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Virginia: A Bicentennial History
When Virginia’s Royal Governor, William Gooch, sailed for England in 1749, he left behind a “state of affairs in which all seemed ordered and tranquil and―to those whose opinions mattered―reasonably permanent.” It was the first such time in Virginia’s history but, writes author Louis Rubin, it would not be the last. From the beginning, Virginians have styled their government a conservative commonwealth, seeking stability amid change and often fashioning change to fit their concept of what Virginia―and America―should be like. In the eighteenth century Golden Age, Virginia was a world of broad acres and country gentlemen. To preserve the world, Virginians led a revolution and helped to found a government that they believed would secure their children’s future. In the name of old and tried principles, Virginians in 1861 seceded from the Union to defend a way of life that to them seemed worth fighting for. In the twentieth century, they “paid as they went,” convinced that debt meant the end of good government.
Hardcover
First published December 31, 1977
About the author
Louis D. Rubin Jr.
105 books4 followersLouis Decimus Rubin Jr. was born into a Jewish family in Charleston, South Carolina, on November 19, 1923. He studied for two years at the College of Charleston, served in the Army during World War II (1939–1945), and earned a BA in history at the University of Richmond.
Louis D. Rubin is a writer, editor, publisher, educator, and literary critic, and perhaps the person most responsible for the emergence of southern literature as a field of scholarly inquiry. He served on the faculty of Hollins College (now Hollins University) in Roanoke, Virginia. He coedited Southern Renascence, an important compilation of southern studies; founded the journal Hollins Critic; established the Southern Literary Studies series at the Louisiana State University Press; cofounded the Southern Literary Journal; cofounded Algonquin Books, a literary press that showcases emerging southern writers; and promoted the early work of important southern writers, including Clyde Edgerton, John Barth, and Virginia writers Lee Smith and Annie Dillard.
Louis D. Rubin is a writer, editor, publisher, educator, and literary critic, and perhaps the person most responsible for the emergence of southern literature as a field of scholarly inquiry. He served on the faculty of Hollins College (now Hollins University) in Roanoke, Virginia. He coedited Southern Renascence, an important compilation of southern studies; founded the journal Hollins Critic; established the Southern Literary Studies series at the Louisiana State University Press; cofounded the Southern Literary Journal; cofounded Algonquin Books, a literary press that showcases emerging southern writers; and promoted the early work of important southern writers, including Clyde Edgerton, John Barth, and Virginia writers Lee Smith and Annie Dillard.
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September 30, 2022
Rubin offers a truly refreshing take on Virginia's history. He tackles the elephant in the room--slavery--head on, without apology, and with real insight. I was particularly interested in his insights regarding why Virginia stopped growing before the Civil War, and why it has resurged in recent years. (Spoiler: because the aristocrats in charge wanted it that way, both times.)
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