Oral history interview with Strom Thurmond, July 1978
Subtitle: interview A-0334, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007)
Contributors: Banks, James G., 1940- interviewer; Southern Oral History Program; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Documenting the American South (Project); University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library
Edition: Electronic ed.
Publisher: University Library, UNC-Chapel Hill
Published: 2007
Place of publication: [Chapel Hill, N.C.]
Language: eng
Subjects: Interviews; Politicians; Legislators; Attitudes; Politics and government; Social life and customs
Other titles: Interview A-0334, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007); Interview with Strom Thurmond, July 1978; Oral histories of the American South.
Description: Strom Thurmond had a long career as an attorney, judge, and governor in South Carolina before serving in the United States Senate. Here he addresses his childhood and the predecessors who inspired his lifelong work. Starting with his parents' farm, Thurmond explains how he learned to save and invest by working on local fields. His parents, he says, modeled ambition and diligence. Local leaders such as Benjamin Tillman introduced him to the world of politics and the rhetoric of race relations. Through the example of others, he developed his own appreciation for constitutional literalism and states' rights. Thurmond discusses how he argued for these issues in his book and during his terms in office. He also gives his opinion on the desegregation process he witnessed in South Carolina and envisions how he would have reacted to major issues such as slavery.
Notes: Title from menu page (viewed on July 18, 2008).

Interview participants: Strom Thurmond, interviewee; James G. Banks, interviewer.

Duration: 02:38:24.

This electronic edition is part of the UNC-CH digital library, Documenting the American South.  It is a part of the collection Oral histories of the American South.

Text encoded by Mike Millner.  Sound recordings digitized by Aaron Smithers.

Text (HTML and XML/TEI source file) and audio (MP3); 2 files: ca. 190 kilobytes, 290 megabytes.

Original version: Southern Oral History Program Collection, (#4007), Series A, Southern politics, interview A-0334, Manuscripts Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Transcribed by Stephanie M. Alexander. Original transcript: 91 p.

Funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services supported the electronic publication of this interview.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

System requirements:  Web browser with Javascript enabled and multimedia player.