A Concise History of Kentucky

253 Pages·2008·78.459 MB·English

by  James C. Klotter, Freda C. Klotter

klotter_dj 12/24/07 10:05 AM Page 1
A
N
(continued from front flap) DJ
A G H

FM
RE A
ES
D
Ali. The authors also highlight the lives of A CC. K C O N C I S E
Kentuckians, both famous and ordinary, to . L
KO H I S TO R Y o f
give a voice to history. LT G H
OT
TE KENTUCKY
The Klotters explore Kentuckians’ accom- HISTORY/REGIONAL TR A
E
plishments in government, medicine, politics, R
and the arts. They describe the writing and C O N C I S E
music that flowered across the state, and they
GA
profile the individuals who worked to secure H I S T O R Y o f
equal rights for women and African Americans. JAMES C. KLOTTER
C
The book explains what it was like to work in
KENTUCKY AND FREDA C. KLOTTER
o O
the coal mines and details the daily routine on

a nineteenth-century farm. The authors bring f N
K
Kentucky’s story to the twenty-first century C entucky is most commonly associated
and talk about the state’s modern economy, in k with horses, tobacco fields, bourbon, and
I
which auto manufacturing jobs are replacing coal mines. There is much more to the
e S

traditional agricultural work. state, though, than stories of feuding families

n E
and Colonel Sanders’s famous fried chicken.

Acollaboration of the state historian and an

t

experienced educator, A Concise History of H Kentucky has a rich and compelling history,
u
Kentuckyis the best single resource for and James C. Klotter and Freda C. Klotter
I
Kentuckians new and old who want to learn The University Press c introduce readers to an exciting story that
S
more about the past, present, and future of of Kentucky k spans 12,000 years, looking at the lives of
T
the Bluegrass State. Kentuckians from Native Americans to astro-
y
O nauts. The Klotters examine all aspects of the

James C. Klotteris professor of history at HR state’s history—its geography, government,
Georgetown College and the state historian social life, cultural achievements, education,
Y
of Kentucky. He is the author of several and economy.
books, including A New History of Kentucky. JAMES C. KLOTTER
A Concise History of Kentuckyrecounts the
Freda C. Klotterhas twenty-five years of AND FREDA C. KLOTTER events of the deadly frontier wars of the state’s
classroom experience and currently serves as early history, the divisive Civil War, and the
an educational consultant for the nonprofit shocking assassination of a governor in 1900.
k
Collaborative for Teaching and Learning. e The book tells of Kentucky’s leaders from
n
Daniel Boone and Henry Clay to Abraham
t
u Lincoln, Mary Breckinridge, and Muhammad
c
k
y
(continued on back flap)
Jacket design by Jen Huppert Design
A Concise History
of Kentucky

a concise

history of
kentucky

.
james c klotter
and
.
freda c klotter
T U P K
he niversiTy ress of enTUcKy
Copyright © 2008 by The University Press of Kentucky
Scholarly publisher for the Commonwealth,
serving Bellarmine University, Berea College, Centre College of Kentucky,
Eastern Kentucky University, The Filson Historical Society, Georgetown
College, Kentucky Historical Society, Kentucky State University,
Morehead State University, Murray State University, Northern Kentucky
University, Transylvania University, University of Kentucky, University of
Louisville, and Western Kentucky University.
All rights reserved.
Editorial and Sales Offices: The University Press of Kentucky
663 South Limestone Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40508-4008
www.kentuckypress.com
12 11 10 09 08 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Klotter, James C.
A concise history of Kentucky / James C. Klotter and Freda C. Klotter.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8131-9192-8 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Kentucky—History. I. Klotter, Freda C., 1946– II. Title.
F451.K66 2008
976.9—dc22 2007045571
This book is printed on acid-free recycled paper meeting
the requirements of the American National Standard
for Permanence in Paper for Printed Library Materials.
Manufactured in the United States of America.
Member of the Association of
American University Presses
To our grandchildren

Contents
Preface  xi
Chapter One. Frontiers—Then and Now  1
The Past 3
Writing about the Past 3
Native Americans in Kentucky 4
Paleo-Indians, 10,000 to 8000 b.c. 5
Archaic Period, 8000 to 1000 b.c. 6
Woodland Period, 1000 b.c. to a.d. 1000 6
Late Prehistoric Period, a.d. 1000 to 1750 7
The Great Dying 8
The Name “Kentucky” 9
Chapter Two. Starting a State  11
The First West 14
The First Explorers 15
What They Found 17
Coming to Kentucky 20
Settling a State 21
Daniel Boone 24
Hard Times 26
Choices 27
The End of the Frontier 30
Statehood 30
Chapter Three. Different Kentuckys  33
The People of Kentucky 33
Kentucky Homes 34
The Land 35
Climate 40
Geographic Regions 41
Jackson Purchase 41
Pennyroyal (or Pennyrile) 42
Western Coal Fields 42
Bluegrass 43
Mountains (Eastern Coal Fields) 43
Cultural or Human Regions 44
Appalachia (Eastern Kentucky) 45
Northern Kentucky 46
Bluegrass 46
South-Central Kentucky 48
Louisville 49
West Kentucky 50
Jackson Purchase 52
Regionalism 52
Kentucky Names 53
Chapter Four. The Government of Kentucky  55
The Kentucky Constitution 55
Levels and Branches of Government 56
The Executive Branch 57
The Judicial Branch 59
The Legislative Branch 62
The Mystery of “Honest Dick” Tate 62
Chapter Five. Living in Kentucky  65
Daily Life 65
Clothes and Fashion 67
Food 68
Work 71
Health 74
Fun and Games 78
Religion 85
Chapter Six. From Statehood to the Civil War  91
Slavery 91
Slave Life 92
Freedom 96
Antislavery 100
Key Political Leaders 101
Three Kentucky Presidents 103
Chapter Seven. The Civil War and the End of a Century  109
The Brothers’ War 111
On the Battlefield 112
Guerrillas 116
Results of the War 117
From the End of the Civil War to the Start of a New Century 120
Feuds and Murders 122
Chapter Eight. Working in Kentucky  127
Farming 127
Early Business and King Coal 130
Modern Industries 132
Global Kentucky 140
Chapter Nine. Words, Music, and More  143
Early Writing 143
Twentieth-Century Writers 146
Modern Writers 149
Writing History, Poetry, and Drama 150
Newspapers 154
Music 155
Radio and Television 159
Visual Arts 160
Motion Pictures 161
Chapter Ten. Kentucky in the Twentieth Century  163
The Transportation Revolution 163
The Communication Revolution 165
The New Deal 167
Wars 168
Out-Migration 171
Equal Rights 172
Equal Rights for Women 172
Equal Rights for All Races 175
Politics 179
Kentucky’s Best Year 182