AAUW hosts Dr. Michael Butler

AAUW hosts Dr. Michael Butler: “A Lesson From Reconstruction: The Political Consequences Of Rewriting History,” a lecture by Dr. Michael Butler, the Kenan Distinguished Professor of History at Flagler College, 10 a.m. at Cypress Knoll Golf and Country Club, 53 Easthampton Blvd. in Palm Coast. The end of the post-Civil War Reconstruction era was a vital, if often ignored, point in American History. The South regained political control of their region and a wave of voting restrictions, Jim Crow laws, and racial violence followed that targeted African Americans. Most importantly, Southerners used a multitude of historical lies to justify their actions, which the nation ultimately embraced as factual. Butler outlines this “Lost Cause” mythology and explains why such lies still matter to anti-democratic forces in 2026. AAUW is a community of more than 170,000 people standing strong for gender equity. Located in Florida’s northeast coast, the Flagler County Branch draws members from throughout Flagler County and serves the communities of Palm Coast, Flagler Beach and Bunnell.