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Articles written by John Taylor


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  • Maryland, Lincoln, and Treason

    John Taylor|Nov 1, 2021

    What is treason? Article III, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution defines it: “Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort.” Using the plurals “them” and their” the text is clearly referencing the States—the sovereign entities described in the 1783 Treaty of Paris. After Lincoln called for 75,000 troops to invade the seceded States, Virginia reversed course and decided they would not be a party...

  • Snakes in the Grass

    John Taylor|Jun 1, 2021

    “The rivers are full of crocodile nasties, and He who made kittens put snakes in the grass.” Ian Anderson I attended and briefly spoke to House State Government committees in Montgomery in support of House Bill 242 and in opposition to House Bill 43. It was quite an experience observing how the political machine functions in the State of Alabama. The assault on Alabama’s Southern and/or Confederate history was eye-opening, especially discovering who was for and against some of these bills. A noticeable degree of animosity also seeped throu...

  • The University of Alabama Cadets

    John Taylor|Nov 1, 2020

    After Alabama became a State on December 14, 1819, plans were initiated to establish a State University. Tuscaloosa, the State Capitol (1826-1846), was chosen. Architect William Nichols patterned the layout of the University of Alabama (UA) after the University of Virginia, designed by Thomas Jefferson. On April 18, 1831, UA opened its doors, with Reverend Alva Woods serving as President. UA was initially a civilian institution with many students coming from well-to-do families. These sometimes pampered and undisciplined teenaged students,...

  • Are You From Dixie?

    John Taylor|Aug 1, 2020

    Besides appreciating where I came from, my love for the South and its traditions originated with my late mother, Mary Alford Taylor. She was very easy going; however, if anybody talked badly about the South, she would become instantly defiant. It was ingrained in me from day one that Southern people are special and have been wrongly ridiculed by outsiders. As a youth in the 1960s, I remember listening to WBAM (The Big Bam 740 in Montgomery) and WVOK (The Mighty 690 in Birmingham). Living in Alexander City, I could pick up both stations...