Robert Wuthnow
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691150550
- eISBN:
- 9781400839759
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691150550.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
No state has voted Republican more consistently or widely or for longer than Kansas. To understand red state politics, Kansas is the place. It is also the place to understand red state religion. The ...
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No state has voted Republican more consistently or widely or for longer than Kansas. To understand red state politics, Kansas is the place. It is also the place to understand red state religion. The Kansas Board of Education has repeatedly challenged the teaching of evolution, Kansas voters overwhelmingly passed a constitutional ban on gay marriage, the state is a hotbed of antiabortion protest—and churches have been involved in all of these efforts. Yet in 1867 suffragist Lucy Stone could plausibly proclaim that, in the cause of universal suffrage, “Kansas leads the world!” This book tells the story of religiously motivated political activism in Kansas from territorial days to the present. It examines how faith mixed with politics as both ordinary Kansans and leaders such as John Brown, Carrie Nation, William Allen White, and Dwight Eisenhower struggled over the pivotal issues of their times, from slavery and Prohibition to Populism and anti-communism. Beyond providing surprising new explanations of why Kansas became a conservative stronghold, the book sheds new light on the role of religion in red states across the Midwest and the United States. Contrary to recent influential accounts, the book argues that Kansas conservatism is largely pragmatic, not ideological, and that religion in the state has less to do with politics and contentious moral activism than with relationships between neighbors, friends, and fellow churchgoers. This is an important book for anyone who wants to understand the role of religion in American political conservatism.Less
No state has voted Republican more consistently or widely or for longer than Kansas. To understand red state politics, Kansas is the place. It is also the place to understand red state religion. The Kansas Board of Education has repeatedly challenged the teaching of evolution, Kansas voters overwhelmingly passed a constitutional ban on gay marriage, the state is a hotbed of antiabortion protest—and churches have been involved in all of these efforts. Yet in 1867 suffragist Lucy Stone could plausibly proclaim that, in the cause of universal suffrage, “Kansas leads the world!” This book tells the story of religiously motivated political activism in Kansas from territorial days to the present. It examines how faith mixed with politics as both ordinary Kansans and leaders such as John Brown, Carrie Nation, William Allen White, and Dwight Eisenhower struggled over the pivotal issues of their times, from slavery and Prohibition to Populism and anti-communism. Beyond providing surprising new explanations of why Kansas became a conservative stronghold, the book sheds new light on the role of religion in red states across the Midwest and the United States. Contrary to recent influential accounts, the book argues that Kansas conservatism is largely pragmatic, not ideological, and that religion in the state has less to do with politics and contentious moral activism than with relationships between neighbors, friends, and fellow churchgoers. This is an important book for anyone who wants to understand the role of religion in American political conservatism.
Matthew C. Ehrlich
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780252042652
- eISBN:
- 9780252051500
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5622/illinois/9780252042652.001.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Sport and Leisure
The book discusses a sports rivalry between two cities--Kansas City, Missouri and Oakland, California--during one of the most tumultuous periods in U.S. history, the mid-1960s through the mid-1970s. ...
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The book discusses a sports rivalry between two cities--Kansas City, Missouri and Oakland, California--during one of the most tumultuous periods in U.S. history, the mid-1960s through the mid-1970s. Kansas City and Oakland sought major league teams to show the rest of the world that they were no longer minor league in stature. Their efforts to attract big-league franchises pitted the two cities against each other. After they succeeded in landing those franchises, the cities’ football and baseball teams regularly fought each other--sometimes literally--on the field. By 1977 Kansas City and Oakland would be much changed from what they had been only a decade previously. Their sports teams had brought them widespread attention and athletic glory, just as they had craved. They also had done much to try to improve themselves by building not only new sports facilities but also new cultural, retail, and transportation centers. But those triumphs came at a cost amid wrenching clashes over race and labor relations, pitched battles over urban renewal, and heated controversies over the lot of professional athletes. The book tells parallel stories: that of the clashes between the cities’ sports teams, and that of the struggles of the cities themselves to show that they had become “big league” through sports and other major civic initiatives.Less
The book discusses a sports rivalry between two cities--Kansas City, Missouri and Oakland, California--during one of the most tumultuous periods in U.S. history, the mid-1960s through the mid-1970s. Kansas City and Oakland sought major league teams to show the rest of the world that they were no longer minor league in stature. Their efforts to attract big-league franchises pitted the two cities against each other. After they succeeded in landing those franchises, the cities’ football and baseball teams regularly fought each other--sometimes literally--on the field. By 1977 Kansas City and Oakland would be much changed from what they had been only a decade previously. Their sports teams had brought them widespread attention and athletic glory, just as they had craved. They also had done much to try to improve themselves by building not only new sports facilities but also new cultural, retail, and transportation centers. But those triumphs came at a cost amid wrenching clashes over race and labor relations, pitched battles over urban renewal, and heated controversies over the lot of professional athletes. The book tells parallel stories: that of the clashes between the cities’ sports teams, and that of the struggles of the cities themselves to show that they had become “big league” through sports and other major civic initiatives.
