The 2020 election season in Tennessee is a microcosm of the country's problems: social media videos of armed "voting observers" in Knoxville, and large-scale protests led by teenagers in Nashville. But voters’ memories are short. They may have forgotten that, at least in a rural town in Tennessee, violence triggered by a controversial election is nothing new.

In August 1946, citizens of Athens, Tennessee, expected voter turnout in the county elections to hit a record high as the intense summer was coming to an end. On August 1, the "Athenian Daily" reported that 12,000 voters were expected to go to the polling station, calling the election a "hot election" after "mutual accusations and refutations" against the opposition.

The reporters certainly could not predict that a siege, hostage incident and gun battle would erupt in their hometown later in the day, which would last until late at night, nor could they predict what would become known as the Battle of Athens. However, a summer of dissatisfied World War II veterans against the local sheriff has created a stressful election season.

After World War II declared peace, the Athens veterans returned home from the European battlefield, only to find a corrupt and shameful sheriff and county government.

Today's McMinn County Sheriff Joe Guy called his predecessor, Pat Mansfield in 1946, an "iron fist" and said that the outdated county government system is no longer effective. Elected officials in Athens can hold multiple positions at the same time, creating a conflict of interest.

Sheriff Mansfield is not even from Athens. He is an outsider in Georgia and part of the Democratic Party machine. Gay said that veterinarians who have money to burn are easy to get arrested because they will go to the local bar to drink. Historian Guy said that Mansfield's deputy might arrest a veterinarian and "get him out of his money." Gay said other allegations include intimidation of voters and revenge against family members for voting against the party, and veterans may learn about this in a letter while fighting overseas.

"These guys are young people fighting in Europe and the Pacific, fighting for their country. However [if] your father or uncle casts the wrong vote, the barn will be burned," Guy said. "They are very idealistic. They are against these older people who are in power in the political machine."

Geographical Indications established a non-partisan political party and challenged every office in the county in 1946. However, election day did not go as planned, and the last straw involved racial attacks on black voters.

Deputy Windy Wise attacked Tom Gillespie, and Politico called him "the kind of person that can be found in sister cities" in previous news reports.

Guy said Gillespie was a very popular street vendor. Although Wise knocked Gillespie down and threw racial slurs at him, Gillespie calmly re-voted and staked his claim as a grandson on slaves who never obtained rights. In return, Wise shot him. The citizens carried the bloody Gillespie to the hospital, and the GI poll observers who arrived to ensure a fair election moved quickly. Although they were initially told that they were not allowed to leave and were briefly held hostage, they managed to escape by breaking the window. According to Guy, Wise’s tail was very hot.

The veterans formed a team and gathered in the county jail that was counting the votes before dark. They are fully armed and ready to protect the election results at all costs. When they yelled that representatives just stop filling the ballot box and leave without bringing anything, they were told to "come and get them."

"You had a very fierce gunfight, about 9:30 or about 10 in the evening," Guy said. "But the police officers in the prison, they know the people on the mountain, the soldiers, they can spend the night outside if needed."

stay. The intermittent gun battle did not cause serious injuries to anyone, although other citizens would attack the remaining representatives after the final surrender, or even cut one person's throat. Sheriff Mansfield escaped from prison; Gay said he fled to Georgia and never returned. According to Guy, the GI party won, defeating Sheriff Mansfield with their own candidate.

This battle made local and national headlines. On August 3, 1946, "Tennessee" published the title "GIs Oust McMinn Tyrant Rule" on its front page. The attached photo depicts a violent scene with overturned cars and large crowds wandering around in the streets of the city center after the incident. By September 10, the constant headlines seemed to have greatly affected the citizens of Athens.

A column in the Athens Daily Mail wrote: “It seems that every action that occurs in this county will make headlines or headlights. Now is writing an unforgettable history here. Now is not the time for malicious [or] revenge.”

A lot of things happened between August 1st and September 10th, and the headlines about resignation and resignation will continue for several weeks. Guy says that after the battle every single elected official resigned, and for three days, Athens operated under state jurisdiction.

Ultimately, geographical indications will help reform the entire system and establish the form of county council government that is still used in McMinn County today. They also launched the Good Government Coalition, which, according to the online Tennessee Encyclopedia, "has achieved some success in efforts to eliminate the evil, corruption, and arbitrary rule of robotic government."

An advertisement in the Athens Daily Mail on September 4 called on citizens to join the coalition and help achieve goals, such as studying local politics and officials, ensuring that the public understands the situation and promoting non-partisan solutions. The league membership fee is $1.

Guy said that one of the most memorable gains from the Battle of Athens was what happened afterwards. He likened it to a "family struggle" and said that many veterans and local officials are family members or go to church together. After the battle, some even do business together, such as breeding bird-watching dogs. Gay said it took the city nearly 60 years to start talking about what happened, and even though the guns have been put aside, the differences have basically healed.

"When you quarrel with your family, you will know, but you will not tell everyone," Guy said. "But we as a community go beyond that, and this is what you want to see."

Guy takes a personal interest and says all elected officials should know the history of the people, and regions, they serve. These events and pass them on to others to learn. We can also read their words, because the author of the Athenian Daily keeps informing and begging citizens to do their part in the local government and remember that the eyes of the country are watching them.

We can't ask the GIs who did business with their former enemies what exactly they said to bridge the gap and come together, but Guy's research shows that it happened. We know that this paper encourages everyone to embark on the path of peace. In the same September column, the author told citizens that rehabilitation is important.

“The submitted research plan investigates the candidates and then takes action. Always remember that good publicity is helpful to all of us, but when publicity is not good, we all suffer.”

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