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The Jennings Heritage
Project (JHP) is a program of the Agribusiness Council (ABC)'s Heritage
Preservation Committee which comprises educational outreach on American
history. The project features slide/lecture presentations, articles and
documented, inspired storytelling, featuring individuals, events and
places drawn from one of
America's
oldest families with emphasis on character and leadership development for
young people. The JHP seeks funding to raise awareness of the
agrarian/rural tradition which weaves a dominant thread through the annals
of the nation and Jennings family lore (and forms a unique subtheme within
the project).
Background
In the
aftermath of September 11, our nation has begun to reassess its meaning
and basic beliefs as part of a complex realignment which touches all
aspects of our national and individual lives. At its core, the challenge
facing us requires a re-dedication to those civic spirits and principles
which led our founding fathers to create this nation. It is our duty to
reexamine and rekindle lessons of our shared heritage, especially for our
younger people, in this rare watershed of our nation's history. As we draw
upon our resources personally and collectively, we will need to pull
together and muster all the discipline, vigilance, and strength we can
summon.
The Jennings Heritage
Project, which was initiated through several recognition projects (i.e.,
Jennings Randolph, William Jennings Bryan, James Longstreet, James Wormley)
before the horrific terror attacks, is well-positioned as a national
educational networking campaign to respond to this need.
Since the passing of
our late chairman, former U.S. Senator Jennings Randolph (D-WV) in 1998,
these recognition projects have generated considerable national attention,
featuring accomplishments and values of unheralded figures interwoven with
history. For example, few Americans realize that Randolph is the "Father
of the 26th Amendment" (1971) which gave 18-20 year-olds the right to
vote. Randolph's perseverance, introducing the legislation eleven times
before success during the Vietnam War forms a curious link to his
namesake, William Jennings Bryan, whose stalwart support of women's
suffrage (19th Amendment), direct election of senators, campaign finance
reform, anti-trust and other progressive causes throughout a long
political career resonates across the twentieth century into the present.
Problem
Facing
this challenging period, many Americans are turning to history, genealogy,
and theology for reassurance. The problem is a kind of "American amnesia,"
for its own history. Many Americans do not know much about their
chronological past, and collectively this can be dangerous, especially as
this ignorance can cripple our sense of existence, placement/preparation
in the context of a broader history as well as our understanding of and
interaction with other cultures. Our educational system and our families
have fallen short in teaching history - and now we must take steps to
remedy the situation.
History is about
stories. In order to be interesting and inspire further inquiry, history
is often best taught through researching real lives and achievements,
entwined within the broader sweep of events and themes, linked to present
issues or contexts.
Results Expected
The JHP
is generating educational programs, research ideas, articles and media
benefits to local organizers in the complex task of establishing a
free-standing, informal history network in cooperation with existing civic
organizations such as state agribusiness councils, the YMCA, Kiwanis
Clubs, Civil War roundtables, local historical and genealogical societies,
and other similar organizations interested in American history. Results
include increased information flow and contacts, especially between urban
and rural sectors with an underlying concern for the state of rural
America and our nation's agricultural heritage.
Heritage/ABC
Experience
The
Jennings family is one of America's oldest, arriving in the New World in
the 1630s. Many of its early pioneering members were at the frontier edge
during each stage of the Nation's move west in the drive for Manifest
Destiny. Along the Ohio and across the Oregon Trail, members of this
peregrinating family were among the leaders.
Jennings
also played an important role in the settlement of the
Carolinas,
and the deep south, including the development of
Florida.
Family records are
well-documented and contain inspiring lore for all Americans to recapture.
In addition to military, political and pioneering heritage, farming was an
important avocation cutting across generations of Jennings in virtual
every region of the country, contributing to a deep sense of traditional
values.
As pressure increases
in rural America, with the continuing grind of one of the nation's worst
agricultural recessions in our history, the plight of America's farmers
and small agribusinesses needs attention. It is ironic that in the broader
crisis since September 11, the nation's food security has been placed at
greater risk, largely due to greed of special interests and ignorance of
the general public - of agriculture's and food systems realities. At a
time when many Americans are searching for history's lessons and stability
provided by traditional values and the heartland, the media is dominated
by price-fixing scandals, international trade disputes centered on
agriculture, genetic engineering issues, tainted meat and school lunches,
ethanol and farm foreclosures. A few years ago the USDA even abolished its
own office of history over cries of protest.
Formed in 1967 after a
White House meeting between President Lyndon Johnson and Henry Heinz of
Heinz Food Company, the Agribusiness Council (ABC) has developed
considerable experience in working with agricultural preservation/history
and civic associations. ABC's Heritage Preservation Committee (HPC) has
been in the vanguard of efforts to protect agricultural history in
coordinating with state counterpart associations and HPC has worked
closely with groups interested in preserving agriculture's role in the
broader understanding of American history (see outline for Heritage
Preservation Committee at
www.agribusinesscouncil.org/heritage.htm) ABC is a
nonprofit and tax-exempt 501(c) (3) voluntary organization.
Method of
Operation
JHP
would utilize funding to develop research and outreach kits on particular
Jennings leaders in relation to historical events and circulate these
materials and articles through the internet, traditional media, and
educational institutions. A good example of how this campaign would work
can be illustrated with the Stephen Jennings "Cornerstone of Courage"
article (February-May 2002). The article was researched and written from
sources at the Library of Congress, then published in the Union
News/Springfield MA (May 13) and circulated widely on the internet in
a subsite created by the HPC. The article has sparked international
interest and was very positively acclaimed in Canada (Quebec), as it
underscored early cooperation between French and English colonies. Teacher
trainer kits have been produced and circulated for civics education.
Future Direction
and Activities
JHP
will undertake to poll its contributors and subscribers with the objective
of convening a national meeting/reunion for those interested in developing
programs/themes working with pioneering, military, and civic/political
leadership examples demonstrated by different Jennings lives throughout
U.S. history. Leadership in existing recognition projects, including
former President Jimmy Carter, would also be consulted for
ideas/suggestions on tailoring the project outreach for maximum positive
effectiveness.
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(Photo courtesy of Jennings
Heritage archives)
QUABOAG HISTORY -- Nick Hollis speaking on
Jennings Heritage before historical consortium in West Brookfield,
Massachusetts (April 25, 2004). Ancestor, Calvin Jennings, appears
on PowerPoint slide presentation.
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Supporters
JHP is
partially supported in its work by voluntary contributions from
individuals (both
Jennings
family members and others) who wish to see the research promulgated and
shared in articles, lecture/slide presentations, and internet publication
with a broader public at this unique time of testing in our nation's
history. Contributors will be listed on the Web site and in all
publications (unless requested otherwise), will be invited to all events,
and will receive periodic updates on the project's progress. JHP needs
untied funding support for Web site maintenance/development, travel,
printing/mailing, research interns, and other costs.
Budget
JHP
will be financed through contributions, grants, honoraria, and private
documents as its programs reach further into the humanities arena. Private
funding will be essential to maintaining the program's independence from
individual institutions, foundations, and/or government.
JENNINGS HERITAGE
PROJECT
P.O. Box 5565
Washington DC 20016
Contribute to
The Agribusiness Council
Tel: (202) 296-4563
Email:
agenergy@aol.com
www.agribusinesscouncil.org/heritage.htm
"Strengthened
Leadership for Community Development through Family Values" |
