Michael Hill (activist)
Michael Hill | |
---|---|
Born | J. Michael Hill 1951 (age 72–73) |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | University of Alabama |
Occupation(s) | Neo-Confederate activist, White supremacist activist[1][2] |
Organization | League of the South |
Known for | President of the League of the South White supremacism |
Michael Hill (born 1951) is an American-born political activist from Alabama. He is a co-founder and the president of the "Southern secession" movement the League of the South, an organization whose stated goal is to create an independent country made up of the former slave states of the American South. A Neo-Confederate, Hill is known for his white supremacist and pro-slavery views.[1][2]
Early life and education
Hill was born in 1951 in Alabama.[2]
He studied history at the University of Alabama, where two of his professors were Grady McWhiney and Forrest McDonald.[2] In Cracker Culture, McWhiney and McDonald argued that the Southern United States was settled by Anglo-Celts for the most part, as opposed to the Northern United States, which was settled by British Protestants.[2] In 2000, historian Brooks D. Simpson countered the claim, stating that "There are key parts of the South which were not settled by Anglo-Celts or anyone who saw themselves that way" and that "Southern culture is fundamentally defined by the interaction of different racial groups, primarily blacks and whites, and, to a lesser extent, Native Americans."[3]
Career
Hill taught British history at Stillman College, a historically black college in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, for eighteen years.[2][4][5]
In 1994, Hill co-founded the League of the South, a pro-Southern secession organization,[2] with Reverend J. Steven Wilkins of Auburn Avenue Presbyterian Church in Monroe, Louisiana and thirty-nine other Neo-Confederates.[4] A year later, in 1995, he established a chapter of the League of the South on the campus of his alma mater, the University of Alabama.[2] With Thomas Fleming, Hill co-authored an article entitled "New Dixie Manifesto" in The Washington Post in June 1995.[4]
Hill tried to revive the Southern Party in 2003.[2] A decade later, in 2013, Hill promoted "opposition to immigration and same-sex marriage."[2] In June 2015, he spoke out in defense of slavery and white supremacy, stating that his views were backed up by science.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Simpson, Brooks D. (July 7, 2015). "The League of the South Tells Rainbow Confederates to Shape Up or Ship Out". Crossroads. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Michael Hill". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
- ^ "Arizona State Professor Brooks D. Simpson Discusses Neo-Confederate Movement". Intelligence Report. Southern Poverty Law Center. 2000. Archived from the original on October 13, 2013. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
{{cite web}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ a b c Atkins, Steven A. (2011). Encyclopedia of Right-Wing Extremism In Modern American History. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. p. 166. ISBN 9781598843514. OCLC 763156200.
- ^ Shackel, Paul A. (2003). Memory in Black and White: Race, Commemoration, and the Post-bellum Landscape. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman Altamira. p. 185. ISBN 0759102627. OCLC 470393322.
External links