re: Ancestral geneology of SEC people

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Funny you use liberal for such a staunch republican(whig) area.

But some do not realize TN was not totally supportive of the south. Andrew Johnson comes from ETN(Greeneville) who succeeded Lincoln in his efforts to end slavery and reunite the union.

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Not really they were liberal. Don't forget that republicans are even responsible for the Progressive Era. Mountain Repubs like those in E. TN were responsible for the first Civil Rights Act, pushed and allowed black voters post-Civil War, and remained far more liberal/progressive than many would ever imagine up until recent times. They were a different breed from the standard GOP and would've been horrified by the GOP today.

Johnson had trouble making up his mind as to what party he wanted to officially come out for. Eventually, he sided with democrats and but even so he was a product of E. TN.

Jackson, for all his warts, (not that Johnson didn't have just as many) was another Democrat and he saved the Union from war by threatening to send troops into SC when Calhoun and the rest of the state was all about state's rights and nullification. Were it not for him, the war would've happened sooner.

Fightin' Bob La Follette (Republican) is one my of my heroes. LINK .

Things have changed but E. TN mountain republicans held true longer than most while the rest of the GOP took up the banner of various conservative policies formerly associated with democratic factions. Had I lived back then I'd have been a staunch republican for many reasons.

I'm proud of our heritage and our old Mtn. Repubs even though I'm a democrat and consider myself on the progressive/liberal end of things. But I've always gotten along well with those of differing opinions, even today's repubs and conservatives so long as they're not extreme tea party types.

ETA: I hate the fact that E. TN's history in this regard has been so forgotten. It's shameful.