On this episode of The Statist Quo, Matt and Nick are joined by our friend Luke from the Biting the Bullet podcast, to help us tell one of the lesser known (but most incredible) stories of resistance to government tyranny, that has come to be called the Battle of Athens.  It took place in August 1946, almost a year after V-J Day, when Tennessee WW2 veterans came home to find their town under the boot of a powerful political machine ran by Edwin Hull Crump in Memphis, whose tentacles spread all throughout the state.  McMinn County, the location of Athens, had always been fiercely independent when it came to politics.  When America entered WW2, 10% of the county's population signed up to go fight, and in their absence, the local government was taken over by the violent thugs of the Crump machine.  Beatings, extortion and coercion were everyday occurrences.  However, when the veterans came home, they decided they couldn't abide by this treatment, and took the fight right to the local government.  This is their story, one of the greatest never told.

Facebook
Twitter

Special shout out to Josiah and the Bull Mountain Boys for letting us use their song "Battle of Athens" in our show!

Thank you for listening! We truly appreciate your support!

Check out Biting The Bullet Podcast!

Links

https://www.patreon.com/bitingthebullet

http://volweb.utk.edu/~wpcsws/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/2000-White-Bill-Transcript.pdf

https://www.americanheritage.com/battle-athens#1

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/battle-athens-group.html