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Fleming was born on a farm at Brundidge, Alabama , April 8, 1874, the son of William LeRoy and Mary Love (Edwards) Fleming. His parents on both sides were Georgians who migrated to Alabama in the ante-bellum period. His father, a well-to-do planter and slave owner, served in the Civil War as a cavalryman. He was not politically prominent during Reconstruction.  Fleming attended Alabama Polytechnic Institute (later called Auburn), taking the B.S. degree, with honors, in 1896, and the M.S. degree in 1897. He taught in the public schools of Alabama in 1894-1896 and became an instructor in history and English at his alma mater in 1896-1897. He was assistant librarian 1897-1898 and an instructor in English 1899-1900. In 1898 Fleming enlisted in the Second Alabama Volunteers in as a private; was promoted to lieutenant, and fought in the Spanish-American War.  

Fleming was born on a farm at Brundidge, Alabama , April 8, 1874, the son of William LeRoy and Mary Love (Edwards) Fleming. His parents on both sides were Georgians who migrated to Alabama in the ante-bellum period. His father, a well-to-do planter and slave owner, served in the Civil War as a cavalryman. He was not politically prominent during Reconstruction.  Fleming attended Alabama Polytechnic Institute (later called Auburn), taking the B.S. degree, with honors, in 1896, and the M.S. degree in 1897. He taught in the public schools of Alabama in 1894-1896 and became an instructor in history and English at his alma mater in 1896-1897. He was assistant librarian 1897-1898 and an instructor in English 1899-1900. In 1898 Fleming enlisted in the Second Alabama Volunteers in as a private; was promoted to lieutenant, and fought in the Spanish-American War.  

Fleming began graduate work in history at the nation's leading graduate school, Columbia University in New York in 1900, taking the PhD in 1904. He was influenced especially by Professor George Petrie of Alabama Polytechnic Institute and Professor [[William Archibald Dunning]] of Columbia.  From 1903 to 1907 he taught history at West Virginia University, and from 1907 to 1917, at Louisiana State University.  In 1917, he was called to a chair in history at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, where he was a highly effective teacher of undergraduates and graduate students, mentoring numerous PhD's, who in turn created history programs at colleges across the South. He became Dean of the Vanderbilt College of Arts and Sciences in 1923 and later Director of the Graduate School.  Fleming was close to the [[Nashville Agrarians]] who dedicated to him their influential manifesto ''[[I'll Take My Stand]]'' (1930).<ref>Green 1936 </ref>[[Woodrow Wilson]] while president of Princeton University offered him a professorship, which Fleming declined.

Fleming began graduate work in history at the nation's leading graduate school, Columbia University in New York in 1900, taking the PhD in 1904. He was influenced especially by Professor George Petrie of Alabama Polytechnic Institute and Professor [[William Archibald Dunning]] of Columbia.  From 1903 to 1907 he taught history at West Virginia University, and from 1907 to 1917, at Louisiana State University.  In 1917, he was called to a chair in history at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, where he was a highly effective teacher of undergraduates and graduate students, mentoring numerous PhD's, who in turn created history programs at colleges across the South. He became Dean of the Vanderbilt College of Arts and Sciences in 1923 and later Director of the Graduate School.  Fleming was close to the [[Nashville Agrarians]] who dedicated to him their influential manifesto ''[[I'll Take My Stand]]'' (1930).<ref>Green 1936</ref>[[Woodrow Wilson]] while president of Princeton University offered him a professorship, which Fleming declined.

==Historical research==

==Historical research==

Fleming helped edit and contributed to numerous reference works, including ''The Historians' History of the World,'' 25 volumes (1904); volumes XI and XII of ''The South in the Building of the Nation,'' (1909); ''The Photographic History of the Civil War,'' 10 volumes (1911); the ''Encyclopaedia Britannica,'' Eleventh Edition, (1911) and 14th edition (1929); and the ''Dictionary of American Biography,'' 20 volumes (1928-36).  

Fleming helped edit and contributed to numerous reference works, including ''The Historians' History of the World,'' 25 volumes (1904); volumes XI and XII of ''The South in the Building of the Nation,'' (1909); ''The Photographic History of the Civil War,'' 10 volumes (1911); the ''Encyclopaedia Britannica,'' Eleventh Edition, (1911) and 14th edition (1929); and the ''Dictionary of American Biography,'' 20 volumes (1928–36).  

