Stan Deaton is the Dr. Elaine B. Andrews Distinguished Historian at the Georgia Historical Society, an endowed position created by Dr. Victor Andrews. He has worked at the Georgia Historical Society since 1998. He holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Florida, a Masters in history from the University of Georgia, and Bachelors degree in journalism from the Grady School at the University of Georgia. He is the Emmy-winning writer and host of Today in Georgia History, jointly produced for TV and radio by GHS and Georgia Public Broadcasting. At the Georgia Historical Society Deaton is a public historian, speaker, writer, teacher, and lecturer. He produces videos, writes a blog, and records podcasts that are all available at "Off the Deaton Path," speaks to groups across the country on a variety of subjects, serves as managing editor for the Georgia Historical Quarterly, recruits materials for the GHS Research Center; leads teacher training workshops; writes historical markers; conducts oral history interviews; helps write grants; assists with fund raising; writes newspaper editorials and is regularly interviewed by broadcast and print media on a variety of subjects related to history in the news.
Confederate symbols and what they mean have dominated American political and cultural life over the past decade. Why? This presentation examines the origins of the Confederacy and the Lost Cause, where these monuments came from, and what they mean now.