Robert Wuthnow
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691146119
- eISBN:
- 9781400836246
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691146119.003.0003
- Subject:
- Sociology, Urban and Rural Studies
This chapter examines how the Middle West recovered from the ill effects of the Great Depression. The Great Depression was something Americans hoped they would never experience again. In the rural ...
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This chapter examines how the Middle West recovered from the ill effects of the Great Depression. The Great Depression was something Americans hoped they would never experience again. In the rural Midwest, foreclosures and sheriff's auctions were common. The worst drought years devastated the land. Dust storms blew with such intensity that crops failed and machinery broke down. World War II sparked the economy, revived agriculture, and coincided with better weather. However, the war took millions of men and women away from their families, necessitated mandatory rationing, and drove up prices. When it was over, rural communities faced continuing challenges. The chapter considers the case of Smith Center, Kansas, to illustrate the challenges rural communities faced as they overcame the setbacks of the Great Depression and prepared for the era ahead. Recovery from the Great Depression varied across middle America, but many of the dynamics evident in Smith County occurred elsewhere.Less
This chapter examines how the Middle West recovered from the ill effects of the Great Depression. The Great Depression was something Americans hoped they would never experience again. In the rural Midwest, foreclosures and sheriff's auctions were common. The worst drought years devastated the land. Dust storms blew with such intensity that crops failed and machinery broke down. World War II sparked the economy, revived agriculture, and coincided with better weather. However, the war took millions of men and women away from their families, necessitated mandatory rationing, and drove up prices. When it was over, rural communities faced continuing challenges. The chapter considers the case of Smith Center, Kansas, to illustrate the challenges rural communities faced as they overcame the setbacks of the Great Depression and prepared for the era ahead. Recovery from the Great Depression varied across middle America, but many of the dynamics evident in Smith County occurred elsewhere.
Robert Wuthnow
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691146119
- eISBN:
- 9781400836246
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691146119.003.0007
- Subject:
- Sociology, Urban and Rural Studies
This chapter examines the changing face of agribusiness in the Middle West. It explains how agribusiness transformed large sections of the Middle West during the last third of the twentieth century ...
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This chapter examines the changing face of agribusiness in the Middle West. It explains how agribusiness transformed large sections of the Middle West during the last third of the twentieth century and was reshaped as it became part of a global food production and marketing system. The transformation was particularly evident in the region's increasing emphasis on packaged-food production, ranging from frozen dinners for wholesale and retail markets to boxed beef and poultry for fast-food franchises. Commercial feedlots, animal-slaughtering facilities, and poultry-processing and meatpacking plants appeared with increasing frequency in southwest Kansas, western Oklahoma, central and eastern Nebraska, western Iowa, parts of Minnesota and South Dakota, and northwestern Arkansas. The chapter considers why small towns provided an attractive venue for large agriculture-related businesses in the Middle West. It looks at the case of Garden City, Kansas, to illustrate the long-term as well as recent developments in heartland agribusiness.Less
This chapter examines the changing face of agribusiness in the Middle West. It explains how agribusiness transformed large sections of the Middle West during the last third of the twentieth century and was reshaped as it became part of a global food production and marketing system. The transformation was particularly evident in the region's increasing emphasis on packaged-food production, ranging from frozen dinners for wholesale and retail markets to boxed beef and poultry for fast-food franchises. Commercial feedlots, animal-slaughtering facilities, and poultry-processing and meatpacking plants appeared with increasing frequency in southwest Kansas, western Oklahoma, central and eastern Nebraska, western Iowa, parts of Minnesota and South Dakota, and northwestern Arkansas. The chapter considers why small towns provided an attractive venue for large agriculture-related businesses in the Middle West. It looks at the case of Garden City, Kansas, to illustrate the long-term as well as recent developments in heartland agribusiness.
