About

| Mission | Inclusiveness | NCH | Constitution | Bylaws |

Mission

The Southern Historical Association (SHA) was founded on November 2, 1934 and charged with promoting an “investigative rather than a memorial approach” to southern history. Today the Association supports history education and history educators at all levels within the South. Specifically, the Association seeks to: 1) foster historically-based thinking in and about the American South; 2) promote the study and teaching of southern history at all educational levels; 3) encourage the collection and preservation of historical records within the American South; 4) support and encourage state and local historical societies, museums, and educational organizations within the American South; and 5) advocate on behalf of the South's history educators. The SHA represents all historians of the South and all historians in the South. The Association holds an annual meeting, usually in the first or second week of November, and proudly publishes The Journal of Southern History

Statement on Inclusiveness

The Southern Historical Association aims to be an inclusive organization and strives to treat all of its members with dignity and respect and to provide a community that is free from discrimination whether based on race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, or any other status or classification protected by federal, state or local law.

The Southern Historical Association is a proud member of the Policy Board of the National Coalition for History. NCH is a consortium of more than 50 organizations that advocates on federal legislative and regulatory issues affecting historians, archivists, researchers, teachers, students, preservationists, political scientists, museum professionals, genealogists, and other stakeholders. Priority issues include maximizing researcher access to government records and information, support for history education, and funding for agencies like the National Archives, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Park Service, and Institute of Museum and Library Services. NCH is also a driving force behind the Congressional History Caucus. For more information, and to sign up for email alerts, visit historycoalition.org

Constitution

ARTICLE I - NAME

The name of this organization shall be The Southern Historical Association.

ARTICLE II - PURPOSE

Its purpose shall be the encouragement of the study of history in the South, with emphasis on the history of the South.

ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP

Membership in the Association shall be open to any individual. Institutions may subscribe to the publications of the Association but may not be members. Nonmembers may participate in program sessions of the Association but may not vote at its business meetings, hold office, or be members of standing committees of the Association. All members may participate in all activities of the Association without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, or any other status or classification protected by federal, state or local law.

ARTICLE IV - LEGAL STATUS

The Southern Historical Association shall be a tax-exempt organization under the terms of Section 501 (c) (3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or any corresponding provision of any future Internal Revenue Code). It is organized exclusively for educational purposes, and its net earnings shall not inure to the benefit of its members, trustees, officers, or any other private persons. In case of the dissolution of the organization, the officers of the Association shall dispose of such assets as it may then possess exclusively for educational purposes.

ARTICLE V - MEETINGS

The Association shall hold one regular annual meeting. The Council may call special meetings, or cancel any meeting, if extraordinary circumstances warrant. Each regular annual meeting must include a business meeting, to which the Council shall report its actions.

ARTICLE VI - OFFICERS

Section 1. The Association shall have the following officers: a President, a Vice-President who shall be President-Designate, a Secretary-Treasurer, a Managing Editor, and such additional officers as provided for by the bylaws of this Association. The President and Vice-President shall hold office for terms of one year, beginning immediately following the annual meeting. The Vice-President shall be elected annually, as provided in Article IX of this Constitution, and at the expiration of his or her term of office shall succeed to the office of President. The Vice-President has the authority to make all arrangements appropriate to his or her forthcoming tenure as President, including appointments to all committees of the Association except the Nominating Committee.

Section 2. Should the office of President for any reason become vacant, the Vice-President shall succeed forthwith to the office of President and shall serve until the end of the term for which he or she was originally designated to be President.

Section 3. The Council may fill vacancies in all Association offices under circumstances not covered by the provisions of this Constitution.

ARTICLE VII - THE COUNCIL

Section 1. The Council shall consist of the President, the Vice-President, the Secretary-Treasurer, the Managing Editor, former presidents for a period of two years following the expiration of their terms of office, and nine elected members, each serving for three years, with three new members elected each year. The Nominating Committee each year shall take steps to ensure that at least one of the nine elected members of the Council is a representative of the European History Section.

Section 2. A majority of the Council shall constitute a quorum of that body. Council meetings and the Association's business meeting shall follow procedures mandated by this Constitution, and otherwise normally adhere to Roberts Rules of Order.

Section 3. The Council shall have general charge of the affairs of the Association except as otherwise provided in this Constitution.

