This Yea, Alabama historical series explores the narrative of the storied University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama in the United States, in a way not previously published. Years of research into primary documents, many only recently discovered or rediscovered, bring to the fore many new facts, new stories, new characters, new revelations, and new photos that offer the fullest picture of the University yet. This history of bringing higher education to what was just a few years earlier the ...

The University of Alabama (UA) is one of the most prominent and fascinating universities in the United States. Volume One of this series explored UA’s 1819 birth, its formative years, its burning by Union soldiers, and its subsequent rebirth in 1871. Volume Two introduces a number of important elements into the ongoing narrative, including: the University’s continual hassle with the radical state government through 1877; a span of only seven years wherein three UA presidents either die in office or in Tuscaloosa shortly after resigning, creating a terrible period of psychological mourning that affected everyone associated with the University; the strict admission of women students, and the effect of this on the faculty, administration, and the cadets; and the establishment of student-written works including a journal, a newspaper, and a yearbook. The volume also looks at the history of unofficial student sports dating from the 1870s and the official birth in 1892 of a school-sanctioned athletic program for football and baseball, the germ of what would eventually be named the Crimson Tide, including the first twelve rocky years of the program. It also explores the successful 1900 Student Rebellion against the military style of student government, a rebellion that would rock the very soul of the school, involving the state press, the legislature, the governor, the alumni, and the citizens of Alabama, and which witnessed the fall of the commandant and eventually of the president, thus wrenching the students out of their fluctuating but often sorrowful psychological state of mind into an ever-evolving psychology and experience of success.

Amazing Alabama: A Potpourri of Fascinating Facts, Tall Tales and Storied Stories chronicles a brief history of the state, famous personages associated with Alabama, a discussion of state firsts, unique occurrences, antiquated laws and other fascinating topics.

The University of Alabama (UA) is one of the most prominent universities in the US. Volume One of this series explored UA’s birth, formative years, its burning by Union soldiers, and its rebirth in 1871. Volume Two noted the adolescent years of the school, rebellion by the students against the military system of government, the rise of a student culture via the admission of women, and a nascent men’s sports program. This third volume explores rising enrollment and a new style of student governance. The book investigates how UA dealt with student smoking, cursing, and hazing. It covers how UA became nationally respected academically, the rise of a successful sports program, the first use of the phrase “Crimson Tide,” the history of the Million Dollar Band and how “Yea, Alabama” became the school fight song, the UA/Auburn rift, and the UA response to WWI and to the women’s rights movement.

Presents the stories of heroism of those involved in the Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott, which brought Dr Martin Luther King, Jr to prominence and improved the lives of all black Americans. This title includes a look at King's trial and an examination of how black and white lawyers worked together to overturn segregation in the courtroom.

Winner of the Lincoln Prize A landmark Civil War history told from a fresh, deeply researched ground-level perspective. At the crux of America’s history stand two astounding events: the immediate and complete destruction of the most powerful system of slavery in the modern world, followed by a political reconstruction in which new constitutions established the fundamental rights of citizens for formerly enslaved people. Few people living in 1860 would have dared imagine either event, and yet, in retrospect, both seem to have been inevitable. In a beautifully crafted narrative, Edward L. Ayers restores the drama of the unexpected to the history of the Civil War. From the same vantage point occupied by his unforgettable characters, Ayers captures the strategic savvy of Lee and his local lieutenants, and the clear vision of equal rights animating black troops from Pennsylvania. We see the war itself become a scourge to the Valley, its pitched battles punctuating a cycle of vicious attack and reprisal in which armies burned whole towns for retribution. In the weeks and months after emancipation, from the streets of Staunton, Virginia, we see black and white residents testing the limits of freedom as political leaders negotiate the terms of readmission to the Union. With analysis as powerful as its narrative, here is a landmark history of the Civil War.