Larry A. Witham
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195150452
- eISBN:
- 9780199834860
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195150457.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Politics has followed evolution debates since Darwin's era, and this chapter looks at contemporary manifestations in America. It covers federal science spending, public school policy, evolution in ...
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Politics has followed evolution debates since Darwin's era, and this chapter looks at contemporary manifestations in America. It covers federal science spending, public school policy, evolution in election years, and the “culture war” over values. It touches on standards‐based education reform, the 2000 elections, and the Kansas School Board vote in 1999.Less
Politics has followed evolution debates since Darwin's era, and this chapter looks at contemporary manifestations in America. It covers federal science spending, public school policy, evolution in election years, and the “culture war” over values. It touches on standards‐based education reform, the 2000 elections, and the Kansas School Board vote in 1999.
Robert Wuthnow
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691150550
- eISBN:
- 9781400839759
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691150550.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
This book examines how Kansas became known as one of the most conservative states in America. Kansas was one of the first to pass mandatory Prohibition and one of the last to overturn it. Kansas ...
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This book examines how Kansas became known as one of the most conservative states in America. Kansas was one of the first to pass mandatory Prohibition and one of the last to overturn it. Kansas schools regularly included Bible reading and prayer, and by the end of the twentieth century were a battleground for proponents of creationism and intelligent design. The Republican Party was a strong contender among the possible explanations for Kansas conservatism. Religion was another. The connections between faith and politics in Kansas would begin and end with arguments about the self-perpetuating power of conservative ideas and leaders in the nation's heartland. However, the book suggests that red state religion and politics in Kansas had less to do with contentious moral activism than it did with local communities and relationships among neighbors, friends, and fellow churchgoers.Less
This book examines how Kansas became known as one of the most conservative states in America. Kansas was one of the first to pass mandatory Prohibition and one of the last to overturn it. Kansas schools regularly included Bible reading and prayer, and by the end of the twentieth century were a battleground for proponents of creationism and intelligent design. The Republican Party was a strong contender among the possible explanations for Kansas conservatism. Religion was another. The connections between faith and politics in Kansas would begin and end with arguments about the self-perpetuating power of conservative ideas and leaders in the nation's heartland. However, the book suggests that red state religion and politics in Kansas had less to do with contentious moral activism than it did with local communities and relationships among neighbors, friends, and fellow churchgoers.
Robert Wuthnow
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691150550
- eISBN:
- 9781400839759
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691150550.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
This essay examines the murder of Laura Beers in Topeka and what it means for Kansas religion and politics. Laura Beers was found dead in a pool of blood by the Topeka police on the night of November ...
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This essay examines the murder of Laura Beers in Topeka and what it means for Kansas religion and politics. Laura Beers was found dead in a pool of blood by the Topeka police on the night of November 12, 1912, in the Hotel Glenwood. Her husband, Reverend W. L. Beers, an upstanding Methodist preacher, was charged with the crime. The Beers case was a crime of passion arising from a domestic quarrel, but it also illustrated something important about Kansas politics. In addition, it was suggested that Laura Beers had been killed because of her religion. The story came out that Laura Beers had been raised Catholic and did not see eye to eye on matters of faith with her Methodist husband, who reportedly hated the Catholic Church with intense bitterness. Tension between Catholics and Methodists, and with other Protestants, continued long after the Beers trial.Less
This essay examines the murder of Laura Beers in Topeka and what it means for Kansas religion and politics. Laura Beers was found dead in a pool of blood by the Topeka police on the night of November 12, 1912, in the Hotel Glenwood. Her husband, Reverend W. L. Beers, an upstanding Methodist preacher, was charged with the crime. The Beers case was a crime of passion arising from a domestic quarrel, but it also illustrated something important about Kansas politics. In addition, it was suggested that Laura Beers had been killed because of her religion. The story came out that Laura Beers had been raised Catholic and did not see eye to eye on matters of faith with her Methodist husband, who reportedly hated the Catholic Church with intense bitterness. Tension between Catholics and Methodists, and with other Protestants, continued long after the Beers trial.
