The American Civil War shaped the course of the country's history and its national identity. This is no less true for the state of Arkansas. Throughout the Natural State, people have paid homage and remembrance to those who fought and what was fought for in memorial celebrations and rituals. The memory of the war has been kept alive by reunions and preservationists, continuing to shape the way the War Between the States affects Arkansas and its people. Historian W. Stuart Towns expertly tells the story of Arkansas's Civil War heritage through its rituals of memorial, commemoration and celebration that continue today.

This anthology is the only collection of speeches by southerners on the major themes that have shaped the history and culture of the South in the 20th century. Selections illustrate the evolution of the South from a land of defensiveness, poverty, and segregation at the beginning of the century to a region that prides itself, justifiably, on the fact that it has overcome these conditions and has taken its place as an equal partner in eyes of the nation. Introductory comments and biographical sketches of the speakers assist the reader in putting the speeches into historical context. In the 19th century, many southerners spoke glowingly about the New South. Unfortunately, their rhetorical images were inaccurate and misleading. As the new century dawned, little in the South had changed. Demagogues, speakers who raised the race issue at every opportunity, ruled the political scene across the South and offered little hope for blacks, who were mired at the bottom of the economic and social ladder. After World War II, however, Southern blacks began to take matters into their own hands. They mobilized black support, along with some white advocates, and began to chip away at the citadels of segregation. Their campaign was aided by a small, but growing, handful of white southerners who believed that racial justice was the right thing to do. They believed that they had to take a stand for racial freedom, and they did so, often at high cost. Now, for the first time in more than 100 years, southern politicians can run for office without raising the issue of race.

The only modern collection of speeches by southerners on the themes that have shaped the history and culture of the region, this anthology, which spans eighty tumultuous years of southern history, reflects the strategies of southern orators as they attempted to defend the indefensible, as well as those few who advocated a more compassionate South. Southern leaders were judged largely by their oratorical ability and their skills in defending the southern way of life. Accordingly, they placed much emphasis on developing consummate rhetorical skills. Thus, one can read the history of the region in the speeches of its politicians, ministers, and other public figures. Beginning in 1820 with the debates over the admission of Missouri to the Union, many southerners took a defensive posture against those forces from outside the region which they saw as threats to their culture. While the rhetoric of most southern leaders was clearly defensive, one must remember that they were dealing with the difficult issues of slavery; the relationship of federal and state government; their vision of the ideal society; the coming civil war and its aftermath; and living in a defeated, desolate, war-torn region. As demagogic, defensive, and archaic as they may seem today, these speakers developed and expanded patterns of thought and rhetorical strategy that echoed throughout the region. The collective memory that they created would shape their contemporaries and affect the lives of generations to follow.

In the decades following the Civil War, white southerners throughout the region created a system of racial segregation designed to perpetuate white supremacy, guarantee white leadership, and keep black southerners in their place. For over half a century, this brutal, violent, and inhumane system penalized both races educationally, socially, and economically. This collection of speeches examines the conditions that made a Civil Rights Movement necessary, ranging from early supporters of civil rights for African Americans to defenders of segregation, as well as what enabled the movement to triumph. Towns includes many speeches by lesser-known persons, such as Fannie Lou Hamer and James M. Lawson Jr.

After World War II, as new opportunities for education, travel, and economic growth for southerners in general and black southerners in particular, a major social movement swept the region. By the mid- to late-1960s, a significant revolution in southern folkways and culture had occurred. By 1965, southern blacks had achieved first-class citizenship under the laws of the land, in spite of the oratorical tirades and the ugly violence of southern white supremacist demagogues. The rhetoric and leadership of many black grassroots activists, along with a solid cadre of white support, created an environment in which the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 finally leveled the playing field.

This anthology is the only collection of speeches by southerners on the major themes that have shaped the history and culture of the South in the 20th century. Selections illustrate the evolution of the South from a land of defensiveness, poverty, and segregation at the beginning of the century to a region that prides itself, justifiably, on the fact that it has overcome these conditions and has taken its place as an equal partner in eyes of the nation. Introductory comments and biographical sketches of the speakers assist the reader in putting the speeches into historical context. In the 19th century, many southerners spoke glowingly about the "New South." Unfortunately, their rhetorical images were inaccurate and misleading. As the new century dawned, little in the South had changed. Demagogues, speakers who raised the race issue at every opportunity, ruled the political scene across the South and offered little hope for blacks, who were mired at the bottom of the economic and social ladder. After World War II, however, Southern blacks began to take matters into their own hands. They mobilized black support, along with some white advocates, and began to chip away at the citadels of segregation. Their campaign was aided by a small, but growing, handful of white southerners who believed that racial justice was the "right thing to do." They believed that they had to take a stand for racial freedom, and they did so, often at high cost. Now, for the first time in more than 100 years, southern politicians can run for office without raising the issue of race.

The only modern collection of speeches by southerners on the themes that have shaped the history and culture of the region, this anthology, which spans eighty tumultuous years of southern history, reflects the strategies of southern orators as they attempted to defend the indefensible, as well as those few who advocated a more compassionate South. Southern leaders were judged largely by their oratorical ability and their skills in defending the southern way of life. Accordingly, they placed much emphasis on developing consummate rhetorical skills. Thus, one can read the history of the region in the speeches of its politicians, ministers, and other public figures. Beginning in 1820 with the debates over the admission of Missouri to the Union, many southerners took a defensive posture against those forces from outside the region which they saw as threats to their culture. While the rhetoric of most southern leaders was clearly defensive, one must remember that they were dealing with the difficult issues of slavery; the relationship of federal and state government; their vision of the ideal society; the coming civil war and its aftermath; and living in a defeated, desolate, war-torn region. As demagogic, defensive, and archaic as they may seem today, these speakers developed and expanded patterns of thought and rhetorical strategy that echoed throughout the region. The collective memory that they created would shape their contemporaries and affect the lives of generations to follow.