For a Kinder, Gentler Society
Destroying the Republic
Jabez Curry and the Re-Education of the Old South
  • John Chodes
Reviews Table of Contents Introduction «Back
Destroying the Republic. Jabez Curry and the Re-Education of the Old South
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The biography of Jabez Curry is the story of a 'states' rights' advocate who ended up selling out the South to the Federal government, and the story of how and why education in the US became nationalized. Readers interested in the Old South, Reconstruction, and the history of (and policies behind) the US education system will find that it opens as many questions as it answers, regarding Federal control in the Northern states as well as Southern and the insidious effects of an education policy geared to imposing conformity of thought.

About the Author

John Chodes has published extensively on the War for Southern Independence and the devastating effects of Reconstruction, including the loss of State sovereignty and the extraordinary federalization of our public schools. 

He has a long list of credits including six plays produced in New York City and several nonfiction books including Corbitt  [1974, biography of Ted Corbitt, the first African-American runner to compete in an Olympic marathon] which won the "Journalistic Excellence Award” from Road Runners Club of America and was hailed as “One of the Best Sports Books of the Year” by The New York Times.]  

Mr. Chodes has written for The New York Times, Forbes, Business Week, Fortune, and Cue. As Communications Director for the Libertarian Party of New York, Mr. Chodes has published chapters in four books and over 100 press pieces promoting the free market in The New York Times, Chronicles, Reason, The Freeman, CBS-TV, NBC-TV, and ABC-TV, FOX-TV. As a photojournalist he has been published by Newsweek, Track and Field News, Town and Country. His photo-stories have been featured in Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn Heights Press, The Phoenix, and the Brooklyn Record.

In his books on American history, Mr. Chodes delves deep into archives to retrieve lost (or buried) evidence to recall how the United States veered away from its Constitutional guarantees and viciously fought democratic initiatives from its own people. The Constitution was ratified on the basis that secession would be an accepted alternative if the Federal government over-stepped its mandated powers. In The Union League: Washington’s Klan, he describes the Federal government’s agency, the Union League, which equaled or surpassed the Ku Klux Klan in brutality toward Southern freedmen.

His articles, mostly relating to the history of the federalizing of Southern education, culture and property, have appeared in ChroniclesThe FreemanSocial Justice ReviewThe New York TribuneSouthern Partisan, and Southern Events.

About the Book
Jabez Curry was an aristocratic Alabamian. In the ante-bellum South he had a distinguished career in both the Alabama Assembly and the United States Congress. He tirelessly advocated the principles of state sovereignty and limited Federal...
Jabez Curry was an aristocratic Alabamian. In the ante-bellum South he had a distinguished career in both the Alabama Assembly and the United States Congress. He tirelessly advocated the principles of state sovereignty and limited Federal Governmental power. As an active promoter of education, he staunchly believed that this important function was entirely each state's responsibility and completely outside Washington's sphere. And yet, in the years following the Civil War, in a complete reversal of philosophy, Curry became the top executive of the Peabody Education Fund, the largest educational philanthropy of the 19th century, which united private Southern schools with the anti-Southern carpetbag state governments which were committed to eradicating the 'culture of rebellion' from the minds of the ex-Confederates' children. By the 20th century, this plan had turned on itself and emptied out Northern children's minds as well. This transformed the US republic in the 21st century into an emerging dictatorship. The War for Southern Independence and the problems of Reconstruction have been the subject of more than 20 articles and three monographs published by John Chodes.
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER 1. ADVOCATE FOR STATE SOVEREIGNTY 7 The South Feels Hated by the North 8. Ã??' Punitive Policies Benefit North 9. Ã??' Slavery; One Reason for Northern Hatred 10. Ã??'
INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER 1. ADVOCATE FOR STATE SOVEREIGNTY 7 The South Feels Hated by the North 8. Ã??' Punitive Policies Benefit North 9. Ã??' Slavery; One Reason for Northern Hatred 10. Ã??' But Ã??' Slavery Drives Northern Economy 11. Ã??' Few Southerners Owned Slaves 11. Ã??' Test Oaths Would Divide South 11. Ã??' Republican Philosophies Mean War 12. Ã??' 1860 Republican Party Platform: No Secession 12. Ã??' 1860 Republican Party Platform: No Slavery 13. Ã??' Horatio Seymour, New YorkÃ??'s Governor, Defends Slavery 13. Ã??' 1856 Democratic Party Platform Defends Sovereignty/Slavery 14. Ã??' Constitution Protects Slavery 14. Ã??' North-South Hatred Escalates Into War 15. Ã??' John BrownÃ??'s Raid 17. Ã??' Interlude: CurryÃ??'s Personality and Physiology 18. Ã??' Secession 20. Ã??' LincolnÃ??'s Victory by Conflicts Over State Sovereignty 22. Ã??' Last Days of the Union 22. CHAPTER 2. CURRY AND THE CONFEDERACY 25 The Impending War 26. Ã??' Ft. Sumter and War 27. Ã??' A New Nation 28. Ã??' Some Cabinet Members and Vice President 29. Ã??' The Capital Moves to Richmond 31. Ã??' Curry Observes Battle of Bull Run 31. Ã??' The Confederate Constitution 32. Ã??' The President 33. Ã??' CurryÃ??'s Contributions to the Constitution 34. Ã??' Congress 35. Ã??' Philosophical Conflicts over Constitution 36. Ã??' Slavery 36. Ã??' The Supreme Court 37. Ã??' Curry and the Flag Committee 38. Ã??' CurryÃ??'s Observations of Fellow Congressmen 39. Ã??' Curry Opposes Kentucky and Missouri into Confederacy 40. Ã??' Efforts to Gain European Recognition 40. Ã??' Curry, Guardian of State Sovereignty 40. Ã??' Curry Observes Retreat from Corinth 41. Ã??' Curry on Battle of Richmond and Jefferson Davis 42. Ã??' War Defeats Become Political Defeat 43. Ã??' Mrs. Curry, Last Days in Congress, War 45. CHAPTER 3. CURRYÃ??'S EARLY GEORGIA YEARS 47 Lincoln County: The Dark Corner 47. Ã??' Indian Wars in Georgia 48. Ã??' Maternal Ancestors 48. Ã??' My Name 49. Ã??' My Mother and Step-Mother 49. Ã??' Early School Days 50. Ã??' The Ã??'Turn-OutÃ??' 50. Ã??' The Great Meteor Shower 51. Ã??' Georgia Courts and Lawyers 52. Ã??' Georgia Doctors 52. Ã??' The Waddell School 53. Ã??' Fighting 54. Ã??' Georgia Politics 55. Ã??' Horse Racing 56. Ã??' Georgia Militia 56. Ã??' Courting 57. Ã??' White and Black Preachers 57. Ã??' Hunting and Fishing 57. Ã??' Slaves 58. Ã??' The Move to Alabama 59. CHAPTER 4. CURRY GOES TO WAR 61 Joseph Eggleston Johnston, the Soldier 64. Ã??' The Peninsula Campaign 65. Ã??' Curry and Joe WheelerÃ??'s Cavalry 67. Ã??' Ã??'Fighting JoeÃ??' Wheeler 69. Ã??' Curry Commands 5th Alabama Cavalry 74. Ã??' Curry and Forrest 77. Ã??' Selma, CurryÃ??'s Last Great Battle 83. CHAPTER 5. JABEZ CURRY, POLITICAL EXILE 87 Reconstruction, An Introduction 89. Ã??' Anarchy in South 93. Ã??' Negroes, Freedom, Destitution, Death 94. Ã??' Presidential Reconstruction: LincolnÃ??'s Plan 94. Ã??' Presidential Reconstruction: Andrew JohnsonÃ??'s Plan 95. Ã??' Destitution for Alabama Whites 96. Ã??' Congressional Reconstruction 97. Ã??' Ã??'State SuicideÃ??' 