Robert Wuthnow
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691150550
- eISBN:
- 9781400839759
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691150550.003.0004
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
This chapter examines how competition between Methodists and Catholics reinforced a moderately conservative civic ethos across Kansas during the 1880s and 1890s. Whatever their disagreements might ...
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This chapter examines how competition between Methodists and Catholics reinforced a moderately conservative civic ethos across Kansas during the 1880s and 1890s. Whatever their disagreements might be, Methodists and Catholics alike had a stake in promoting what they regarded as good citizenship. Congregations brought people together, creating what later scholars would call social capital, helping them to make friends, conduct business, and care for the needy. The chapter first provides an overview of how the Republican Party dominated local and state politics in Kansas before discussing Populism and religious politics in the state. It then considers the position of Populists and church members regarding inequality, the emergence of a Republican faction known as “antiboss” Republicans, and the rise of a grassroots movement for law and order. It also explores the debate over the issue of education in Kansas.Less
This chapter examines how competition between Methodists and Catholics reinforced a moderately conservative civic ethos across Kansas during the 1880s and 1890s. Whatever their disagreements might be, Methodists and Catholics alike had a stake in promoting what they regarded as good citizenship. Congregations brought people together, creating what later scholars would call social capital, helping them to make friends, conduct business, and care for the needy. The chapter first provides an overview of how the Republican Party dominated local and state politics in Kansas before discussing Populism and religious politics in the state. It then considers the position of Populists and church members regarding inequality, the emergence of a Republican faction known as “antiboss” Republicans, and the rise of a grassroots movement for law and order. It also explores the debate over the issue of education in Kansas.
Robert Wuthnow
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691150550
- eISBN:
- 9781400839759
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691150550.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
This chapter examines how Kansas experienced a long slide from being the “kernel of the country” to becoming a mere outpost far from the centers of national economic and political influence—a shift ...
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This chapter examines how Kansas experienced a long slide from being the “kernel of the country” to becoming a mere outpost far from the centers of national economic and political influence—a shift that was rooted in economic and demographic changes, but was primarily a matter of cultural redefinition. On those rare occasions in the nineteenth century when the Kansas Republican Party lost power, it regrouped and made a comeback in the next electoral cycle. The chapter first considers how the influence of Republicans and Methodists peaked in 1924, a banner year for the Kansas economy, before discussing the consolidation and further expansion of Kansas churches. It then describes the separation of church and state, along with the rise of fundamentalism and the impact of the Great Depression on Kansas churches. It also explores the repeal of Prohibition in 1933 and the emergence of smaller political and religious movements in Kansas.Less
This chapter examines how Kansas experienced a long slide from being the “kernel of the country” to becoming a mere outpost far from the centers of national economic and political influence—a shift that was rooted in economic and demographic changes, but was primarily a matter of cultural redefinition. On those rare occasions in the nineteenth century when the Kansas Republican Party lost power, it regrouped and made a comeback in the next electoral cycle. The chapter first considers how the influence of Republicans and Methodists peaked in 1924, a banner year for the Kansas economy, before discussing the consolidation and further expansion of Kansas churches. It then describes the separation of church and state, along with the rise of fundamentalism and the impact of the Great Depression on Kansas churches. It also explores the repeal of Prohibition in 1933 and the emergence of smaller political and religious movements in Kansas.
Robert Wuthnow
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691150550
- eISBN:
- 9781400839759
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691150550.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
This chapter examines the restructuring of Kansas religion and politics that began in the late 1960s and continued for at least two more decades. On March 18, 1968, Senator Robert F. Kennedy traveled ...
