Alabama in the Twentieth Century (Modern South) [Hardcover]

Professor Wayne Flynt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 10, 2004 | Series: Modern South

An authoritative popular history that places the state in regional and national context.

Alabama is a state full of contrasts. On the one hand, it has elected the lowest number of women to the state legislature of any state in the union; yet according to historians it produced two of the ten most important American women of the 20th century—Helen Keller and Rosa Parks. Its people are fanatically devoted to conservative religious values; yet they openly idolize tarnished football programs as the source of their heroes. Citizens who are puzzled by Alabama's maddening resistance to change or its incredibly strong sense of tradition and community will find important clues and new understanding within these pages.

Written by passionate Alabamian and accomplished historian Wayne Flynt, Alabama in the Twentieth Century offers supporting arguments for both detractors and admirers of the state. A native son who has lived, loved, taught, debated, and grieved within the state for 60 of the 100 years described, the author does not flinch from pointing out Alabama's failures, such as the woeful yoke of a 1901 state constitution, the oldest one in the nation; neither is he restrained in calling attention to the state's triumphs against great odds, such as its phenomenal number of military heroes and gifted athletes, its dazzling array of writers, folk artists, and musicians, or its haunting physical beauty despite decades of abuse.

Chapters are organized by topic—politics, the economy, education, African Americans, women, the military, sport, religion, literature, art, journalism—rather than chronologically, so the reader can digest the whole sweep of the century on a particular subject. Flynt’s writing style is engaging, descriptive, free of clutter, yet based on sound scholarship. This book offers teachers and readers alike the vast range and complexity of Alabama's triumphs and low points in a defining century.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Wayne Flynt is a marvelous writer and story teller with exceptional powers of discernment and a good-natured ability to interpret fairly and critically. This is quite possibly the single most important book on Alabama history."--Jonathan Bass, author of Blessed Are the Peacemakers: Martin Luther King Jr., Eight White Religious Leaders, and the Letter from the Birmingham Jail

"Wayne Flynt's insight into the people of Alabama, past and present, is unmatched. Anytime I see his byline on an op-ed piece in a newspaper I read it because I know my own insight will be sharpened. He reminds me of a stern but devoted parent who doesn't hesitate to apply tough love when it's necessary. He is a historian of the first rank, but he's also a regular guy with that most uncommon of traits, namely, common sense. Alabama in the Twentieth Century will enlighten and reward anyone who reads it and reflects on its message."--Clyde Bolton, author of Nancy Swimmer, A Story of the Cherokee Nation and retired sports columnist

From the Inside Flap

Written by passionate Alabamian and accomplished historian Wayne Flynt, Alabama in the Twentieth Century offers supporting arguments for both detractors and admirers of the state. A native son who has lived, loved, taught, debated, and grieved within the state for 60 of the 100 years described, the author does not flinch from pointing out Alabama's failures, such as the woeful yoke of a 1901 state constitution, the oldest one in the nation; neither is he restrained in calling attention to the state's triumphs against great odds, such as its phenomenal number of military heroes and gifted athletes, its dazzling array of writers, folk artists, and musicians, or its haunting physical beauty despite decades of abuse. Chapters are organized by topic--politics, the economy, education, African Americans, women, the military, sport, religion, literature, art, journalism--rather than chronologically, so the reader can digest the whole sweep of the century on a particular subject. Flynt's writing style is engaging, descriptive, free of clutter, yet based on sound scholarship. This book offers teachers and readers alike the vast range and complexity of Alabama's triumphs and low points in a defining century.

Wayne Flynt is Distinguished University Professor of History at Auburn University and author or coauthor of 11 books, including Alabama Baptists: Southern Baptists in the Heart of Dixie, Poor But Proud: Alabama's Poor Whites, Alabama: The History of a Deep South State, and Taking Christianity to China: Alabama Missionaries in the Middle Kingdom, 1850-1950. He has been recognized by numerous awards and honors, including the Lillian Smith Award for nonfiction, the Clarence Cason Nonfiction Award, the James F. Sulzby Jr. Book Award (twice), and the Alabama Library Association Award for nonfiction (twice).

