2014/01/01 by Edward Janak · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Canadian Identity and History #Academic Freedom and Politics #American Constitutional Law and Politics
paper · doi:10.1057/9781137484062_6
openalex publication_date 2014/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
I n 1920, South Carolina voted in a new governor; out was Richard Manning, in was Robert Cooper. Both Manning and Cooper were politically and philosophically progressive in their thinking; in keeping with the national and state political trends, both enjoyed a good personal and professional relationship with Swearingen; both made education part of their platforms and devoted much of their time in these endeavors, leading to what can be thought of as Swearingen’s glory years. Of course, society as a whole managed some growth during Swearingen’s tenure. Attitudes about people with disabilities, for example, were experiencing sea change. Braille print and American Sign Language were moving into the American mainstream. In April 1922, The State reported that there was even an all-sign-language version of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice taking place in New York City. Helen Menken, the lead actress in the production, was raised by two deaf parents; her first language was sign, not verbal. Menken told the story via “the standard symbols and signs of the deaf.” She intended the “pretentious production” to be “lightly diverting and extremely interesting to the audience of deaf persons.” 2 All of these factors, plus a myriad of others, helped pave the way for Swearingen to commit to improving the schools as a man with disabilities. 3 These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.