 2, 2022. We talked about North Carolina's James Hunt, a four-term Democratic governor. We divided his life and career into three categories- liberal, centrist, and conservative programs and appearances. This is another important topic, as was Jesse Helms.
November 4, 2022. We talked about material that won't be on the test- the current Democratic governor, and both of the state's Republican senators. Students are encouraged to show me their start on the book reports on their laptops, which one student did after class.
November 7, 2022. We talked about tomorrow's elections, especially the Senate races and the national campaigns by the President, Obama, and Trump. Tennessee won't be on the final, but we talked about the geography and history of the state, plus four statesman-like U.S. Senators- Estes Kefauver, Al Gore Sr., Howard Baker, and Al Gore Jr.
November 9, 2022. We talked about the midterm elections, particularly in the South. We then continued talking about Tennessee, especially the popular two term governors- Democrats Ned McWherter and Phil Bredesen, and Republican Lamar Alexander.
November 11, 2022. We finished talking about Tennessee, especially U.S. Senators Corker, Alexander, Blackburn, and Hagerty, plus Governor Lee.
November 14, 2022. We covered the important material of the three Democratic titans of Arkansas- Dale Bumpers, David Pryor, both of whom were governors and then multi-term U.S. Senators, and 12-year-governor Bill Clinton. Book reports are due next Monday.
November 16, 2022. We covered the less important material on Arkansas, which is the more recent gains by Republicans, who now control both Senate seats and the governorship. We didn't add anything to the on-line notes. Remember, your written (hard copy) book reports are due Monday!
November 18, 2022. We covered Florida today.
November 21, 2022. We covered Virginia, up until the current U.S. Senators and governors. We will finish Virginia on Monday. Students turned in their written book reports.
November 28, 2022. We finished talking about Virginia by focusing on the two current Democratic U.S. Senators, plus the current Republican governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general. I handed out two charts on Republicanism in Presidential elections and in gubernatorial electiions by state since 1970. They are the first and fifth tables in Chapter 3 of my unpublished book. I also handed back the graded book reports. Our last class is Wednesday, when I will talk about the final exam.
November 30, 2022. We reviewed for the take-home final exam. I didn't write anything on the board, just talked about some of the high points about the six Southern governors and senators that are on the final exam. The final exam is on my website, as well as instructions for completing it.