A Regressive Progressive: The Legacy and Outlook of Julian S. Carr, 1845-1924

A Regressive Progressive covers the legacy and outlook of Julian Shakespeare Carr in three areas: religion, race, and labor. Inspired by the recent Silent Sam controversy, the paper seeks to expand the understanding of Julian S. Carr, whose character had been flattened by the controversy. Using the Julian S. Carr Papers held in the Wilson Special Collection library, I found Julian S. Carr followed a paternalistic view on the South and North Carolina. Julian S. Carr believed in spreading his plans for North Carolina, which were heavily influenced by his Southern Methodism and his white supremacy. Carr provides a moderate perspective on white industrial leadership in North Carolina. He took a paternalistic view on both race and labor, seeing himself as a moral guide to those he deemed needed to be led.