Highlander Folk School - Monteagle, Tennessee

This video was produced in 2004 by students at St. Andrew's - Sewanee School in Sewanee, TN. Mr. Dean's civil rights class studied the Highlander Folk School and produced a video documentary about its history. The school was located near Monteagle, TN (a few miles from the school) and played an important part in the nation's early civil rights movement (hosting Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Pete Seger, among others). The class interviewed Scott Bates. Mr. Bates was a professor at the University of the South and became involved with Highlander in 1954. He was able to provide wonderful insight because of his long and intimate involvement with Highlander. Although the school was closed by the State of Tennessee in the early 1960s, he remains on the board of directors of Highlander Research and Education Center, an organization formed after the folk school was closed. Myles Horton founded the Highlander Folk School in Monteagle in 1932. Learn more about St. Andrew's - Sewanee School at www.sasweb.org

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Nonprofits & Activism

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• Highlander
• Folk
• School
• Monteagle
• Sewanee
• St.
• Andrew's
• Scott
• Bates
• Myles
• Horton
• Dr.
• Martin
• Luther
• King
• Rosa
• Parks
• Pete
• Seeger
• Tennessee

[ndaboro]

Good video. Unfortunately as evidenced by comments, bigotry and the ignorance which follows racial prejudice still exists.

[j19527]

It is was a Communist school. Open your eyes. Look at the logic, the rhetoric, dialectel form-What it preaches and teaches. It sad because many college students are being lied to as to what it actually IS. What it is associated with. I feel sick for my children, and the next generation to come.

[j19527]

@elcash53 Agreed and validated. Advice: They only have to say so much, in order to NOT give themselves away. That fact that they are decieving these innocent children with lies is downright criminal. Thats my moral oppinion.

[THEPHATDONGFTW]

Horton made an international contribution to learning extending well beyond Tennessee. in the 1980 he was asked who were the greatest influences on his thinking. He replied that he was most influenced by Shelley, Marx and the Bible; that he admired Shelley as a rebel, Marx for explaining the injustices of the mode of production and the Bible, because Jesus' central theme was one of love. it's true he started with the CIO but his pedagogy was about process not content. inclusive, democratic.

[poohbudpita]

@elcash53 What you have stated us untrue. The school was the first CIO school in the south and was instrumental in creating the middle class that the right is currently attempting to completely dismantle. The school was instrumental as well in advancing civil rights. They have gone on to fight for economic issue facing Appalachia. Sir, you should get your facts straight and not believe propaganda set forth by fear mongers. Racism is promulgated by fear and ignorance.

[elcash53]

A small detail left out is why the school was shut down that dear old Mr. Bates doesn't discuss (with his Marx book behind him).

Its communist, Soviet ties and its advocating revolution to bring down the United States by recruiting young students into the Young Communist League were just a couple of reasons. It wasn't a "show trial", the people of freedom loving Tennessee, through court action, succeeded in getting this subversive school shut down.

Its all documented.