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Tennessee

Some historical context on the Jason Aldean controversy

John Fea   |  July 21, 2023

Here is historian Nicole Hemmer at CNN: It was mid-November 1927 when, at a Tennessee courthouse wrapped in patriotic decor to celebrate Armistice Day, a White mob seized a Black teenager named Henry Choate and hanged him from the building’s balcony. The […]

The Author’s Corner with Maury Nicely

Rachel Petroziello   |  May 31, 2023

Maury Nicely is a lawyer specializing in employment litigation, labor law, and general business litigation at Evans Harrison Hackett, PLLC. This interview is based on his new book, Forging a New South: The Life of General John T. Wilder (University […]

Justin Jones and Justin Pearson in historical context

John Fea   |  April 25, 2023

Over at The Washington Post, historians Ansley Quiros and Anthony Siracusa connect the recent removal of Justin Jones and Justin Pearson from the Tennessee legislature to the early civil rights movement in Nashville. Here is a taste of their piece: […]

What is going on in Nashville? (And why didn’t I know Pat Sajak was the chair of the Hillsdale College Board of Trustees?)

John Fea   |  October 24, 2022

Over at Religion News Service, writer David Dark introduces us to the Nashville “Prayer Trade.” Here are some of the things I learned (or was reminded of) from the piece: Michael W. Smith, Ricky Skaggs, and Steven Curtis Chapman were […]

What is going at Hillsdale College and the state of Tennessee’s education system?

John Fea   |  March 6, 2022

We wrote about Tennessee governor Bill Lee’s relationship with Hillsdale last month. We have also offered a few posts reviewing the 1776 Commission, a Trump-supported group tasked with creating a patriotic-oriented curriculum. Hillsdale president Larry Arnn led the commission and […]

How Hillsdale College, the “champion of American exceptionalism,” is shaping civics education in Tennessee

John Fea   |  February 8, 2022

In November 2020, then president Donald Trump announced his 1776 Commission, a commission charged with delivering a conservative alternative to The New York Times 1619 Project. There were no American historians on the commission, but there was plenty of room […]

The “Monsters of Maple Street” were out last night in Franklin, Tennessee, one of the “top 10 places to live in America.”

John Fea   |  August 11, 2021

Franklin, Tennessee has the highest per-capita income in the entire state. The median income is $75,871. The city is located about 20 miles south of Nashville. According to Wikipedia, it is the home of NFL quarterback C.J. Beathard, governor Bill […]

I went shopping this weekend. Why were so many people wearing masks?

John Fea   |  June 7, 2021

I went shopping with my family on Saturday. My daughter needed to buy some things for her new apartment so we jumped in the car and headed east on the Pennsylvania turnpike. We started at IKEA in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania and […]