Section 4. The Council shall appoint the Secretary-Treasurer, the Managing Editor, and such other officers as the Association creates in accordance with Article VI, Section 1.

Section 5. Each year, the Council shall appoint a Nominating Committee, made up of five members of the Association.

Section 6. The Council shall decide upon the time and place of the annual meeting of the Association.

Section 7. The Council shall determine all classes of dues and shall report changes in such to the annual meeting.

Section 8. The Council may conduct other business that is consistent with this Constitution. It must publish annually in the Journal of Southern History all new policies, regulations, or bylaws that have resulted from its actions, from decisions of the business meeting, or from decisions arrived at by mail ballot. Every five years it shall distribute to all members an updated version of the Constitution and Bylaws of the Association.

Section 9. An Executive Committee of the Council shall act whenever the Council cannot reasonably meet or take part in a poll. The Executive Committee includes the President, the Vice-President, the Secretary-Treasurer, the Managing Editor, and any one elected member of the Council, as selected by the Council. The Executive Committee shall report its actions to the whole Council at the earliest possible moment.

ARTICLE VIII - JOURNAL

The official organ of the Association shall be the Journal of Southern History, which shall be distributed to all members and subscribers. The policies of the Journal shall be determined by the Managing Editor and a Board of Editors, eight in number. Members of the Board of Editors, who must be members of the Association, shall serve for four years, with two appointed each year by the Council upon the nomination of the Managing Editor.

ARTICLE IX - ELECTIONS

Section 1. As specified in Article VII, the Nominating Committee, consisting of five members, shall be appointed annually by the Council. The Nominating Committee shall be selected as follows: The three second-year, elected members of the Council shall constitute a Council subcommittee, and shall prepare a list of at least eight names of Association members for consideration by the whole Council in its selection of the Nominating Committee. This Council subcommittee must identify itself by a notice in the Journal of Southern History and must by the same notice solicit from the membership recommended names for the Nominating Committee. Ordinarily, the subcommittee will use such recommendations in developing its list of eight or more names. The Chair of the Committee must have been a member but not Chair of the Committee during the preceding year.

Section 2. Not later than February 1 of each year, the Nominating Committee shall submit to the Secretary-Treasurer a single nomination for Vice-President and for each vacancy on the Council. These nominations shall be published in the May issue of the Journal of Southern History.

Section 3. The Nominating Committee, in making its nominations, shall as far as possible accord representation to all geographic areas, to small colleges as well as universities, and to public and unaffiliated historians as well as academics. It shall also give consideration to teaching excellence, scholarship, professional stature, and service to this Association. The chair of the Nominating Committee shall contact the projected vice-presidential nominee and the Council nominees and obtain their acceptance of candidacy before submitting a final list of nominees to the Secretary-Treasurer.

Section 4. Fifty members of the Association, through petition, may nominate candidates for the Vice-President and the Council, provided that they present such petition to the Secretary-Treasurer by September 1 and accompany it with evidence that their nominees are willing to stand for election.

Section 5. Whenever such petitions result in more than one candidate for any office, the Secretary-Treasurer shall prepare and mail an official ballot to the membership by September 21. Ballots, to be valid, must be returned to the chair of the Nominating Committee by October 20, and he or she shall count the ballots and report the results to the Secretary-Treasurer by November 1. The Nominating Committee shall report the results to the annual business meeting and have them published in the February issue of the Journal. When there are more than two candidates for a single office, a plurality is sufficient for election. The outcome of a tie vote in a mail ballot is resolved by a majority vote in the next annual business meeting.

Section 6. The Council may make changes in the deadlines established in Sections 2, 4, and 5 of this article, if circumstances warrant and if it provides appropriate notice to members.

ARTICLE X - THE TRANSACTION OF BUSINESS

Section 1. The annual business meeting shall be open to all members of the Association. A quorum for this meeting shall consist of fifty members of the Association.

Section 2. Actions of the Council, except those otherwise provided for in Article VII, Sections 4, 5, 6, and 7 of this Constitution, shall be final unless: (1) the next annual business meeting votes not to concur, or (2) twenty-five members submit a petition of nonconcurrence to the Secretary-Treasurer within twenty-four hours following the adjournment of the next annual business meeting. In either case, the Council must submit the issue within sixty days to a mail ballot of all members for final determination by a majority of those voting.

