# southern culture (blogs) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 2 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover southern culture. Page: Feed: --- ## [Poplar Forest: Thomas Jefferson’s Architectural Play-toy](https://www.abbevilleinstitute.org/poplar-forest-thomas-jeffersons-architectural-play-toy/) _2026-08-26 · M. Andrew Holowchak · Abbeville Institute_ Granddaughter Ellen Randolph Coolidge writes to early biographer Henry S. Randall in 1856, in the latter’s The Life of Thomas Jefferson, of Poplar Forest: The house at Poplar Forest was very pretty and pleasant. It was of brick, one story in front, and, owing to the falling of the ground, two in the rear. It was an exact octagon, with... ## [Jefferson Davis As Master of Brierfield](https://www.abbevilleinstitute.org/jefferson-davis-as-master-of-brierfield/) _2026-08-25 · Ryan Walters · Abbeville Institute_ Some months ago, I was busy defending Jefferson Davis on X, which we all know is filled with the most knowledgeable historians the country has to offer, when one extremist proceeded to tell me that Davis raped and lynched blacks. When asked for evidence of such rubbish, I was truly shocked and astounded that he could provide none. Sarcasm aside,... ## [Sacred Steel and Southern Rock](https://www.abbevilleinstitute.org/sacred-steel-and-southern-rock/) _2026-08-24 · Tom Daniel · Abbeville Institute_ I came to Sacred Steel late, and I came to it by accident. I’d been going back through my list of American musical traditions that are actually Southern, checking for anything I’d left out, and Sacred Steel was one of the names that turned up as a gap. I didn’t know the tradition at all going in, so I did... ## [They Myth of the Righteous Cause](https://www.abbevilleinstitute.org/they-myth-of-the-righteous-cause/) _2026-08-21 · H.V. Traywick, Jr. · Abbeville Institute_ History is the propaganda of the victorious. – Voltaire The ubiquitous claim that the so-called “Civil War” (which it was not), was “about” slavery (which it was not), and the “righteous” North went to war against the “traitorous” South to free the slaves (which it did not) is the most bald-faced lie of American history, and, as Thomas Carlyle stated... ## [Carpetbaggers Seeks to Help Mississippi Deal with the Past](https://www.abbevilleinstitute.org/carpetbaggers-seeks-to-help-mississippi-deal-with-the-past/) _2026-08-20 · Ryan Walters · Abbeville Institute_ “A meddling Yankee is God’s worst creation; he cannot run his own affairs correctly, but is constantly interfering in the affairs of others, and he is always ready to repent of everyone’s sins, but his own.”\[1\] So opined a North Carolina newspaper in 1854, a quote also attributed to Confederate general Daniel Harvey Hill. And yet, 172 years later, Southerners... ## [Stop with the Drive By History](https://www.abbevilleinstitute.org/stop-with-the-drive-by-history/) _2026-08-19 · Mindy Esposito · Abbeville Institute_ Originally published at Ms. Esposito’s Substack. At best, you were not told the whole story. At worst, you were deliberately lied to. Either way, you have it wrong. Nashville, Tennessee For more than a century and a half, Americans have been trained to repeat one sentence. One slogan. One simplified conclusion. “The war was only about slavery.” Say it enough... ## [Dixie in Decay](https://www.abbevilleinstitute.org/dixie-in-decay/) _2026-08-18 · Elias Ryan · Abbeville Institute_ The following is an abridged summary of the first three chapters of Dixie in Decay (and How to Heal Her) by Elias John Ryan Dixie is in decay. Our tradition of self governance is being flattened by an overreaching federal government. A once vibrant culture is being overridden by technology and mass immigration. Our economy is being corrupted by crony... ## [B.F. White and the Sacred Harp](https://www.abbevilleinstitute.org/b-f-white-and-the-sacred-harp/) _2026-08-17 · Tom Daniel · Abbeville Institute_ History tends to remember songs, and is considerably less interested in the people who made sure there was somewhere to sing them. Benjamin Franklin White is one of those people. Born in Union County, South Carolina, in 1800, he spent the better part of his adult life in Hamilton, Georgia, where he taught singing schools, compiled tunebooks, presided over conventions,... ## [In the spotlight](https://newsouthessays.com/2026/08/15/in-the-spotlight/) _2026-08-15 · lanceelliottwallace · New