97. Ã??' Ã??'Conquered ProvinceÃ??' 98. Ã??' The Radicals, 19th Century Stalinists 100. Ã??' Military in South Means Military in North 100. Ã??' Curry Marries Again 101. Ã??' The Wedding 104. Ã??' A New Career 105. Ã??' The 14th Amendment: Nationalizing Justice Splits Races 106. Ã??' Alabama Rejects 14th Amendment 107. Ã??' 14th Amendment Ratified After Veto 108. Ã??' The 15th Amendment: Nationalizing Votes Splits Races 108. Ã??' Alabama Rejects Constitution; Forced Into Union 110. Ã??' Jabez CurryÃ??'s Diary 111. Ã??' Curry Moves to Virginia 113. CHAPTER 6. CURRYÃ??'S BACKGROUND: GOING TO ALABAMA 115 Beauty of Talladega County 116. Ã??' Talladega County: Historical Origin 117. Ã??' Frontier vs. Civilized Life 117. Ã??' The First Steamboat 118. Ã??' Bad Roads 118. Ã??' Flush Times: Private Currency 119. Ã??' Flush Times: Silkworm Madness 120. Ã??' Franklin College 120. Ã??' The Curriculum 121. Ã??' Senior Year 122. Ã??' Vacation: Passing the Future Atlanta 122. Ã??' First Social Experience With Women 122. Ã??' Presidential Politics 123. Ã??' The Ã??'StumpÃ??' Necessary for a Republic 124. Ã??' Going to Dane Law School 124. Ã??' Rutherford B. Hayes 126. Ã??' Abolitionists 126. Ã??' National Politics: 1844 126. Ã??' Horace Mann 127. Ã??' Graduates Law School; Meets Calhoun 127. Ã??' Amusing Tale of Senator Colquitt 127. Ã??' Curry, as a Lawyer, Works for Mr. Rice 128. Ã??' Curry Volunteers for Mexican War 129. CHAPTER 7. SOUTHERN PREACHING AS GUERRILLA WAR 131 Fusing EnglandÃ??'s Church and State, or the SouthÃ??'s? 133. Ã??' The State As Church 134. Ã??' Early Church Fuses with Roman Empire 135. Ã??' Roman Empire Controls Christian Church 135. Ã??' Clergy Become Part of Government 135. Ã??' Reformation Continues Fusion of Church and State 136. Ã??' The Act of Uniformity 136. Ã??' The Thirty-Nine Articles of the Book of Prayer 136. Ã??' 1664 Seditious Conventicles 137. Ã??' Loyalty Oaths: Rebellion Illegal 137. Ã??' Virginia Wins Back Religious Freedom 138. Ã??' Religious and Loyalty Tests are Valueless 138. Ã??' The New Testament; Parable of State Sovereignty 139. Ã??' New Testament as Ã??'Strict ConstructionÃ??' of Constitution 139. Ã??' Established Church Creates Dissolute Clergy 139. Ã??' The English-Irish Question or the Southern Question? 140. Ã??' Irish or Southern Home Rule? 140. CHAPTER 8. RECONSTRUCTION AS RE-EDUCATION 141 Re-education through Reconstruction Constitutions 141. Ã??' North CarolinaÃ??'s Educational Clause 142. Ã??' The FreedmenÃ??'s Bureau and Education for Blacks 143. Ã??' The Bureau: Schools for Black Radical Republicans 144. Ã??' Bureau Schools Perpetuate Racism 147. Ã??' The FreedmenÃ??'s Bureau: Bastion of Radical Philosophy 147. Ã??' False Atrocities for Revolution 