Henry Tutwiler, Alva Woods, and the Problem Of
SOUTHERN HONOR AND NORTHERN PIETY: HENRY TUTWILER, ALVA WOODS, AND THE PROBLEM OF DISCIPLINE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA, 1831-1837 by KEVIN LEE WINDHAM A DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Educational Leadership, Policy, and Technology Studies in the Graduate School of The University of Alabama TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA 2010 Copyright Kevin Lee Windham 2010 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ABSTRACT The University of Alabama opened its doors in April 1831, and over the next six years, the first president, Alva Woods, was confronted by numerous episodes of student misdeeds. Knife fights, dueling, shootings, slave baiting, hazing, the torture of animals, and the destruction of property were common events on campus. Woods—a Baptist minister from Vermont—was never able to end the troubles; in fact, student defiance ultimately led to mass resignations by the faculty and the installation of a new president. However, the traditional reading of Woods’ tenure at Alabama has not taken into account deeper issues. At the heart of Woods’ difficulty was a contest for discipline. He came to Tuscaloosa determined to establish a religiously orthodox vision of virtuous conduct for the future leaders of Alabama. Woods himself was the product of New England’s theological schism between Calvinism and Unitarianism. At that time he was mentored by his uncle Leonard Woods, who instilled in him a challenge to counter the spread of liberal theology by teaching the ethics of Christian piety. This was the charge that he pursued first at Columbian College, then as interim president of Brown University, as president of Transylvania University, and finally at Alabama.
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