South Essays_ I am living a nightmare. You know the one in which you find yourself on stage or in front of a class or maybe even in a boardroom, performing, lecturing or presenting and you suddenly realize you are in your underwear, or, even worse, completely naked? (I believe the technical term is “naked as a … Continue reading In the spotlight → ## [Yankee Way of War](https://www.abbevilleinstitute.org/yankee-way-of-war/) _2026-08-14 · Jason Morgan · Abbeville Institute_ About this time every year, cruise ship historians like to trot out articles justifying the mass slaughter of innocents in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. America had no choice but to drop the atom bombs, the basic argument goes. Mainstream media coverage in Japan tends to leave the subject, “America,” out altogether. It was war in the abstract that is to blame,... ## [CLI-first decentralized GPU compute (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/OBTa0Cvb2lb7) _2026-08-14 · **Sponsored**_ Pay workers or run your GPU for FFmpeg transcode and AI inference. ## [If Jefferson’s Paternity of Sally’s Kids Is So Very Well Supported by Evidence, Why Won’t the Pro-Paternity People Debate the Issue?](https://www.abbevilleinstitute.org/if-jeffersons-paternity-of-sallys-kids-is-so-very-well-supported-by-evidence-why-wont-the-pro-paternity-people-debate-the-issue/) _2026-08-13 · M. Andrew Holowchak · Abbeville Institute_ Some two months ago, I asked historian Courtney Crowley, who has become a member of our team at “Thomas Jefferson Lives” (aka, The Real Thomas Jefferson), if she could email four persons in the “Onufian Family”—Annette Gordon-Reed, Andrew Burstein, Kevin Gutzman, and of course “dude” himself, Peter Onuf—and ask whether any would participate in a debate on Jefferson’s avowed paternity.... ## [Inheriting Gold](https://www.abbevilleinstitute.org/inheriting-gold/) _2026-08-12 · Harvey Lee Nix · Abbeville Institute_ Many years ago, I asked myself, “Who am I” then “what do I know about myself?” That turned into exploration about “who I am,” which in turn, evolved into “where do I come from” and finally “who did I come from?” I think today people are caught up so much on the first question, that the development of the idea... ## [Moses Waddel: The Teacher of the South](https://www.abbevilleinstitute.org/moses-waddel-the-teacher-of-the-south/) _2026-08-11 · Walt Garlington · Abbeville Institute_ If anyone in Dixie is worthy of the title ‘Teacher of the South’, it is Reverend Moses Waddel. A summary of the major Southern figures who attended the academy he established at Willington, South Carolina, as students would be convincing enough: ‘Among the names are William H. Crawford, a pupil in the Appling school and an assistant at Willington; John... ## [Jefferson Davis as President](https://www.abbevilleinstitute.org/jefferson-davis-as-president/) _2026-08-10 · Ryan Walters · Abbeville Institute_ If we could travel back to the summer of 1860, a time when the two political parties were busy lining up acceptable candidates, preparing for national conventions to nominate someone for President, and trying to hold their fragile components together, little did people know the political chaos that was about to unfold throughout the year, and little did they know... ## [Back to school part two: Harris’s senior year](https://newsouthessays.com/2026/08/08/back-to-school-part-two-harriss-senior-year/) _2026-08-08 · lanceelliottwallace · New South Essays_ Another week, another last first day of school in the Wallace family. Last week, we sent Carlton back to school for his senior year of high school. Today, my Darling Beloved and I send our middle son, Harris, packing for his senior year at Mercer University. Oh, the places he will go. But first, a … Continue reading Back to school part two: Harris’s senior year → ## [What if South Carolina Really Seceded to Protect Slavery?](https://www.abbevilleinstitute.org/what-if-south-carolina-really-seceded-to-protect-slavery/) _2026-08-07 · Abbeville Institute · Abbeville Institute_ From the Jefferson Davis X Account. (Let’s Play Devil’s Advocate and Watch the Whole Argument Collapse Anyway) Look, I’ll bite. Let’s pretend—just for the sheer entertainment value—that South Carolina’s secession in December 1860 was nothing but a cold-blooded plot to safeguard the institution of slavery. No states’-rights talk. No tariff gripes. No constitutional