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This chapter examines the restructuring of Kansas religion and politics that began in the late 1960s and continued for at least two more decades. On March 18, 1968, Senator Robert F. Kennedy traveled to Lawrence. Two days earlier, Kennedy had declared his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination. Kennedy's visit punctuated a restructuring of Kansas religion and politics. The quiet conservatism of the 1950s gave way to activism borne of concerns about the escalating war in Vietnam and the struggle for racial equality. The chapter first considers the impact of the Vietnam War on Kansas politics before discussing issues of school desegregation and black power in the state, along with Richard Nixon's law and order speech at Kansas State University in September 1970. It also explores the internal conflict in the local churches.Less
This chapter examines the restructuring of Kansas religion and politics that began in the late 1960s and continued for at least two more decades. On March 18, 1968, Senator Robert F. Kennedy traveled to Lawrence. Two days earlier, Kennedy had declared his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination. Kennedy's visit punctuated a restructuring of Kansas religion and politics. The quiet conservatism of the 1950s gave way to activism borne of concerns about the escalating war in Vietnam and the struggle for racial equality. The chapter first considers the impact of the Vietnam War on Kansas politics before discussing issues of school desegregation and black power in the state, along with Richard Nixon's law and order speech at Kansas State University in September 1970. It also explores the internal conflict in the local churches.
Robert Wuthnow
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691150550
- eISBN:
- 9781400839759
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691150550.003.0008
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
This chapter examines the emergence of the Religious Right in Kansas. On May 31, 2009, Dr. George Tiller was murdered at the Reformation Lutheran Church in suburban Wichita. As one of the region's ...
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This chapter examines the emergence of the Religious Right in Kansas. On May 31, 2009, Dr. George Tiller was murdered at the Reformation Lutheran Church in suburban Wichita. As one of the region's few providers of legal late-term abortions, Tiller had earned the ire of antiabortion activists. No issue brought churches as directly into the political arena during the late 1980s and 1990s as abortion. The Religious Right in Kansas gained national attention because of its role in encouraging the Kansas State Board of Education to approve science standards that downplayed the teaching of evolution. The decision raised questions such as: why Kansas was such a hotbed of religious conservatism; or why it mattered that independent evangelical Protestant churches were now on the same side of many issues as conservative Roman Catholics. The chapter explores the implications of the debate over evolution for Kansas religion and politics.Less
This chapter examines the emergence of the Religious Right in Kansas. On May 31, 2009, Dr. George Tiller was murdered at the Reformation Lutheran Church in suburban Wichita. As one of the region's few providers of legal late-term abortions, Tiller had earned the ire of antiabortion activists. No issue brought churches as directly into the political arena during the late 1980s and 1990s as abortion. The Religious Right in Kansas gained national attention because of its role in encouraging the Kansas State Board of Education to approve science standards that downplayed the teaching of evolution. The decision raised questions such as: why Kansas was such a hotbed of religious conservatism; or why it mattered that independent evangelical Protestant churches were now on the same side of many issues as conservative Roman Catholics. The chapter explores the implications of the debate over evolution for Kansas religion and politics.
Larry A. Witham
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195150452
- eISBN:
- 9780199834860
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195150457.003.0014
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
The John Scopes “monkey trial” over evolution in 1925 set a pattern for news coverage of future disputes in courts, churches, school boards, and legislatures. This chapter samples media treatment of ...
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The John Scopes “monkey trial” over evolution in 1925 set a pattern for news coverage of future disputes in courts, churches, school boards, and legislatures. This chapter samples media treatment of science–religion disputes – from Galileo to Arkansas and Kansas – and applies a news “framing” theory. It details court cases, political battles, news bias, and academic events on science–religion topics.Less
The John Scopes “monkey trial” over evolution in 1925 set a pattern for news coverage of future disputes in courts, churches, school boards, and legislatures. This chapter samples media treatment of science–religion disputes – from Galileo to Arkansas and Kansas – and applies a news “framing” theory. It details court cases, political battles, news bias, and academic events on science–religion topics.
Matthew C. Ehrlich
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780252042652
- eISBN:
- 9780252051500
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5622/illinois/9780252042652.003.0008
- Subject:
- Sociology, Sport and Leisure
The conclusion summarizes what happened after the heyday of the Oakland-Kansas City sports rivalry to the cities and their sports teams: the Kansas City Chiefs, the Kansas City Royals, the Oakland ...
