HIS 112 Final Exam

Imagine that you were invited by Gov. Bevin to address the Kentucky General Assembly when the regular session begins in January. What would you are are the three most significant problems facing Kentucky, and what specific policies would you suggest could help solve them?

1. Health - A failure to solve the health, lifestyle and related environmental problems that afflict Kentucky's citizenry. - Discouraging statistics that reflect most embarrassingly and poignantly the state's resistance to change (high chronic disease risk rate [64%], about 30% of citizens smoke, nearly 1/3 of Kentuckians are obese, typically do not get enough exercise). - Research even at UK warns "Kentucky poor health status has economic effects and consequences." How to fix: There is no single fix for these problems; one program is not enough. Providing locally sourced produce which then provides a new market for local farmers who are generating extra income. Increasing income for farmers and increasing supply for fresh produce, beginning a healthier routine from infancy and providing more opportunities for people to access fresh produce. 2. Concentrated, Cyclical Poverty (esp. in Appalachia) - The poverty rate in Kentucky is the fifth highest in the country. - The region of Appalachia is especially facing major problems in terms of poverty; it is a problem that is for the most part ignored by the majority of the nation. - Nearly a quarter of Appalachian Kentuckians are below the poverty line. How to fix: Increased investment in Appalachia is needed to fix the issues of employment and poverty; however, to get these investments, awareness of the issues need to rise. (Appalachia Service Project: Christian ministry open to all individuals; volunteer home repair in central Appalachia) 3. Coal and Water - For more than 100 years, the coal industry has polluted Kentucky's land, water, air and democracy while disrespecting the workers who create its profits. - The worst example is Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining, which brings utter destruction of the land, the poisoning of our water, the loss of jobs and the theft of hope for future generations. - The mining and burning of coal drains millions of dollars from the state budget and billions of dollars from the people of Kentucky. How to fix: Support organizations like Kentuckians For The Commonwealth, a group of individuals who are tirelessly working to directly create a better future for the state of Kentucky as a whole. Create laws designed to protect the people who live in areas where coal is mined. Join the march with thousands of other Kentuckians at the state capital on/around Valentine's Day to put an end to mountaintop removal.

UK vs. Texas Western, 1966

1966 NCAA Title Game. UK was composed of an all-white team, but Texas was made up of all black starting five. Significance: In 1966, two years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act, SEC athletics remained segregated.

Appalachian Regional Commission

A 1965 program designed to increase economic development of "distressed areas in Appalachia." The ARC is composed of 14 members. It includes all of West Virginia and portions of 12 other states. Significance: Congress established ARC to bring the region into socioeconomic parity with the rest of the nation.

Muhammad Ali

A boxer from Louisville who was often criticized for his political beliefs. Ali felt that white America was ignoring the issues that African Americans were dealing with. Significance: Ali was a prominent athlete figure who fought for civil rights.

Loretta Lynn

A female musician in what during her time was a predominantly male field. Her birthplace of Butcher Hollow, a coal mining community located in Johnson County, KY inspired her to write some of her famous songs such as "Coal Miner's Daughter." Significance: Noted as "The Queen of Country Music."

Medicaid

A great society program. Provides health care for those who fall below poverty guidelines. Composed of joint federal-state funding. Significance: The question has been raised of whether reducing medicaid should be included in a new revenue for Kentucky.

Bill Monroe

A musical genius who created his own genre (bluegrass music). Created a unique American form of music that led to many other musicians following in his footsteps. Significance: A leading cultural icon for Kentucky.

Coal Severance Tax

A tax created in 1972 placed on coal from a specific region per tonnage. Taxes mined coal and the revenue would go to the general treasury. In 1992, the General Assembly amended this tax so that 1/2 went back to the coal region. *This was not an easy answer.. it created a gap to fill.* Significance: Raised the question of if you're going to allocate money to a different category of the pie chart (the state's total budget), where will the money come from?

Louisville Defender

A weekly newspaper in Louisville, KY. Founded in 1933 by Alvin Bowman of Louisville and John Sengstacke of Chicago. Significance: It joined The Louisville Leader and Louisville News as African-American newspapers in the city.

Anne Braden

An American civil rights activist, journalist, and educator dedicated to the cause of racial equality. She fought for an inclusive community movement and demonstrated that protecting civil liberties was essential to gaining civil rights. Significance: Her achievements and legacy as an active advocate for racial equality live on.

Whitney Young

An American civil rights leader. Young spent most of his career working to end employment discrimination in the US. Significance: He aggressively worked for equitable access to socioeconomic opportunity for the historically disenfranchised.

Lyman Johnson

An American educator and influential role model for racial desegregation in Kentucky. He is best known as the plaintiff whose successful legal challenge opened the University of Kentucky to African-American students in 1949. Significance: Johnson was a prominent figure who campaigned for equal rights for African American students and teachers.

Wendell Berry

An American novelist, poet, environmental activist, cultural critic, and farmer. Mistrustful of technology, he holds deep reverence for the land and is a staunch defender of agrarian values. Significance: Berry was a prominent figure and voice for the importance of sustainable agriculture.

West End Community Council

An open housing organization that was founded in 1945 and remained active until 1970. This group became a broad human rights group with the help from its first executive director, Hulbert James. Significance: The efforts made by the WECC helped to foster more accepting attitudes regarding integration and promoted equal housing for anyone who could afford it. This later influenced movements for affordable housing for low income families, regardless of race.

