Date
2-28-2025
Department
College of Arts and Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in History (PhD)
Chair
John Devanny
Keywords
Agrarianism, Southern Agrarians, John Crowe Ransom, Allen Tate, Donald Davidson, New Deal
Disciplines
History
Recommended Citation
Justus, John Thomas B, "Taking a Stand: The Southern Agrarians as Political Activists, 1930-1940" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 6527.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/6527
Abstract
Following the publication of their symposium I’ll Take My Stand in 1930, the Southern Agrarians attempted to establish their own political movement based on their ideals. Contrary to the common depiction of them then and now as mere archconservatives, the Agrarians were heirs of the republican-populist tradition of Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, and William Jennings Bryan that opposed centralized economic and political power in favor a society freeholders and producers. Their adherence to this tradition manifested in their support of policies that were far reaching in their scope such as land reform, government loans for first time landowners, free trade, and even an overhaul of the United States Constitution. They attempted to launch their ideas into the public discourse through public debates, regular publications, and political organizing. However external opposition to their movement from the outset coupled with internal issues and lack of resources ultimately doomed the movement by the second half of the 1930’s.
