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This essay explores the material origins of gold coinage to argue that enslaved gold miners built the metallic foundations of America's financial system. It traces two concurrent changes in the production and use of the nation's first domestically mined specie from the 1830s to the 1850s. During America's first gold rush in the late 1820s and early 1830s, white mine owners transported thousands of enslaved miners to goldfields in northern Georgia and western North Carolina. As mines grew, the industry shifted away from the undifferentiated workforces of the early gold rush and came to rely on enslaved women who were experts in the technically-complex work of refining gold. As the means of mining shifted, so did the kind of money that gold became. In the early 1830s, the Second Bank of the United States sought southern gold, which it used to back paper money. In the midst of the Bank War, hard money advocates and Democratic partisans came believe that coins made from Southern gold held the key to a safer and more stable currency system. As a result, the federal government provided economic and technical support to the slave-labor dependent mining industry in the name of monetary reform. Using gold mine owners' account books and correspondence, the records of the US Mint, Congressional debates, newspapers, geological reports and scientific treatises, this article underscores the links between the material production of coin and abstract capital, demonstrating that the antebellum period's political debates and financial institutions all revolved around acquiring and controlling gold made by enslaved men and women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses commentaries on the presentation by Dr. Jamie Winders entitled "Re-Placing Southern Geographies: The Role of Latino Migration in Transforming the South, Its Identities and Its Study."

The article reports on the awards presented by the Honors Committee of the Southeastern Division of the Association of American Geographers. The 2007 Lifetime Achievement Awards were given to Professor Stanley D. Brunn and Professor Owen J. Furuseth. The Research Honors Award were presented to Dr. Derek H. Alderman and Dr. Albert J. Parker.

Copyright of Southeastern Geographer is the property of University of North Carolina Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article discusses the Girls'' Tomato Club Movement, organized by South Carolina schoolteacher Marie Samuella Cromer in 1910 to promote teaching girls living in the Southern States how to grow better tomatoes, as well as become better women and wives. The author also discusses the early 20th century history of agricultural youth groups; the establishment of the 4-H, the American youth program designed to foster agricultural knowledge; the establishment of state-based agricultural extensions; and Southern food.

The American South has undergone tremendous change in the past quarter century. No where is this change more apparent than on the region's political landscape. Today minority voters are participating at all levels in the South's political processes. The region has also continued its movement the Democratic to Republican parties? Have these changes received adequate attention in the political geography literature? This paper attempts to identify all articles, book chapters and books on the political geography of the South published in the part quarter century. It finds that there has been a significant increase in the rate of published work on the region's changing political landscape, and that these efforts have appeared in a wide array of outlets. The paper concludes by identifying areas in which additional work would be helpful to fully understanding the South's political landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Southeastern Geographer is the property of University of North Carolina Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Southeastern Geographer is the property of University of North Carolina Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article discusses Appalachian author James Still (1906-2001) and his life in Knott County, Kentucky from 1931 until his death. Topics discussed include his move there to help his friend Don West open a bible school, his work as a volunteer librarian at the Hindman Settlement School, his habits of recording bits of local conversation and sayings on scraps of paper, his literary career, and his enjoyment of privacy. Also included is a previously published Still poem, "Heritage," which describes his love for the area.

Copyright of Southeastern Geographer is the property of University of North Carolina Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A major theme in the study of the modern North American city is the disparity between the central city and its suburbs. This paper addresses one facet of this issue by exploring the relationship among metropolitan population growth, types of annexation legislation, growth of special districts and the health of central cities as measured by rates of population growth. We ask: does annexation policy influence central city growth? To test these linkage we employ a classic typology of state annexation laws that gauges the range of options for public involvement in the decision to annex. Data describing growth in population and in the number of special districts and municipalities within MSAs in a sample of nine southern sates are used to test three hypotheses. The states are: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia. Louisiana, Mississippi, North and South Carolina and Tennessee. Our results suggest that the more restrictive the annexation legislation, the greater the level o political fragmentation in the form of increased development of special district. On the other hand, we find that less strict annexation legislation provides more latitude for the central city growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manufacturing has been in decline throughout most of the U.S., following a pattern seen in most industrialized economies. The southeastern states were once an exception to this trajectory due to factors such as lower costs and business-friendly policies; many domestic and international firms continue to establish operations across the region. At the same time, most states in the South are experiencing an overall decrease in manufacturing employment as production is increasingly relocated offshore. This paper provides a brief examination of the manufacturing sector across the South, including employment and production trends. Many southern states still retain above-average concentrations of manufacturing. Overall employment in this sector is decreasing, yet value-added from manufacturing shows signs of increase and perhaps suggests an industrial transition, especially in many key subsectors. These potential shifts raise questions about sustainable regional economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the relationship between moon pies and the culture of the U.S. Southern States, offering several personal accounts of Southerners' early memories of eating moon pies. Topics, including the incorporation of the subject of moon pie addiction into literature, purchasing moon pies at country stores, the inventor of moon pies Ed Mitchell Jr.'s memory of coal miners' desire for moon pies to be a larger size and the Chattanooga Bakery employee Earl Mitchell's invention of moon pies in 1919, are discussed.

