Alabama in the Twentieth Century

Alabama in the Twentieth Century, by Wayne Flynt (2004)

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 as 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 22^nd state.