Section 3. Any original motion or resolution approved by a majority of members present and voting at an annual business meeting shall be subject to review by the Council, at a special Council meeting following the business meeting. If the Council does not exercise this right of review, or if a majority of the Council concurs with the action of the meeting, the policy goes into effect immediately. If a majority of the Council votes against concurrence, the Council must submit the issue, within sixty days, to a mail ballot for final determination by a majority of those voting.

Section 4. A petition of twenty-five members proposing specific action by the Council, if submitted to the Secretary-Treasurer not less than thirty days before an announced meeting of the Council, must be considered by the Council at that meeting. If the Council votes not to concur in the petition's request, it must place the issue on the agenda of the next annual business meeting, where its status will be the same as an original motion or resolution (see Section 3).

Section 5. The Council shall have an absolute veto over any action by the business meeting, or any proposals by petitioners, that are inconsistent with contractual or legal arrangements entered into by the Council and certified by the Association's legal counsel.

ARTICLE XI - BYLAWS

The Association may adopt bylaws to specify procedures for holding annual meetings, to define any duties of officers not contained in this Constitution, to change operating procedures so long as they remain consistent with this Constitution, to constitute and empower permanent or recurring committees, and to authorize awards and prizes. New bylaws, or amendments to existing bylaws, may be proposed by the Council, by action of the business meeting, or by petition of twenty-five members. However originated, such bylaw proposals shall be voted on at the next annual business meeting. If approved by two-thirds of the members present and voting, and then concurred in by the Council, the bylaw changes take immediate effect. If the Council does not concur at this stage, it must submit the proposed changes to a mail ballot within sixty days, with two-thirds of the returned votes required for ratification. If the business meeting refuses to concur with a bylaw proposed by the Council, then the Council may, at its discretion, submit the issue to mail ballot, with two-thirds of the returned votes required for ratification. The Secretary-Treasurer shall count the ballots.

ARTICLE XII - AMENDMENTS

The Council, two-thirds of those voting at an annual business meeting, or fifty members in a signed petition, may propose amendments to this Constitution. The Council must submit such proposed amendments to the next annual business meeting for discussion, refinement of language, or revisions. It must then submit them to the membership in a mail ballot, with two-thirds of the returned votes required for ratification. The Secretary-Treasurer shall count the ballots.

ARTICLE XIII - RATIFICATION

This constitution, upon approval by the Council, shall be submitted to the membership by mail ballot, and upon certification by the Secretary-Treasurer of such approval, by two-thirds of those voting, shall go into effect immediately.

Bylaws

BYLAW I - MEETINGS

A. The Secretary-Treasurer shall make all arrangements for the annual meeting. He or she may ask the President to appoint a local arrangements chair when such an appointment seems useful or necessary. The Secretary-Treasurer shall select likely meeting sites at least five years in advance, in so far as possible, usually for the first or second weekend in November. The Secretary-Treasurer must submit his or her recommendations to the Council, announce approved decisions in the Secretary-Treasurer's annual report, and have the annual report printed in the Journal of Southern History.

B. The Secretary-Treasurer shall keep the Council informed of its costs and effectiveness, and include relevant information in his or her annual report.

C. The Council, at its discretion, may determine for each meeting both the total number of sessions and the number of sessions to be devoted to non-United States history. The program shall emphasize southern history, broadly interpreted, but should not exclude sessions on general American history.

D. Any persons sponsoring "concurrent sessions" at the Southern Historical Meeting must consult with the Secretary-Treasurer, make all their own arrangements, but may utilize whatever assistance the Secretary-Treasurer can conveniently provide. The Secretary-Treasurer may list privately arranged sessions as "Other Concurrent Sessions" at the end of the regular program. Unless these are closely tied to the program of the Association, as are the sessions arranged by the Southern Conference on British Studies, they may not conflict with Association-controlled space or events.

E. The Association does not formally sponsor tours, trips, or other special activities at the annual meeting. Persons wishing to have the Association sponsor such activities should present their proposals to the Secretary-Treasurer, Executive Council, or Program Committee for approval a year in advance.

G. The Vice President shall appoint a Committee on Communications for each annual meeting.

BYLAW II - DUTIES OF OFFICERS

A. The President shall preside at the official meetings of the Association and the Vice President  shall appoint committees and perform all other duties specified by the Constitution.