Mountain Top Removal

Began in Appalachia in the 1970's as an extension of conventional strip mining techniques. - This would involve clearing all forests and topsoil, blasting away tops of mountain with explosives, and scooping out exposed coal. Significance: MTR causes significant environmental damage, despite regulatory efforts to minimize impacts.

John Y. Brown, Jr.

Brown took his name recognition, his wealth and the fact that he was married to Miss America and decided to run for the democratic nomination for governor in 1979 (defying the traditional role of starting local and building your way up). He spent his own money for campaigning and bypassed county organizations. Significance: In face of recession, Brown refused to raise taxes, and instead cut the state budget by 22%.

Louie B. Nunn

He brought the University of Louisville into state system. This meant a new university in Northern KY. Nunn also sent troops to UK in 1970 in response to the ROTC fire. Significance: Nunn raised sales tax from 3 to 5 cents (Nunn's Nickel).

KERA

Kentucky Education Reform Act. KERA Presented the whole course of education reform for the entire nation. It was a legislative response to the court ruling through providing a reorganization of how money is spent in the Kentucky education system and not the amount spent. Significance: Result was a complete restructuring of how Kentucky's schools work including reallocation of authority and revamped state testing.

From your reading of K' Meyers' Civil Rights in the Gateway to the South, explain why African Americans in Louisville shifted their allegiance from the Republican to the Democratic Party between 1945 and 1980.

Meyers' "Civil Rights in the Gateway to the South" offers readers insight as to how America's race relations got to where they are today, and clues to their future direction. From the reading, I discovered between the years of 1945 and 1980, African Americans in Louisville shifted their allegiance from the Republican to the Democratic Party. There were really two main reasons for this shift: race and economics. - The racial policies of Republicans alienated many black voters, while those of the northern wing of the Democratic Party attracted them - For the first time, African Americans were included under the header of the New Deal within these policies and programs that affected their lives on a daily basis. - First Lady in the White House, Eleanor Roosevelt, doing all kinds of things and speaking out very publicly about civil rights. - This combination of civil rights symbolism and economic incentives really compels black voters to say farewell to the party of Lincoln.

ROTC Building Fire

On May 5, 1970, students of the University of Kentucky reacted to the shootings that occurred the day before at Kent State University. After a peaceful march, the protests that broke out around UK's campus escalated into the Air Force ROTC Building being engulfed in flames-- allegedly due to arson. Significance: Noted as one of the most dangerous moments in UK history.

Community Actions Programs

Promoted self-sufficiency by "maximum feasible participation from local constituencies." There was a lot of push back in response to these programs. Significance: They challenged local political factions for federal money.

Busing in Louisville

Public education could not be a form of discrimination in the 1950's. So the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board declared it unconstitutional. But then separated housing came into play. Busing students to different schools became a very contentious issue. It generated a great deal of controversy among people of all political affiliations. Significance: Showed just how deeply engrained racial housing and segregation remained in the 70's and 80's in Louisville. It was a deeply routed issue.

Nate Northington

The first African American to play any sport in the SEC conference. Northington played football for UK. He was recently inducted into the UK Hall of Fame in 2016. Significance: College sports were kind of hard to integrate; Northington broke a boundary.

Hobart Ison

The landowner who drove up fired three shots, killing Hugh O'Connor, a filmmaker who sought to depict the variety of people across the US (filmed coal miners and their families). Significance: Is Ison a hero or a villain? He brings up a lot of cultural messages about defending your turf and property.

Rose vs. Council for Better Education

The law case that sparked an educational reform in the state of Kentucky. It was a landmark case amid three waves of school finance challenges that began in federal court in the late 1960s. Significance: This was a landmark legal case that helped to redefine the purposes and responsibilities of US schools.

Mitch McConnell

The longest serving U.S. Senator from KY. As moderate, opposed flag burning amendment, but supported gun control. As conservative, opposed campaign finance on First Amendment grounds. Significance: McConnell played an integral role in recent budget negotiation to avert credit default.

Martha Layne Collins

The only female governor in state history. Collins used $125 million in tax incentives to bring Toyota to Georgetown. Significance: She expanded funds for higher education and made kindergarten mandatory.

Andrew Wade

Wade's Louisville home (bought from Anne and Carl Braden) was bombed in in the summer of 1954 after the African American family attempted to live in an all-white neighborhood. Louisville had integrated much of its public places by this time period, yet equal housing opportunities were not as progressive or successful. Significance: The decision only contributed to the racial tension in Louisville, yet it was an important herald for the open housing drive that was embraced by the larger Civil Rights movement.

Do you think education reform in Kentucky since 1990 has been successful? Why?

Yes: - The passage of KERA (Kentucky Education Reform Act) rebuilt public education and led the nation on a path toward standards-based reform - These reforms allowed Kentucky to become the first state in the nation to write definitions of what students should know and be able to do (academic standards; which every state now has) - By most measures, Kentucky's students have made dramatic increases in their academic performance - Kentucky education has seen improvements in terms of equalizing funding among various schools, but still has a long way to go in becoming nationally competitive in its educational outcomes standardized test scores