compact theory. Just pure,… ## [Back to school part one: Carlton’s senior year](https://newsouthessays.com/2026/08/01/back-to-school-part-one-carltons-senior-year/) _2026-08-01 · lanceelliottwallace · New South Essays_ I’ll spare you the passage of time cliches and just leave it at, “I am astounded that my youngest son will begin his senior year of high school this week.” There are still many miles to go on this journey, but I cannot pretend this week doesn’t mark another significant milestone. It’s our youngest’s last … Continue reading Back to school part one: Carlton’s senior year → ## [Don’t ‘worry,’ Brian Bates’ new comedy special delivers](https://newsouthessays.com/2026/07/25/dont-worry-brian-bates-new-comedy-special-delivers/) _2026-07-25 · lanceelliottwallace · New South Essays_ We at New South Essays have made it our mission to keep you informed of events that both reflect and impact contemporary Southern culture. Such a moment occurred last night (July 24, 2026) when Nashville stand-up comedian Brian Bates dropped his long-awaited, highly-anticipated 30-minute special “Worried” on the Nateland YouTube channel. (Oh, and did I … Continue reading Don’t ‘worry,’ Brian… ## [When a conversation turns Southern](https://newsouthessays.com/2026/07/18/when-a-conversation-turns-southern/) _2026-07-18 · lanceelliottwallace · New South Essays_ I love when a conversation turns Southern. My day job recently had me in our nation’s capitol for a conference. These events are catnip to me. My extroversion explodes. Meeting new people, making connections, networking and engaging in conversations energizes me. About 700-800 people, give or take, attended this conference, and I knew only a … Continue reading When a conversation turns Southern → ## [Winner of the 2026 World Cup](https://newsouthessays.com/2026/07/11/winner-of-the-2026-world-cup/) _2026-07-11 · lanceelliottwallace · New South Essays_ Six games remain in the 2026 edition of the FIFA World Cup, and New South Essays is prepared to announce the winner… Waffle House. That’s right. The bastion of Southern culture since 1955, this ubiquitous, quick-turn, made-to-order, diner-in-a-shoebox restaurant chain has captured the world’s attention and reaped untold millions in social media publicity from the … Continue reading Winner of the… ## [Screen Share With Real Control (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/5arjIhauCIpb) _2026-07-11 · **Sponsored**_ Collaborative screen sharing with simultaneous remote control — open source, like Screenhero. ## [Umbrellas and chairs](https://newsouthessays.com/2026/07/04/umbrellas-and-chairs/) _2026-07-04 · lanceelliottwallace · New South Essays_ During our 21st visit to the white sand beaches of Florida’s Emerald Coast along County Road 30A, I took particular interest in the daily ritual of setting up and taking down beach chairs and umbrellas. This is a young person’s task, and I am neither fit nor inclined to pursue this vocation. Once upon a … Continue reading Umbrellas and chairs → ## [The Lord of the Pond](https://newsouthessays.com/2026/06/13/the-lord-of-the-pond/) _2026-06-13 · lanceelliottwallace · New South Essays_ Frodo Baggins set out to destroy the One Ring, defeating Sauron and saving Middle Earth from the forces of darkness. Luke Skywalker learned the ways of the Force in order to overcome his fear, confront his father, and overthrow the Galactic Empire and its emperor. King Arthur led the Knights of the Round Table to … Continue reading The Lord of the Pond → ## [Atlanta Geese](https://newsouthessays.com/2026/06/06/atlanta-geese/) _2026-06-06 · lanceelliottwallace · New South Essays_ When a species has a specific geographical location in its name, it’s just common sense that the species would call that place home. I’m not clear if “Tasmanian Devil” is a whole species or just the one on the Bugs Bunny cartoons, but I am clear that I have never seen one outside of Tasmania. … Continue reading Atlanta Geese → ## [It’s for you](https://newsouthessays.com/2026/05/30/its-for-you/) _2026-05-30 · lanceelliottwallace · New South Essays_ No one in the New South answers their phone any more. Well, almost no one. I have recently stumbled onto an interesting sociological discovery, and I want to test a hypothesis here and gauge your response. No one who lives in the big city answers their phone any more. Folks who live out in the … Continue reading It’s for you →