B. The Vice-President shall serve in the absence of the President, serve on the Council, and make all arrangements necessary for his or her forthcoming tenure as President.

C. The Secretary-Treasurer shall be responsible for the Business Office of the Association and shall keep the records, arrange dockets for meetings, inform persons of their appointment to committees and advise them of their duties, send minutes of meetings to members concerned, publish transactions that merit the attention of members, make arrangements for meetings of the Association, and develop and put into effect any programs suggested by the Council. The Secretary-Treasurer, in an annual report, shall include information on all elections, and on actions taken by the Council and by the annual business meeting. He or she shall publish this report in the Journal of Southern History. The Secretary-Treasurer may, when necessary, seek legal advice for the proper conduct of his or her office. The Secretary-Treasurer shall pay membership dues for this Association in other associations as directed by the Council.

D. The Managing Editor shall be responsible for the publication of the Journal of Southern History, shall grant permission for reprinting of materials published therein, and shall be advised by a Board of Editors of eight members.

E. The Council shall set regulations and fees for reprinting articles from the Journal of Southern History, or for sharing the membership list of the Association, but the Secretary-Treasurer and the Managing Editor may interpret the regulations and fees as they apply to specific cases. The Secretary-Treasurer may supply the membership list of the Association only to related societies and publishers, always charging fees at least sufficient to pay the cost of preparing such lists.

F. The Managing Editor and the Secretary-Treasurer may make agreements to exchange advertisements without charge with publications similar to the Journal of Southern History.

G. The President, Secretary-Treasurer, and Managing Editor may determine when cumulative indexes of the Journal are needed, and may set the price for such indexes. They must keep the Council informed of their decisions.

BYLAW III - OPERATING PROCEDURES

A. No member of the Association may serve on the Council and the Board of Editors at the same time, nor shall any member of the Council or Board of Editors serve on a permanent or recurring committee, nor shall any member of the Association serve on more than one such committee at the same time.

B. The Council, in case a change in the sponsorship of the Journal of Southern History becomes necessary, or it becomes necessary to move the office of the Secretary-Treasurer, shall in each case seek a new sponsor. It must keep the membership informed of its negotiations through the Historical News and Notices section of the Journal.

BYLAW IV - COMMITTEES

A. The Vice-President shall appoint all Association committees except for the Nominating Committee. Only members of the Association in good standing may serve on any permanent or recurring committee. The Council shall invite the chairs of all Association committees to attend the meetings of the Council and to present to it written reports summarizing the activities of their committees. The committee chairs are to file such reports with the Secretary-Treasurer, for deposit in the Association archives. The Council may, by an ordinary motion, recommend the establishment of temporary or ad hoc committees representing the Association.

B. The Association shall have the following permanent committees:

1. The Membership Committee. This committee has the duty of recruiting new members and encouraging former members to rejoin the Association. 

2. The Program Committee. This committee shall consist of a chair and such other members as the Program Commitee Chairs or the President-Designate may appoint. It will not schedule joint sessions with related groups, although it may include programs on topics of interest to such groups. It may list privately arranged sessions as "Other Concurrent Sessions" at the end of the regular program, but it must not approve or list such sessions if they conflict with Association-controlled space or events. The Chair of the Program Committee should inform all participants in the regular sessions of the annual meeting that their papers or comments must not, under any circumstances, exceed by more than five minutes the time allotted by the Program Committee. It should instruct those presiding over sessions to enforce this rule when anyone exceeds the allotted time. The Chair of the Program Committee shall request all participants on the program to supply abstracts of papers in advance to the Chair of the Committee on Publicity and to the chair of the participant's particular session.

3. The Local Arrangements Committee. This committee shall consist of a chair and such other members as the President-Designate or Local Arrangements Committee chair or chairs may appoint. The Local Arrangements Committee is charged with local fundraising and ensuring local representation and involvement in the Association's meeting.

4. The Committee on Minorities in the Southern Historical Association. It shall be responsible for identifying any special professional concerns of minorities in the Association and, when appropriate, reporting all such concerns to the President and Council through the Secretary-Treasurer, with recommendations for action if the committee so wishes.

5. The Committee on Women, Gender, and Sexuality in the Southern Historical Association. It shall be responsible for identifying any special professional concerns related to women, gender, and/or sexuality in the Association and, when appropriate, reporting all such concerns to the President and Council through the Secretary-Treasurer, with recommendations for action if the committee so wishes.

