east tennessee : the switzerland of america!

the famously racist region of the state gets an entire DISUNION post dedicated to how un-racist it used to be.

East Tennessee, wrote a pamphleteer shortly after the end of the Civil War, had long been considered the Switzerland of America. “Its towering mountains locking up deep, rich and verdant valleys and coves, its succession of ridges and valleys, its magnificent forests, its roaring streams, the general fertility of the soil, the glory of the climate, the salubrity of the atmosphere, the sublimity, beauty and picturesqueness of the scenery, the freshness and voluptuous abundance of the country, all conspire to make it one of the most desirable spots in America.”

The two regions had more in common than just natural beauty. East Tennessee was fiercely independent and often contrarian in its political currents, especially during the Civil War. When Middle and West Tennessee citizens voted on June 8, 1861 to join the Confederacy, most East Tennessee voters rejected the call. It would remain a thorn in the eyes of the Confederate republic, and an enticing and romantic rallying cry for the Union—even though its complex views on race and the government would vex both contemporaries and historians for decades to come. (via)