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The conclusion summarizes what happened after the heyday of the Oakland-Kansas City sports rivalry to the cities and their sports teams: the Kansas City Chiefs, the Kansas City Royals, the Oakland A’s, and the Oakland Raiders. Kansas City worked to keep the Chiefs and Royals by renovating its sports complex; it also built a new downtown arena, the Sprint Center. Oakland would lose the Raiders twice (once to Los Angeles and once to Las Vegas), and it would struggle to find a site for a new stadium for the A’s. The conclusion considers the implications of yesterday’s Kansas City-Oakland sports rivalry for a new era of city-sports relations.Less
The conclusion summarizes what happened after the heyday of the Oakland-Kansas City sports rivalry to the cities and their sports teams: the Kansas City Chiefs, the Kansas City Royals, the Oakland A’s, and the Oakland Raiders. Kansas City worked to keep the Chiefs and Royals by renovating its sports complex; it also built a new downtown arena, the Sprint Center. Oakland would lose the Raiders twice (once to Los Angeles and once to Las Vegas), and it would struggle to find a site for a new stadium for the A’s. The conclusion considers the implications of yesterday’s Kansas City-Oakland sports rivalry for a new era of city-sports relations.
James Belich
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199297276
- eISBN:
- 9780191700842
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199297276.003.0013
- Subject:
- History, World Modern History
As early as the 1830s, the Old Northwest began to expand and blur into that elusive region known as the Midwest. The post-war Midwest centred on a tier of four states, Kansas, Nebraska, and the ...
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As early as the 1830s, the Old Northwest began to expand and blur into that elusive region known as the Midwest. The post-war Midwest centred on a tier of four states, Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas, but was divided into two distinct ecological zones, eastern prairie and western plains, each of which encompassed parts of the states bordering the central tier — Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana to the west, and Minnesota, Iowa, and Missouri to the east. The rough dividing line between Plains and Prairies was the 100th meridian, which ran through the middle of the four core states. Plains and Prairies shared one major obstacle to settlement: the local Indians. They were not numerous, but their adoption of the horse and the gun had turned them into extremely formidable light cavalry.Less
As early as the 1830s, the Old Northwest began to expand and blur into that elusive region known as the Midwest. The post-war Midwest centred on a tier of four states, Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas, but was divided into two distinct ecological zones, eastern prairie and western plains, each of which encompassed parts of the states bordering the central tier — Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana to the west, and Minnesota, Iowa, and Missouri to the east. The rough dividing line between Plains and Prairies was the 100th meridian, which ran through the middle of the four core states. Plains and Prairies shared one major obstacle to settlement: the local Indians. They were not numerous, but their adoption of the horse and the gun had turned them into extremely formidable light cavalry.
Michael F. Holt
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195161045
- eISBN:
- 9780199849635
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195161045.003.0022
- Subject:
- History, American History: 19th Century
On December 14, Iowa's Democratic Senator Augustus Dodge introduced a bill to organize the area west of Missouri and Iowa into a Nebraska Territory. The seemingly innocuous bill was immediately sent ...
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On December 14, Iowa's Democratic Senator Augustus Dodge introduced a bill to organize the area west of Missouri and Iowa into a Nebraska Territory. The seemingly innocuous bill was immediately sent to the Senate's Committee on Territories, which Stephen A. Douglas chaired. What Douglas and others, including Whigs and Free Soilers, did with that measure helped transform American political life and propel the Whig party to its grave. The reaction to the Nebraska bill and the eruption of Know Nothingism together produced smashing Democratic defeats, derailed the Union party movement, and permanently eclipsed the Whig party. Many southern Whigs' support for the Kansas-Nebraska Act in the spring of 1854 reopened and deepened the sectional chasm in the national party. This chapter deals with the framing of the Kansas-Nebraska Act and its initial impact on the Whig party prior to the adjournment of Congress in August 1854.Less
On December 14, Iowa's Democratic Senator Augustus Dodge introduced a bill to organize the area west of Missouri and Iowa into a Nebraska Territory. The seemingly innocuous bill was immediately sent to the Senate's Committee on Territories, which Stephen A. Douglas chaired. What Douglas and others, including Whigs and Free Soilers, did with that measure helped transform American political life and propel the Whig party to its grave. The reaction to the Nebraska bill and the eruption of Know Nothingism together produced smashing Democratic defeats, derailed the Union party movement, and permanently eclipsed the Whig party. Many southern Whigs' support for the Kansas-Nebraska Act in the spring of 1854 reopened and deepened the sectional chasm in the national party. This chapter deals with the framing of the Kansas-Nebraska Act and its initial impact on the Whig party prior to the adjournment of Congress in August 1854.
