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Trump suffers first defeat but as always doubles down for the next fight; From Ohio to Azerbaijan: How COP29 could shape local farming; Funding boosts 'green' projects in Meadville, PA; VA apprenticeships bridge skills gaps, offer career stability.

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Trump has a new pick for Attorney General, his incoming "border czar" warns local Democratic officials not to impede mass deportation, and the House passes legislation that could target any nonprofit group accused of supporting terrorism.

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The CDC has a new plan to improve the health of rural Americans, updated data could better prepare folks for flash floods like those that devastated Appalachia, and Native American Tribes could play a key role in the nation's energy future.

TN Proclamation Law Aimed at Keeping “Memory of the Confederacy Alive”

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Monday, August 5, 2019   

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Gov. Bill Lee's recent signing of a proclamation making July 13 Nathan Bedford Forrest Day, in observance of the Confederate general and early Ku Klux Klan leader, has many people wondering why these decrees are on the books in the first place.

Vanderbilt University history professor Richard Blackett said these kinds of laws aren't as old as many people think.

"I think many of these sorts of laws were passed in response to the successes of the civil rights movement,” Blackett said. “And Nashville is at the center of the agitation over civil rights, and to a large extent is responsible for many of the successes achieved by the civil rights movement."

The law mandating governors declare proclamations for days honoring military figures didn't become law until 1969. While Gov. Lee has said he's willing to reconsider the law, Blackett said he thinks it will be extremely difficult for Tennessee legislators to disentangle themselves from the proclamations law and similar legislation.

Blackett pointed out that other designated observance days all honor leaders of the Confederacy. He said historians recognize and understand this type of legislation is more about cultural identity and memory than it is about Tennessee history.

"One is the recognition of Bedford Forrest, the other is a recognition of Robert E. Lee, and the third is what is known as Confederate Memorial Day, sometimes known as Jefferson Davis's birthday. Only Bedford Forrest is a Tennessean,” he said. “So what this law is meant to do is to keep alive the memory of the Confederacy."

A bust of Forrest continues to be displayed inside the state Capitol.


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