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 624 pages
• Publisher: University Alabama Press; 1 edition (October 10, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081731430X
• ISBN-13: 978-0817314309
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,938,875 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A sober look at a dysfunctional state, October 24, 2004

By 

Peter G. Eipers (Helena, AL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Alabama in the Twentieth Century (Modern South) (Hardcover)

Dr Flynt gives us a comprehensive view of the multitude of problems that face the state of Alabama, most of which stem, according to Flynt, from the state's atrocious 1901 Constitution. From powerful land barons, to racial inequality, to a regressive tax structure, to an incompetent and largely ineffective state legislature, to a simpering, craven state Supreme Court, the state Constitution lies at the root of nearly all of the ills that hamper Alabama's efforts toward modernization. Readers of this fine book will be left in wonderment, as if witnessing a dog that speaks poorly, not that the state functions well, but that it functions at all.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful, readbale history, December 22, 2005

By 

George H. Mcallister "George McAllister" (Montgomery, AL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Alabama in the Twentieth Century (Modern South) (Hardcover)

This is a very fine overview of Alabama in the 20th century. Organized by topic rather than chronologically, it begins with the state's famously terrible 1901 constitution and touches on such diverse issues as education, women, sports, and religion. Flynt is readable throughout, never falling into an excessively academic tone.

Indeed, I do wish that he would sometimes be a bit more academic. Despite its heft, this book is just an overview. If you want the smaller details you'll have to get them elsewhere; fortunately, the book has good bibliography. Unfortunately, the index is not entirely thorough.

Ultimately, though, this book is a wonderful introduction to Alabama history in the 20th century. I recommend it highly.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A thorough, frank and fair account, November 20, 2006

By 

Jason Cooper (Birmingham, AL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Alabama in the Twentieth Century (Modern South) (Hardcover)

Professor Emeritus of History at Auburn University, Flynt's eleventh book marks the pinnacle of a career studying Alabama and Southern history. Having spent most of his adult life in the state, Flynt is "a native son who has lived, loved, taught, debated, and grieved within the state for 60 of the 100 years described."

The author is frank and forthcoming with his criticisms of the state, starting appropriately with the tragedy of the 1901 Constitution, a document written by Bourbon Democrats to extend their power and influence while disenfranchising most poor whites and nearly all blacks. The author believes that the injustice of this parchment continues to cast a pall on the state, and he provides plenty of examples of a culture stunted and a people denied to convince the reader of this fact.

Flynt examines the body politic with his chapter "Every Man for Himself: Politics, Alabama Style." The author takes the state's anemic tax levels to task, also making the case that the burden falls heaviest on those who can least afford it. Like fellow academic Harvey Jackson, he is critical of a state that accepts low taxes, even though the result is a state government that can provide little for its people.

The professor writes chapters dedicated to education, as well as to women and African-Americans. Particularly in the latter case, Flynt eloquently describes a group that, in light of its smaller numbers, has made a contribution disproportional to the state's success. Sadly, it is a people that have all too often received the least benefit from it.

But lest critics suggest that Flynt is a man who doesn't love his native state, the author also gives credit where it is due, whether it is the innovation of engineers in Hunstville contributing to the nation's space program or its many famous educators, athletes and entertainers. Dozens of pages are dedicated to figures such education pioneer Julia Tutwiler, baseball slugger Hank Aaron, singer Nat King Cole and U.S. Supreme Court justice Hugo Black, who all once called Alabama home. For all of the challenges they faced, it is clear that Alabama has produced many accomplished and gifted individuals.

At over 600 pages this is not a book for the casual reader, but it is highly recommended for those who want to delve deeper into the recent history of the nation's 22nd state.