"Our Country First, Then Greenville"

"With this examination of Greenville, South Carolina, Tollison Hartness delivers much more than a fascinating community study. This book brings to life the interplay of urban expansion in the midst of the social, cultural, and political milieu of World War I and of the Progressive Era. Essential for those interested in race relations, women's rights, and boosterism in a New South city, it is also a thoughtful, rewarding, and essential contribution to the history of the early twentieth century, and of South Carolina. Tollison Hartness groundbreakingly incorporates the contributions of African Americans and women and offers the first published history of the woman's suffrage movement in Greenville. This work will also appeal to those in the general public interested in how events of the past contribute to and shape our present."—Orville Vernon Burton, Judge Matthew J. Perry Distinguished Professor of History, Clemson University and author of The Age of Lincoln and co-author of Justice Deferred: Race and the Supreme Court

""Our Country First, Then Greenville" is an outstanding account of the city's emergence into the modern era and a valuable contribution to the history of the American South in the years surrounding the First World War."—M. Ryan Floyd, Chair/History Education Coordinator, Department of History and Philosophy, Lander University

"Our Country First, then Greenville is an important book because it helps answer the riddle of Southern Progressivism, which is: When was a Southern Progressive not progressive? The answer: Whenever the color line was at stake. This book is highly recommended for academic libraries and public libraries with South Carolina and Piedmont region history collections."—Kristine Stilwell, The southeastern Librarian