148. Ã??' The FreedmenÃ??'s Bureau as Marxist Government 149. Ã??' The FreedmenÃ??'s Bureau Educates Blacks 150. Ã??' The FreedmenÃ??'s Bureau Re-educates Whites 152. Ã??' General Oliver Otis Howard 156. Ã??' Oliver Otis Howard vs. Andrew Johnson 157. Ã??' The FreedmenÃ??'s Bureau Spreads Into North 159. Ã??' The FreedmenÃ??'s Bureau and 1868 Presidential Election 159. Ã??' End of the Bureau; Continuation of the Bureau 159. CHAPTER 9. CURRYÃ??'S BACKGROUND: ALABAMA POLITICS TO CONGRESS 161 First Marriage 162. Ã??' Politics, Farming, South-North Splitting 162. Ã??' Pre- War Southern Schools 164. Ã??' CurryÃ??'s First Success In School Legislation 165. Ã??' Death of CurryÃ??'s Father 166. Ã??' The Ã??'Know-NothingsÃ??' and Alabama Assembly 166. Ã??' The Internal Improvements Committee 167. Ã??' The State Bank Fiasco 179 Ã??' Curry as U.S. Congressman 170. Ã??' CurryÃ??'s Second Term in Congress 171. CHAPTER 10. CURRYÃ??'S MENTAL TRANSITION 173 Moving to Virginia 175. Ã??' CurryÃ??'s Mental Transition: The Readjuster Movement 176. CHAPTER 11. JABEZ CURRY AND THE PEABODY EDUCATION FUND 179 Robert Winthrop Picks Sears as General Agent 182. Ã??' Barnas Sears, Disciple of Horace Mann 182. Ã??' Horace Mann 183. Ã??' Barnas SearsÃ??' Second Plan 185. Ã??' Barnas SearsÃ??' Third Plan 186. Ã??' Peabody and the FreedmenÃ??'s Bureau 188. Ã??' Sears and Normal Schools 188. Ã??' SearsÃ??' Death: His Unfinished Business 189. Ã??' Sears and Curry 189. Ã??' Why Did Curry Become General Agent? 190. Ã??' Curry on Sears 192. Ã??' CurryÃ??'s Role as General Agent 193. Ã??' Edwin Alderman Sees Curry Speak 195. Ã??' Curry Deceives about Pre-War Southern Schools 196. Ã??' Ulysses Grant, Peabody Trustee 197. Ã??' Grant Begins as a Moderate 197. Ã??' GrantÃ??'s Mental Transition 198. Ã??' Mutiny and Threatened Coups 199. Ã??' Grant, the Tenure of Office Act; Impeachment 200. Ã??' Grant and the Impeachment 200. Ã??' Grant, O.O. Howard, and the FreedmenÃ??'s Bureau 201. Ã??' Ulysses S. Grant, Presidential Candidate 201. Ã??' Argus Editorial: Ã??'Grant on Unconstitutional LawsÃ??' 202. Ã??' Ulysses S. Grant: Radical President 202. Ã??' Grant Interferes in State Elections 204. Ã??' Grant and the Peabody Fund 205. CHAPTER 12. RUTHERFORD B. HAYES, CURRY, AND THE PEABODY FUND 207 The Election of 1876 208. Ã??' HayesÃ??' Background 209. Ã??' Curry and the Hayes Election 211. Ã??' Hayes Pretends to End Occupation of South 213. Ã??' Hayes and Education 215. Ã??' Hayes and the Peabody Fund 216. Ã??' Curry, Hayes, and the Slater Fund 217. Ã??' Hayes, Like Curry, in Transition 219. CHAPTER 13. THE BLAIR BILL: A STEP TOWARD NATIONALIZED SCHOOLS 221 Hayes and Albion Tourgee: The Take-over Plan 221. Ã??' Henry Blair, His Bill, His Idea 223. Ã??' Fraudulent Census of 1870 and 1880 225. Ã??' Radicals Claim South Too Poor to Fund Schools 226. Ã??' Curry Promotes Blair Bill 227. Ã??' More of CurryÃ??'s Contradictions 230. Ã??' James Garfield and Albion Tourgee 230. Ã??' Counter-Attacks Against Blair 231. Ã??' Ã??'A Bill to Promote MendicancyÃ??' 