LibGuides: Charlottesville Syllabus: Home

The Charlottesville Syllabus

Charlottesville, the home of the University of Virginia, became the site of swirling controversy as members of the so-called "alt-right" protested the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee from the university grounds, and were confronted by counter-protesters. This LibGuide, based on the Charlottesville Syllabus, provides resources helpful in understanding the the historical and contemporary background, and places the "alt-right" into context with other racist groups such as the KKK. The core set of materials were collated by Graduate Student Coalition for Liberation at the University of Virginia, and are supplemented by materials provided by Professor Walter D. Greason of Monmouth University.

Warning: The material presented is sometimes graphic in nature, and may be disturbing to readers/viewers.

The KKK, the Alt-Right, and the History of White Supremacist Groups

“Excuse me, America, your house is on fire: Lessons from Charlottesville on the KKK and “alt-right””
Jalane Schmidt's historical essay of the KKK and Charlotteville.
“Why Richard Spencer Matters”
Jamelle Bouie's Slate article on Charlottesville's Confederate statues, eugenics, and white supremacy.
The Ku Klux Klan in Virginia
A history of the KKK and its place in Virginia
Citizens Councils Newspaper Historical Source
Citizens Councils sought to portray integration as misguided. This newspaper archive shows the appeal of white supremacy to people of all walks of life.

Gentrification in Charlottesville

That World Is Gone: Race And Displacement in a Southern Town
A short documentary about the destruction of Charlottesville's Vinegar Hill neighborhood.
“Root Shock”
This essay uses case studies to show the ways in which the burden of urban renewal fell on African American communities.
The Vinegar Hill Project
This collaboration between the University of Virginia and the Carter G. Woodson Institute provides archival materials, including maps showing the neighborhood before and after urban renewal.
Charlottesville Urban Design and Affordable Housing
Illustrates the causes of the decline of American cities using maps, diagrams, and photographs of Charlottesville.

The Lost Cause, Memorialization, and Charlottesville’s Confederate Statues

Report to City Council by the City of Charlottesville Blue Ribbon Commission on Race, Memorials, and Public Spaces, December 19, 2016
Details the background of Confederate monuments and African American history in Charlottesville, and recommendations for relocating or contextualizing statues.
“Moments of Rupture”
Eileen Johnson's article on the local conflicts over the removal of the statue of Robert E. Lee from Emancipation Park.
“Tools of Displacement”
The history of Confederate monuments in Charlottesville, and their role in displacing African Americans.
White Supremacy and African-American Resistance in Charlottesville, Virginia, 1900-1925
This website provides documents and analysis of disenfranchisement efforts against African Americans in Charlottesville between 1900-1920.

Slavery and Thomas Jefferson’s University

“Unearthing Slavery at the University of Virginia”
An examination of the history of slavery in the University of Virginia.
“Confronting U.Va.’s history of slavery: Administration, Charlottesville community consider reparations”
A discussion of what paying reparations to the descendants of former slaves might mean in the context of the University of Virginia
“Laws,” from Notes on the State of Virginia, by Thomas Jefferson (1785)
Thomas Jefferson's pseudoscientific argument for race as the basis of slavery.

The University of Virginia Pioneers the Eugenics Movement

“Study of eugenics has long history at U.Va.: Pseudoscience studied academically in early part of 20th century”
Explores the development of eugenics at the University of Virginia, and its continued influence on campus.
Racial Integrity Laws
Traces the history of Virginia's "Racial Intergrity Laws" and connections to the eugenics movement using documents, photographs, and audio clips.
“Assuring America’s Place in the Sun: Ivey Foreman Lewis and the Teaching of Eugenics at the University of Virginia, 1915–1953"
The creation of one of the most well-known eugenics research programs at the University of Virginia, and the movement's connections to the Old South.
Eugenics
A collection of materials related to the history of eugenics at the University of Virginia - includes the legal background of forcible sterilization programs.

Jim Crow and Civil Rights organizing by students at the University of Virginia

The Race and Place Project
A database that organizes information about racial segregation in Charlottesville from the 1880s through the post-war era.
White Supremacy & African American Resistance in Charlottesville, 1900–1925 archive
Documents African Americans' struggle to attain and keep the right to vote in Charlottesville from 1900-1925.
An Epoch of Change: A Timeline of The University 1955–1975
Atima Omara-Alwala's project documenting the desegregation of the University of Virginia.
Black Fire
Alumni interviews. films, lectures, and other documentary evidence of student activism at the University of Virginia.