Wow, I’ve learned a lot here on College Confidential but learning that the Civil War was not fought over slavery is a new one to me. Of course this conclusion is refuted by the language used by the actual confederates. Of special note is the very blunt language utilized by Mississippi and Georgia in describing their reasons for secession.
Georgia’s Ordinance of Secession: “The people of Georgia having dissolved their political connection with the Government of the United States of America, present … the causes which have led to the separation. For the last ten years we have had numerous and serious causes of complaint against our non-slaveholding confederate States, with reference to the subject of African slavery. … The party of Lincoln, called the Republican party, under its present name and organization is of recent origin. It is admitted to be an anti-slavery party … anti-slavery is its mission and its purpose. … The prohibition of slavery in the territories, hostility to it everywhere, the equality of the black and white races … were boldly proclaimed by its leaders, and applauded by its followers. … The prohibition of slavery in the territories is the cardinal principle of this organization. … These are the men who say the Union shall be preserved. … Such are the opinions and such are the practices of the Republican Party … if we submit to them, it will be our fault and not theirs.”
Mississippi’s Declaration of Secession: “Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery - the greatest material interest of the world. Its labor supplies the product, which constitutes by far the largest and most important portions of commerce of the earth. These products are peculiar to the climate verging on the tropical regions, and by an imperious law of nature, none but the black race can bear exposure to the tropical sun. These products have become necessities of the world, and a blow at slavery is a blow at commerce and civilization. That blow has been long aimed at the institution, and was at the point of reaching its consummation. There was no choice left us but submission to the mandates of abolition, or a dissolution of the Union, whose principles had been subverted to work out our ruin.”
More relevant issue here, as the father of an African-American high school senior who is considering UA, I can understand some of the OP’s trepidation. My son is very liberal, he identifies with the the tree-hugging, gay rights, anti-war and anti-globalization wing of liberalism. In his view global warming/climate change is the greatest moral issue facing us today. In any event, given our ethnicity I for one was especially hesitant about putting UA on our target list. The only reason we chose to do so was because of the generous merit aid. Initially, my son’s first preference was to only consider colleges that had a definite liberal bias as we live in a typical suburban Texas school district and most of his fellow classmates are overwhelmingly conservative. (Relevant here I should state that those political leanings of his classmates has never resulted in any dispute or acrimony.)
In any event, we visited UA in March during its last “University Mondays” and my son felt comfortable at the school. That visit was simply a one-day visit however so my son will be attending the Honors Academy from July 19-25 to truly determine if UA is the right fit for him. Our impressions based on that one-day visit was that the atmosphere at UA is very similar to that at his high school - the campus appeared to be somewhat conservative, but not stifling or suffocating for those with more leftist views. Its true as pointed out in several post above that a majority of the incoming class to UA is from outside of Alabama - I think the student body is only 49% Alabamans. However, it should be noted that most of those kids are from other Southern states - Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas. It is true that there are a sizable number of students from outside of the South; however, the student body and culture is reflective of the South - which isn’t necessarily a bad thing either. I think you will find that the staff and students are very welcoming and friendly, which might be a culture shock in its own for someone from outside the South.
Respecting political orientation, I really think that its a matter of perspective. There are certainly progressive or liberal groups on campus such as Blount, Mallet, and so on, but UA is not like The University of Texas at Austin - a relatively progressive college campus in a very red conservative state. (It certainly isn’t Oberlin, but really other than Cal which flagship public school really is?) If you are looking for a student body with a definite liberal, left-wing bias than UA probably is not the right fit for you. However, if (as with my son) you are progressive who is somewhat use to navigating a student body with a majority political conservative leanings, then I think you might want to check UA out with a campus visit. After being firm about not wanting to consider any colleges that did not have a clear liberal bias, my son has changed his mind after we did a number of college visits. In addition to UA, now my son is also considering Texas A&M, another school with a definitive conservative tilt. He was invited to go to A&M as a part of their program to recruit potential National Merit Scholars. Prior to that visit he was dead set against applying to A&M which the Princeton Review listed as being among the top ten most conservative schools. However, earlier this summer he was invited to A&M’s National Scholar Invitational and he spent the night on campus, met several kids whom he “clicked with” and now A&M is on our short list.
In sum, I recommend that you spend your time this summer being open to all options. If it is practical, you should try to visit the colleges to get a personal feel for whether the university would be the appropriate fit for you, we found that the college guidebook summaries came to different conclusions than our own personal experiences. UA has many great programs for high-achieving students, which I assume you are as they are over-represented here on College Confidential. So long as you are willing to entertain going to a campus which is not necessarily left-leaning, then UA could be a great option to consider. I think my son’s views on UA will really crystallize after the Honors Academy visit. Good luck with your college search process.
