David T. Beito

David T. Beito (born 1956) is a historian and professor of history at the University of Alabama.[1] He is the author of Taxpayers in Revolt: Tax Resistance during the Great Depression (1989); From Mutual Aid to the Welfare State: Fraternal Societies and Social Services, 1890–1967 (2000); The Voluntary City: Choice, Community, and Civil Society (2002); and Black Maverick: T. R. M. Howard's Fight for Civil Rights and Economic Power (2009) which was co-authored by Professor Linda Royster Beito of Stillman College). Black Maverick is a biography of civil rights leader, surgeon, entrepreneur and self-help advocate, T. R. M. Howard, who was a mentor to Medgar Evers and Fannie Lou Hamer, and was reviewed by the Wall Street Journal, Harper's Magazine, and other publications.

Beito is the founder and one of the key contributors to the group weblog Liberty and Power, which is located at the History News Network.[2]

Beito was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He received a B.A. in history from the University of Minnesota in 1980 and a Ph.D in history from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1986. Since 1994, he has taught at the University of Alabama, where he is a professor in history. He married Linda Royster Beito on June 11, 1997 and they live in Northport, Alabama.

Beito’s research covers a wide range of topics in American history including race, tax revolts, the private provision of infrastructure, mutual aid, and the political philosophies of Zora Neale Hurston, Rose Wilder Lane, and Isabel Paterson.

Beito has published in the Journal of Interdisciplinary History, Journal of Policy History, Journal of Southern History, and Journal of Urban History among other scholarly journals. He has received fellowships from the Earhart Foundation, the Olin Foundation, and the Institute for Humane Studies.

He writes frequently on current controversies related to academic freedom and academic standards including the speech code issue, the Academic Bill of Rights, grade inflation. He is a former president of the Alabama Scholars Association. In February 2007, Beito was appointed to chair the Alabama State Advisory Committee of the United States Commission on Civil Rights. In April, 2008, the Committee had an open meeting at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham which focused on eminent domain as a possible civil rights issue. It followed this up with another open meeting in April 2009 in Montgomery.[3] Witnesses alleged that the city of Montgomery has arbitrarily used "eminent domain through the back door" (via selective use of nuisance and blight laws) to demolish buildings owned by minorities and the poor. These allegations generated stories by ABC News, Fox News, and other outlets.

Books

Downloadable free in PDF form

Edited books

Selected articles and chapters in collections

Reviews of Beito's work and interviews

References

  1. Walker, Jesse (2011-02-22) People Who Live in the Shade, Reason
  2. Beito, David (2011-04-04) You Must Own This Book! (Raico's Great Wars and Great Leaders), LewRockwell.com
  3. Beito, David (2009-05-02) Something is Rotten in Montgomery, LewRockwell.com

External links