233. Ã??' Curry and Blair: The Peabody Board Counter-Attacks 234. Ã??' TourgeeÃ??'s Insight 235. CHAPTER 14. JOHN EATONÃ??'S BUREAU OF EDUCATION: THE NEW PSYCHOLOGY 237 James Garfield Proposes Bureau of Education 238. Ã??' John Eaton, Second Commissioner 238. Ã??' John Eaton: His History 239. Ã??' John Eaton: Ã??'Memphis PostÃ??' Editor 241. Ã??' John Eaton: Bureau of Education Commissioner 243. Ã??' Eaton, Curry, and the Peabody Fund 243. Ã??' The Agriculture Department: Land Control as Mind Control 245. Ã??' The Morrill Act 247. Ã??' Fusing Agriculture and Bureau of Education with Morrill 248. Ã??' Agriculture Experiment Stations 249. Ã??' Darwin and Comparative Anatomy: The New Psychology 250. Ã??' Darwin and the New Psychology 252. Ã??' Origins of the New Scientific Psychology 253. Ã??' The New Psychology Becomes A Curriculum 254. Ã??' The Agriculture Department and Curriculum 255. Ã??' William Torrey Harris: The Ã??'St. Louis HegelianÃ??' 257. Ã??' The St. Louis Hegelian 258. Ã??' HarrisÃ??' Educational Career 260. Ã??' Harris and the Bureau of Education 261. CHAPTER 15. THE NEW PSYCHOLOGY BECOMES A CURRICULUM 265 G. Stanley Hall 265. Ã??' The Child-Centered Movement 269. Ã??' John Dewey 272. Ã??' History of the Laboratory School 272. Ã??' DeweyÃ??'s Own Views on Progressivism 274. Ã??' Dewey and the New History 275. Ã??' Progressivism As Totalitarian Model 276. Ã??' Progressivism Leads to Madness, No Past or Future 277. Ã??' ProgressivismÃ??'s Stamp on Education 277. Ã??' Ã??'The StateÃ??' Imposes Values on Experience 277. Ã??' DeweyÃ??'s Disillusionment 278. Ã??' Edward Thorndike 278. Ã??' Thorndike: Science as Religion 279. Ã??' Columbia 281. Ã??' Thorndike Teaches at Columbia 282. Ã??' Transfer of Faculties 283. CHAPTER 16. AMBASSADOR TO SPAIN ON THE EDGE OF WAR 285 Diplomacy, Free Trade vs. Protectionism 288. Ã??' The Other Life of a Diplomat 290. Ã??' Castelar and Canovas 290. Ã??' The Birth and Baptism of the New King 292. Ã??' Cuba, the Thorn That Leads to War 293. Ã??' Ã??'Constitutional Government in SpainÃ??' 297. CHAPTER 17. PEABODY AGAIN, SPAIN AGAIN, DISILLUSION 301 Disillusionment 301. Ã??' Spain Again 304. Ã??' The Last Act 306. ADDENDUM 309 BIBLIOGRAPHY 311 War for Southern Independence 311. Ã??' Reconstruction 312. Ã??' Education 314. Ã??' Additional books by or about Jabez Curry 317. ABOUT THE AUTHOR 319 INDEX 321
Reviews
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Pages 348
Year: 2005
LC Classification: LB875.C82C47
Dewey code: 370'.92'dc22
BISAC: BIO006000
BISAC: HIS036520
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ISBN: 978-0-87586-401-3
Price: USD 23.95
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ISBN: 978-0-87586-402-0
Price: USD 29.95
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