6. The Communications Committee. It shall plan and coordinate all publicity for each annual meeting as well as attending to the public position of the Association.

7. The Professional Conduct Committee. Consisting of three members, it shall enforce the Association's anti-harassment policy (see above).

8. The Professional Development Committee seeks ways the SHA can serve its members as professionals. The committee will​ plan programming throughout the year and at the annual meeting that encourages​ mentoring, career planning, and other aspects of members' professional needs.

9. The Graduate Student Council. The Graduate Student Council shall be responsible for representing and advocating for the interests of graduate student members of the Association. The Council shall work towards fostering a supportive and inclusive academic environment, addressing the unique needs and concerns of graduate students, and promoting their professional and personal development. The Council will also play a key role in organizing and facilitating the Graduate Student Luncheon at each meeting of the Association.

10. Prize Committees. The President-Elect shall select three-member committees who will determine each of the recipients of the awards and prizes described in Bylaw V.

BYLAW V - AWARDS AND PRIZES

The Council has authorized the following eleven awards. It can abolish or modify any award after providing sufficient notice to members so that they may express their opinions. The selection committees may exercise their judgment in determining whether to give or withhold an award. Those designated as winners of the awards shall be notified in advance so that they may be present to receive the awards on the occasion of the presidential address at the annual meeting.

1. The Frank Lawrence and Harriet Chappell Owsley Award for a distinguished book in Southern history published in even-numbered years. The decision of the Award Committee will be announced at the annual meeting in odd-numbered years. The award carries a cash payment to be fixed by the Council, a certificate for the author(s), and a certificate for the publisher.

2. The Charles Sackett Sydnor Award for a distinguished book in Southern history published in odd-numbered years. The decision of the Award Committee will be announced at the annual meeting in even-numbered years. The award carries a cash payment to be fixed by the Executive Council, a certificate for the author(s), and a certificate for the publisher.

3. The Francis Butler Simkins Award for a distinguished scholarly first book in the general field of Southern history published during the two preceding calendar years. The decision of the Award Committee will be announced at the annual meeting in odd-numbered years. The award is sponsored jointly by Longwood College and the Southern Historical Association. It carries a cash award, a certificate for the author(s), and a certificate for the publisher.

4. The Fletcher M. Green-Charles W. Ramsdell Award for the best article published in the Journal of Southern History during the two preceding years. The decision of the Award Committee will be announced at the annual meeting in even-numbered years. The award carries a cash payment to be fixed by the Executive Council and a certificate for the author.

5. The H. L. Mitchell Award for recognition of a distinguished book concerning the history of the southern working class, including but not limited to industrial laborers and/or small farmers and agricultural laborers. The decision of the Award Committee will be announced at the annual meeting in even-numbered years for a book published during the two preceding years. The award carries a cash payment to be fixed by the Executive Council, a certificate for the author(s) and a certificate for the publisher.

6. The William F. Holmes Award will be presented for the best paper presented at the annual meeting by a graduate student or junior faculty member (anyone who received his or her Ph.D. within three years of the time of presentation). The decision of the Award Committee will be announced annually at the annual meeeting. The award carries a cash payment to be fixed by the Executive Council and a certificate for the author(s).

7. The Bennett H. Wall Award will be awarded to the best book published in southern business or economic history. The decision of the Award Committee will be announced at the annual meeting in even-numbered years for a book published during the two preceding years. The award carries a cash payment to be fixed by the Executive Council, a certificate for the author(s), and a certificate for the publisher.

8. The C. Vann Woodward Dissertation Award will be awarded annually for the best dissertation in southern history completed and defended during the previous calendar year. The award carries a cash payment to be fixed by the Executive Council and a certificate for the author.

9. The John W. Blassingame Award will honor distinguished scholarship and mentorship in African American history. The decision of the Award Committee will be announced at the annual meeting in even-numbered years. The award carries a cash payment to be fixed by the Executive Council and a certificate for the recipient.

10. The John Hope Franklin Lifetime Achievement Award will be awarded every five years to recognize an individual who has had a distinguished career in southern history and contributed to the scholarship in the field and who has exhibited outstanding qualities of citizenship.

11. The Anne Braden Prize will be awarded annually for the best article published in the preceding year in a journal or edited volume on Southern Women's History.