Applebome - Dixie Rising

Copyright 1996 by Peter Applebome
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by Times Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto.

Grateful acknowledgment is made to the following for permission to reprint previously published material: W CLARK BUCHANAN : The Kings Prayer by W Clark Buchanan. Copyright 1993 by W Clark Buchanan. Reprinted by permission.
FRED MOORE : Home Sweet Mobile Home by Fred Moore. Reprinted by permission of Fred Moore. WARNER BROS . PUBLICATIONS : Excerpt from The Tulsa Shuffle by Steve Ripley. Copyright 1994 by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (BMI) and Boy Rocking Music (BMI). All Rights o/b/o Boy Rocking Music administered by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Warner Bros. Publications U.S., Inc., Miami, FL 33014.
WORD , INC .: Excerpt from America Again by Carman and Michael OMartian. Copyright 1993 by Some-O-Dat Music (admin. by Word. Inc.), Middle C Music and Edward Grant, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Word, Inc.

Photographs by Alan S. Weiner

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Applebome, Peter.
Dixie rising: how the South is shaping American values, politics, and culture / Peter Applebome.
p. cm.
eISBN: 978-0-307-81987-1
1. Southern StatesPolitics and government1951 2. Southern StatesCivilization20th century. 3. United StatesPolitics and government1989 4. United StatesCivilization1970 I. Title.
F2162A67 1996 973.929dc20 96-16080

Random House website address: http://www.randomhouse.com

v3.1

For my parents, Jerome and Sydel Applebome

One of the best reasons to write a first book is for the opportunity to thank people in print youve never sufficiently thanked in person. So, my appreciations here extend both to those who helped with this book and those who helped me get to the point where I could write it.

I first need to thank Steve Harrigan, Alamo-ologist, bard of Austin, and perhaps the best writer I know, who helped get me into this, encouraged me when I had no idea whether it was going to work, and served as an inspired editor and sounding board via daily E-mail over the course of the project. Also of immense help was John Egerton, whose life and work represents the best of the South. Others who offered invaluable editorial comments on the manuscript or individual chapters included Nick Lemann, Merle Black, John Hope Franklin, Jack Bass, Adam Nossiter, Frye Gaillard, Alston Fitts, and Amy Kurland.

At The New York Times, where Ive worked for the past decade, I first need to thank Joseph Lelyveld, who, despite his instincts to not leave people in one place for too long, allowed me to stay in Atlanta long enough to write this book and then let me stay awhile longer. Also due thanks is his predecessor, Max Frankel, who encouraged me to write the series that helped lead to this book. Im at least as indebted to Nancy Sharkey, my current editor and one of the all-time classiest people Ive known in journalism, who gave me the breathing room to get this done. On the National Desk, Ive worked for four extremely capable and extremely different editorsDave Jones, Soma Golden, Linda Mathews, and Dean Baquet. In different ways Im indebted to all of them. I also owe a particular debt to editors and friends over the years on the National Desk like Bill Schmidt, Paul Haskins, Carl Lavin, Dennis Stern, Phil Taubman, and the late Jeff Schmalz. Among the many extraordinary reporters Ive worked with over the years at The Times, I owe a particular debt to John Crewdson, who worked to get me hired long ago, back when I had hair, and Bob Reinhold, journalisms last gentleman, who did national reporting as well as it could be done and who was the perfect person to start out with in The Times Houston Bureau. Id also like to thank my friends and colleagues in The Times Atlanta Bureau, Ron Smothers, Rick Bragg, Kevin Sack, and Uncle Ed Gargan, our honorary Atlantan, who helped prod me into doing this during his extended visit. No words can express how much I owe the amazing Susan Taylor, who somehow keeps all the trains on track. Special thanks also to Alan Weiner for his wonderful pictures here and his welcome, cranky companionship at various jaunts and disasters over the years. And thanks also to Louise Moreland, Mary Lu Mitchell, Andy Peters, and Deavours Hall for their help in the bureau.

In earlier stops on the way, I was able to work with and learn from friends and colleagues like Steve Blow, Stuart Wilk, Scott Parks, Bob Compton, and the late Buster Haas at The Dallas Morning News, and Mike Levy, Greg Curtis, Joe Nocera, Paul Burka, Peter Elkind, Harry Hurt III, Alison Cook, Mimi Swartz, Dominique Browning, and various other amazingly talented people at Texas Monthly magazine.

Its impossible to name all the people who gave of their time to make this book possible, but among them are Mark Gibbs in Cobb County; Charles Bonner in Selma; Leon McElveen, the worlds most honorable Confederate, in Atlanta; Percy Reeves in Charlotte; Kathy Lamb in Belton, South Carolina; Margaret Gail Rogers in Mullins, South Carolina; Linda Pearce in Wilmington; Tim DuBois and Marty Stuart in Nashville; and Willie Morris in Mississippi.

My agent, Esther Newberg, was as good as everyone said she was, even when I made her nervous at the beginning. At Times Books, Peter Osnos saw a book here before I was sure what it was; Geoff Shandler was a calm, skilled, thoughtful editor, Kate Scott and Dennis Ambrose did a meticulous job of copyediting, and Marty Blake and Robbin Schiff are due particular thanks for the amazing job they did on the cover.

My biggest debt goes to my parents, Jerome and Sydel Applebomewho have always been there beyond the call of duty in big ways and small onesand to our extended Tanners Road family: my brother, Woody; sister, Louise; the Is and Bs, and, yes, you too, Captain.

Finally, this book would never have happened without the support, forbearance, and patience of my wife, Mary Catherine, and the daily miracle of the crown jewels, Ben and Emma, my two little Southerners even if their daddy is not. My thanks to all. Any failings are my own.