The article presents a sample of work from an exhibit at Duke University's Nasher Museum of Art. It reports that inspired by the work of legendary southern photographer William Eggleston at exhibition "The Democratic Forest," which highlights images of unconventional subjects or by artists from underrepresented groups.

The article talks about the Latino population in twenty first century North Carolina, presenting interviews with people who have migrated. Topics discussed include Latino migration to the U.S. South being at a higher rate than the rest of the country, and the social, political and economic changes brought to the region due to the migrations.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including ethnic identity and distinctiveness in Southern U.S.

A literary criticism of the novel "Child of God" by Cormac McCarthy is presented. McCarthy encourages readers to focus on the humanity of the character of Lester Ballard. His critique of American biopolitics in the novel relies heavily on the novel's engagement with the generic norms of Appalachian fiction. Also mentioned are the pathological characteristics found in popular Appalachian fiction and Ballard's exclusion from society and exposure to violence.

The article discusses the history of development of real estate in coastal areas in the southern U.S. during the 20th century. Threats to coastal communities from rising sea levels are forecast, inequity in the reconstruction process following hurricane Katrina is analyzed, and racial elements in changes in the economy of the American South after the Civil War are explored.

Copyright of Southeastern Geographer is the property of University of North Carolina Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article discusses the prospects for the continuation of African American slavery in the U.S. Southern States had the American Civil War not occurred, with a particular focus on the role that slavery played in the Southern economy. An overview of the American South's regional differences, including in regard to the profitability of slaveholders throughout various regions, is provided. The relationship between cotton and slavery, including U.S. President Abraham Lincoln's estimation during the 1860s that the invention of the cotton gin would allow slavery to continue for a century, is discussed.

An introduction is presented which discusses articles within the issue on topics including the social impact of the cartoonist Norman Ethre Jennett's racist comics, the role of moon pies in the U.S. Southern States' culture and the Southern farmer Crandall Fountain's perspective on agriculture.

Copyright of Southeastern Geographer is the property of University of North Carolina Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article discusses music piracy in the southern United States during the 1970s. The author describes the history of bootlegging alcohol in the southern U.S. and legislation against bootlegging is discussed. Special attention is paid to bootlegger Jerrold (Jerry) Pettus, and the legal aspects of sound recordings aimed at mimicking songs produced by other musicians are noted. Other topics include intellectual property and anti-monopoly laws and the connection between bootlegging and counterculture in the southern U.S.

The article discusses the influence of hip-hop music from the southern United States on music in Senegal. The music of hip-hop artist Akon and dance-pop musician Pape Ndiaye Thiopet is highlighted, and special attention is paid to the influence of southern hip-hop music on the Senegalese hip-hop group GOTAL. Other topics include Senagalese rapper Astou "Toussa" Gueye, the lyrics and aesthetics of southern hip-hop music, and Senegalese National Ballet percussionist Mor Thiam's integration of American jazz and Senegalese music.

The article discusses the different ways in which African Americans Southern U.S. whites construe their Southern regional identity. The authors argue that African Americans see their race as central to their understanding of this regional identity, while many whites do not. They connect the importance of racial identity to African Americans' and whites' different understandings of Southern U.S. history, with many African Americans believing issues of segregation and racism and their struggles against them to be central to this history. A lack of concern over racial identity among whites is also explained. Information is taken from a survey of African Americans and whites conducted by the authors.

The essay discusses the political aspects of the desegregation of public schools in Prince Edward County, Virginia from the 1950s through the 1970s. Topics discussed include the firing of progressive English teacher Thomas Burwell (T. B.) Robinson Jr., the county's public school superintendents, and an increase in the political power of Blacks in the county during the 1970s.

The article discusses race, class and the schools of the U.S South states during the Antebellum period. Particular focus is given to the University of North Carolina president Rev. Joseph Caldwell's campaign for railroad development and public education. North Carolina Superintendent of Common Schools Calvin Henderson Wiley's ambivalent views on racial and social inequality, including the disparity between his private convictions and his political actions, are presented. Perspectives on U.S. primary education and the inclusion of blacks within it are also presented.