Michael Fellman
- Published in print:
- 1990
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195064711
- eISBN:
- 9780199853885
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195064711.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, American History: 19th Century
This book begins with an extensive analysis of ideology and society in prewar Missouri after it experienced capitalist transformation. The political, economic, and demographic settings of Missouri ...
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This book begins with an extensive analysis of ideology and society in prewar Missouri after it experienced capitalist transformation. The political, economic, and demographic settings of Missouri were discussed and the events of the “Bloody Kansas” during the 1850s were discussed. The Missourians were dubbed as ordinary yeoman farmers who were assaulted politically and culturally by free-state settlers in Kansas who treated them as savage poor whites. Other degrading characterizations were also given to them. The insulting slurs exchanged during this conflict provoked the Missourians to respond with violence which resulted in later invasions by the Northerners during the Civil War. This chapter is divided into two subdivisions, the first one talking about political economy and the second one on popular ideology.Less
This book begins with an extensive analysis of ideology and society in prewar Missouri after it experienced capitalist transformation. The political, economic, and demographic settings of Missouri were discussed and the events of the “Bloody Kansas” during the 1850s were discussed. The Missourians were dubbed as ordinary yeoman farmers who were assaulted politically and culturally by free-state settlers in Kansas who treated them as savage poor whites. Other degrading characterizations were also given to them. The insulting slurs exchanged during this conflict provoked the Missourians to respond with violence which resulted in later invasions by the Northerners during the Civil War. This chapter is divided into two subdivisions, the first one talking about political economy and the second one on popular ideology.
Matthew C. Ehrlich
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780252042652
- eISBN:
- 9780252051500
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5622/illinois/9780252042652.003.0002
- Subject:
- Sociology, Sport and Leisure
This chapter looks at how Kansas City and Oakland obtained major league franchises by poaching them from elsewhere, part of a nationwide trend that began in the 1950s and accelerated in the 1960s. ...
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This chapter looks at how Kansas City and Oakland obtained major league franchises by poaching them from elsewhere, part of a nationwide trend that began in the 1950s and accelerated in the 1960s. The Kansas City Star helped lure baseball’s Athletics from Philadelphia to Kansas City in 1954; the team would face significant trials under owners Arnold Johnson and Charles Finley. In 1963 Lamar Hunt moved the Dallas Texans football team to Kansas City. Oakland already had landed its own football franchise that foundered until Al Davis assumed leadership. The Oakland Tribune shepherded the drive to build the Oakland Coliseum, whereas in 1967 Kansas City passed a bond issue to build its own stadium complex, only to lose the A’s to Oakland.Less
This chapter looks at how Kansas City and Oakland obtained major league franchises by poaching them from elsewhere, part of a nationwide trend that began in the 1950s and accelerated in the 1960s. The Kansas City Star helped lure baseball’s Athletics from Philadelphia to Kansas City in 1954; the team would face significant trials under owners Arnold Johnson and Charles Finley. In 1963 Lamar Hunt moved the Dallas Texans football team to Kansas City. Oakland already had landed its own football franchise that foundered until Al Davis assumed leadership. The Oakland Tribune shepherded the drive to build the Oakland Coliseum, whereas in 1967 Kansas City passed a bond issue to build its own stadium complex, only to lose the A’s to Oakland.
Matthew C. Ehrlich
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780252042652
- eISBN:
- 9780252051500
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5622/illinois/9780252042652.003.0003
- Subject:
- Sociology, Sport and Leisure
This chapter examines the heyday of the Kansas City Chiefs-Oakland Raiders American Football League rivalry. Their face-offs during the 1968 and 1969 seasons took place amid racial revolt, including ...
