Kennedy Came to West Georgia
The Fall program of CVHS will be held virtually on October 26th, at 3:00 PM (EDT). Our presenter, Dr. Steve Goodson, is a retired instructor of History at the University of West Georgia. This will be Dr. Goodson’s fourth program for CVHS, the former highlighting the life and music of Hank Williams, Jr.
While most of Dr. Goodson’s past presentations for our organization have focused on the history of Country Music and related matters, this presentation will have an entirely different focus. The focus of this presentation in October will be on Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy’s visit to West Georgia College (now the University of West Georgia) in Carrollton, GA in 1964. This visit had a significant role in shaping the University’s historic trajectory and also led to the establishment of the Kennedy Chapel on the campus.
Kennedy’s visit occurred at a very tumultuous time in U.S. history (in early 1964). This visit came only mere months after the assassination of his own brother, President John F. Kennedy, in November of 1963. Early in the Johnson Administration, then AG Kennedy and the new President clashed on many issues. This was also during a critical phase of the Civil Rights Movement. Almost a year earlier, the Birmingham protests had brought the movement into the living room televisions of many Americans (many seeing the first time the violence targeting non-violent protestors on live television). This was also at a time when the U.S. Congress was debating the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (as well as the 24th Amendment, which involved voting rights).
Another issue on the horizon was Johnson’s interest in U.S. entry into what was then the “Second Indochina War” (in Vietnam). Kennedy’s brother had been hesitant to get the U.S. directly involved in the Vietnam conflict, but Johnson felt more strongly that the U.S. should get involved (and increased U.S. troop presence in and around Vietnam before the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution of August later that year). All of these things happened during an Election year, with Johnson running against Republican Barry Goldwater later that year.
During this time, AG Kennedy was a member of a Democratic Party that was in a period of transition. The Democrats still had pretty solid control over the Southern States in 1964, but Robert (like his brother) was more firmly on the left. This shift to the left was also continued by the Johnson Administration with his “Great Society” reforms and support for Civil Rights protestors and Native American “self-determination.” This was a time when most Georgia Democrats were far more socially conservative. All of this provided a backdrop for AG Robert Kennedy’s visit to WGC in Carrollton.
Steve Goodson was born in Montgomery, Alabama, and grew up in nearby Prattville. He received his B.A. in History from Auburn University at Montgomery in 1988 and earned his Ph.D. in History from Emory University in 1995. He joined the faculty at the University of West Georgia, where he retired in the Fall of 2023 after serving twelve years as department chair. His book Highbrows, Hillbillies, and Hellfire: Public Entertainment in Atlanta, 1880-1930, published by the University of Georgia Press, won the Georgia Historical Society’s Bell Award as the best book on Georgia History published in 2002. He is also co-editor of The Hank Williams Reader, which was published in 2014 by the Oxford University Press. This work has received much critical acclaim as a detailed account of Williams’ life and career.
Join us for this very informative and interesting presentation on October 26th. To attend this virtual meeting email ccpowers02@gmail.com prior to 12:00 PM noon (EDT) on Sunday, October 26th. You will then be sent the Zoom link with instructions regarding how to join the meeting.