Article "The Facts About Dixie"

Article "The Facts About Dixie"

This article seeks to publish factual information about the song "Dixie," particularly as students began to object to its use at university events. This piece discusses the controversy of whether or not “Dixie” or “Dixie’s Land” should be played at the University of Richmond’s functions. Jeff Somers, the president of the freshman class, had previously said that “the song was written by a Negro”, but then realized that he was mistaken as he did not understand the concept of “blackface”. The article then goes on to reference Carl Wittke’s book, Tambo and Bones, which states that “Dixie” was created by a “blackface minstrel, Daniel Decatur Emmett of Mt. Vernon, Ohio”. Emmett was one of the original “Big Four” who got the Virginia Minstrels together in the 1840s. Emmett wrote the song for a show in New York City, and was first used for Bryant’s Minstrels, but quickly became popular in the North. It was eventually used by the Republican Party as a campaign song for Lincoln in 1860, but then transitioned into a song that represented the Union soldiers and the South, expressing war sentiments. In these latter circumstances, the lyrics of the song had been changed.

Gullette, Tom. "The Facts About Dixie." The University of Richmond Collegian LIX, (October 29, 1971): 1. https://collegian.richmond.edu/cgi-bin/richmond?a=d&d=COL19711029.2.6&srpos=1&e=------197-en-20--1--txt-txIN-

The Collegian, University of Richmond

1971-10-29

English

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Richmond (Va.)