More
This chapter examines the heyday of the Kansas City Chiefs-Oakland Raiders American Football League rivalry. Their face-offs during the 1968 and 1969 seasons took place amid racial revolt, including the rise of the Black Panthers and the riots following Martin Luther King’s death. It also was a time of increased activism among African American athletes, including those in the AFL. Media coverage of the social ferment ranged from reactionary in the Oakland Tribune to more progressive in Sports Illustrated’s landmark 1968 series on the black athlete. Paralleling the struggles of Oakland and Kansas City to improve their public images, the AFL battled perceptions that it was an inferior league. Those perceptions were countered by the Chiefs’ win in Super Bowl IV.Less
This chapter examines the heyday of the Kansas City Chiefs-Oakland Raiders American Football League rivalry. Their face-offs during the 1968 and 1969 seasons took place amid racial revolt, including the rise of the Black Panthers and the riots following Martin Luther King’s death. It also was a time of increased activism among African American athletes, including those in the AFL. Media coverage of the social ferment ranged from reactionary in the Oakland Tribune to more progressive in Sports Illustrated’s landmark 1968 series on the black athlete. Paralleling the struggles of Oakland and Kansas City to improve their public images, the AFL battled perceptions that it was an inferior league. Those perceptions were countered by the Chiefs’ win in Super Bowl IV.
Matthew C. Ehrlich
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780252042652
- eISBN:
- 9780252051500
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5622/illinois/9780252042652.003.0004
- Subject:
- Sociology, Sport and Leisure
This chapter relates the rise in the fortunes of baseball’s Oakland A’s, culminating in their 1972 World Series title. They won despite weak attendance and turmoil under owner Charles Finley. The ...
More
This chapter relates the rise in the fortunes of baseball’s Oakland A’s, culminating in their 1972 World Series title. They won despite weak attendance and turmoil under owner Charles Finley. The Kansas City Royals established themselves as a model expansion franchise under owner Ewing Kauffman but still had far to go to match the A’s’ success. Labor unrest engulfed both baseball and the two cities during this period, with baseball players walking off the job not long after lengthy construction strikes in Kansas City and a dockworkers strike against the Port of Oakland. Even as the growing power of the Major League Baseball Players Association transformed baseball, organized labor elsewhere faced an increasingly harsh climate.Less
This chapter relates the rise in the fortunes of baseball’s Oakland A’s, culminating in their 1972 World Series title. They won despite weak attendance and turmoil under owner Charles Finley. The Kansas City Royals established themselves as a model expansion franchise under owner Ewing Kauffman but still had far to go to match the A’s’ success. Labor unrest engulfed both baseball and the two cities during this period, with baseball players walking off the job not long after lengthy construction strikes in Kansas City and a dockworkers strike against the Port of Oakland. Even as the growing power of the Major League Baseball Players Association transformed baseball, organized labor elsewhere faced an increasingly harsh climate.
Matthew C. Ehrlich
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780252042652
- eISBN:
- 9780252051500
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5622/illinois/9780252042652.003.0005
- Subject:
- Sociology, Sport and Leisure
This chapter tells of the decline of the Kansas City Chiefs after they moved to Arrowhead Stadium in 1972. The Chiefs still could beat the Oakland Raiders at home, but coach Hank Stram was finally ...
More
This chapter tells of the decline of the Kansas City Chiefs after they moved to Arrowhead Stadium in 1972. The Chiefs still could beat the Oakland Raiders at home, but coach Hank Stram was finally fired. The Raiders dominated their division but routinely lost during the playoffs, and they were branded as not being able to win the big game. The two football teams’ frustrations coincided with confrontations over Kansas City’s and Oakland’s investments in professional sports. Citizen groups filed legal challenges over Kansas City’s new sports complex and plans for the city’s new Kemper Arena, whereas the Black Panthers used its newspaper to present a comprehensive critique of Oakland’s ruling elite, including the people who built and profited from the Oakland Coliseum.Less
This chapter tells of the decline of the Kansas City Chiefs after they moved to Arrowhead Stadium in 1972. The Chiefs still could beat the Oakland Raiders at home, but coach Hank Stram was finally fired. The Raiders dominated their division but routinely lost during the playoffs, and they were branded as not being able to win the big game. The two football teams’ frustrations coincided with confrontations over Kansas City’s and Oakland’s investments in professional sports. Citizen groups filed legal challenges over Kansas City’s new sports complex and plans for the city’s new Kemper Arena, whereas the Black Panthers used its newspaper to present a comprehensive critique of Oakland’s ruling elite, including the people who built and profited from the Oakland Coliseum.