This manuscript argues that southern geographies are being re-placed materially, discursively, and institutionally through Latino migration. Drawing on ethnographic research in Nashville and scholarship on Latino migration to the South, it shows, first, how southern geographies are being re-placed materially, as southern neighborhoods are transformed by Latino residents. These changes, I suggest, locate new and old place-claims at the center of the South's immigration politics. Second, the manuscript illustrates how southern geographies are being re-placed discursively, as the South is skipped in Latino and long-term residents' narrations of community change. The South's absence in these narratives may reconfigure what southern identity means and how it is formed and transformed. Finally, the manuscript notes that southern geographies are being re-placed institutionally, as other disciplines begin to study Latino migration to the South. Latino migration to southern locales touches nearly every theme southern geographers examine and, thus, merits increased attention from them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the reflections of photographer William Christenberry on his career, as seen in the 1983 film "Painting in the South," which accompanied the exhibition "Painting in the South: 1564-1980," at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia. He also reflects on his interest in rural graveyards, his work concerning the white supremacy organization the Ku Klux Klan, and his construction of models of Alabama churches and country stores.

The article discusses ways to define the geographical extent of the U.S. South, with reference to research in the 1970s conducted by sociologist John Shelton Reed. Reed's study, which recorded the number of business names beginning with "Dixie," "Southern," and "American," is repeated by the authors. Differences in connotation between the first two regional terms are discussed, with "Dixie" seen as indicating a stronger and more adversarial sense of sectional identity, sometimes also associated with racism. The decline in use of "Dixie" for business names relative to "Southern" since the time of Reed's study is also discussed.

This article discusses Appalachian author James Still (1906-2001) and his time as an undergraduate at Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) in Tennessee, from which he graduated in 1929 along with fellow regional writers Don West and Jesse Stuart. Though Still is said to have developed his writing talents after college, evidence of LMU's literary culture and Still's participation in it is discussed, including his involvement in campus literary societies, the writing awards he earned, and his literary mentoring by LMU professors such as Lucia Danforth, Vryling Buffum, and Iris Grannis.

The article explores how southern food in entwined with the culture, history, and traditions of the Southern States and is part of its cultural identity. Based on the findings of the Spring 1992 Southern Focus Polls conducted by the Center for the Study of the American South and the Odum Institute for Research in Social Science at the University of North Carolina, the author compares the attitudes towards food of people living in the South to those people who reside outside the Southern States, as well as between White Southerners and African American Southerners. Some of the food items asked about were: okra, chitlins, fried tomatoes, pork rind, sweet potato pie, catfish, boiled peanuts, and moon pie.

The article responds to an article by Robert Jones and Melissa Stewart about the erosion of traditional values among Southern evangelicals educated in divinity schools which appears in a previous issue of the publication. Particular focus is given to a sense of alterity, or otherness, among contemporary Baptists who once identified as Southern Baptist. The author presents autobiographical information concerning his own faith and intellectual journeys and discusses the tension between conservative and liberal Baptists in the Southern U.S. The relation between the church and the world, connections between religion and culture in the Southern U.S., and the example of theologian Roger Williams are also discussed.

A case study approach was used to examine the perspectives of three high school department chairs and their work at providing instructional supervision to the teachers in their departments: math, science, and social studies. We sought to discover the beliefs and practices of three department chairs in one high school, located in a southeastern state. From interview data, three primary findings emerged: 1) The high school department chairs experienced role conflict and ambiguity relative to providing instructional supervision; 2) The meaning of instructional supervision for the department chairs was intuitive and reflected in differentiated approaches; and 3) The constraints of instructional supervision include time and lack of emphasis. The findings indicate that the department chairs were not prepared for the practice of instructional supervision in that the participants received little instruction to enact the role of instructional supervisor, and the participants were compelled to create their own roles given the lack of direction by the principal. The participants indicated instructional supervision was not a "priority" of either system or local school administrators. The participants did evidence some important knowledge concerning instructional supervision, albeit intuitively concluded rather than formally learned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Explores how Ellen Douglas' novel "The Rock Cried Out" questions the way novelist William Faulkner confronts issues of race and guilt in a post-renascence, post-civil rights era U.S. South. History of the Southern Renascence literary tradition; Description of how Douglas represented her resistance to such tradition; Critical analysis of the novel.

Discusses author Bobbie Ann Mason's portrayal of the Southern States in her short stories. Author's reference to her characters' southern locale and speech; Lower-middle class white heterosexuals as principal characters of the author; Portrayal of religious hypocrites.

Focuses on author Paul Dunbar's use of the Southern States as setting for his novels. Dunbar's self-doubts as a writer about the South; Depiction of Afro-Americans; Dunbar's view of the South's local color appeal; Limitation of Dunbar's knowledge about the South.

The article discusses the meaning of social justice in the American South, particularly as it relates to African American urban communities. The ways of different groups in using discourse about social justice to advance profoundly different vision for society can be seen by expanding the story field of social justice to include a wide variety of groups. The author said that geography would benefit from a renewed discussion of the underpinnings of social justice.