Alabama's 140-Year Class War, with Steve Suitts

Steve Suitts has spent decades studying Alabama; along the way, he came to know Big Jim Folsom, George Wallace, and Derrick Bell. His book A War of Sections centers the class war that structured Alabama politics for 140 years.

In this conversation:

* 1819: Black Belt planters vs North Alabama plain folk at statehood

* Some plain folk refuse Confederacy’s war

* Redemption, planters take the state back

* 1901: planters disenfranchise black Alabamians and many poor whites

* 1921: black and white miners defeat another disfranchisement amendment

* Big Jim Folsom: the plain folk find their champion

* 1946: another disfranchisement amendment, Boswell, passes

* Brown makes race personal; plain folk coalition cracks

* 1958: the planters win

A War of Sections is available on UGA Press or Amazon. Follow Steve’s Substack.