He was a leader of the [[Dunning School]] historians, primarily Southerners,  who argued the victorious Northerners spoiled [[Reconstruction]] by a spirit of vengeance, and by violating the rights of Southern whites, and by imposing corrupt and inefficient regimes.  Fleming rooted his studies of Reconstruction in his knowledge of the ante-bellum period, and gave much more attention that other historians to the writings and activities of African Americans. He wrote that "The negro is the central figure in the reconstruction of the South. Without the negro there would have been no Civil War. Granting a war fought for any other cause, the task of reconstruction would, without him, have been comparatively simple."<ref>Fleming, ''The Sequel of Appomattox'' (1919), 34.  Note that "nego" was not usually capitalized before the 1930s.</ref> Along with [[Frederick Jackson Turner]] he was one of a few historians to publish in sociology journals. More than any white historian of Reconstruction before the 1970s, he gave extensive attention to the roles of the Blacks, including economic and social conditions. Fleming was the first scholar to examine the Black exodus to Kansas, in "'Pap' Singleton, the Moses of the Colored Exodus" (1909)  His study of the ''The Freedmen's Savings Bank: A Chapter in the Economic History of the Negro Race,'' (1927) was reprinted by Negro Universities Press in 1970.

He was a leader of the [[Dunning School]] historians, primarily Southerners,  who argued the victorious Northerners spoiled [[Reconstruction]] by a spirit of vengeance, and by violating the rights of Southern whites, and by imposing corrupt and inefficient regimes.  Fleming rooted his studies of Reconstruction in his knowledge of the ante-bellum period, and gave much more attention that other historians to the writings and activities of African Americans. He wrote that "The negro is the central figure in the reconstruction of the South. Without the negro there would have been no Civil War. Granting a war fought for any other cause, the task of reconstruction would, without him, have been comparatively simple."<ref>Fleming, ''The Sequel of Appomattox'' (1919), 34.  Note that "nego" was not usually capitalized before the 1930s.</ref> Along with [[Frederick Jackson Turner]] he was one of a few historians to publish in sociology journals. More than any white historian of Reconstruction before the 1970s, he gave extensive attention to the roles of the Blacks, including economic and social conditions. Fleming was the first scholar to examine the Black exodus to Kansas, in "'Pap' Singleton, the Moses of the Colored Exodus" (1909)  His study of the ''The Freedmen's Savings Bank: A Chapter in the Economic History of the Negro Race,'' (1927) was reprinted by Negro Universities Press in 1970.

Fleming stressed the multiple dimensions and complexity of Reconstruction, and was among the first to emphasize the social, religious and economic dimensions.  He tried to balance all viewpoints. Thus in his highly influential ''Documentary History of Reconstruction'' (vol 1) he included 64 documents from the white South's viewpoint, 118 from that of their opponents (including 12 blacks), and 70 he considered neutral.  In terms of documents, 25 were state laws, 17 were federal laws, 148 were accounts by Northerners, 62 were by ex-Confederates, 22 from Southern Unionists, and 12 from Blacks.<ref> ''Documentary History'' 1:x-xi </ref> [[W.E.B DuBois]] denounced Fleming and all the [[Dunning school]], while admitting his works have "a certain fairness and sense of historic honesty." The reviewer for the ''American Historical Review'' said that Fleming's "sympathies are decidedly with the South, but the work is free from bitterness or prejudice, and is on the whole as impartial an account as one can expect from any writer on this subject."<ref> Quoted in Green (1936) 507.</ref>  

Fleming stressed the multiple dimensions and complexity of Reconstruction, and was among the first to emphasize the social, religious and economic dimensions.  He tried to balance all viewpoints. Thus in his highly influential ''Documentary History of Reconstruction'' (vol 1) he included 64 documents from the white South's viewpoint, 118 from that of their opponents (including 12 blacks), and 70 he considered neutral.  In terms of documents, 25 were state laws, 17 were federal laws, 148 were accounts by Northerners, 62 were by ex-Confederates, 22 from Southern Unionists, and 12 from Blacks.<ref>''Documentary History'' 1:x-xi</ref> [[W.E.B DuBois]] denounced Fleming and all the [[Dunning school]], while admitting his works have "a certain fairness and sense of historic honesty." The reviewer for the ''American Historical Review'' said that Fleming's "sympathies are decidedly with the South, but the work is free from bitterness or prejudice, and is on the whole as impartial an account as one can expect from any writer on this subject."<ref>Quoted in Green (1936) 507.</ref>  

==Professional Activities==

==Professional Activities==

==Bibliography==

==Bibliography==

*  William C. Binkley. "The Contribution of Walter Lynwood Fleming to Southern Scholarship," ''The Journal of Southern History,'' Vol. 5, No. 2 (May, 1939), pp. 143-154 [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0022-4642(193905)5%3A2%3C143%3ATCOWLF%3E2.0.CO%3B2-F in JSTOR]

*  William C. Binkley. "The Contribution of Walter Lynwood Fleming to Southern Scholarship," ''The Journal of Southern History,'' Vol. 5, No. 2 (May, 1939), pp.&nbsp;143–154 [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0022-4642(193905)5%3A2%3C143%3ATCOWLF%3E2.0.CO%3B2-F in JSTOR]

* John Hope Franklin], ''Race and History: Selected Essays, 1938-1988''(Louisiana State University Press: 1989) pp. 65, 411.

* John Hope Franklin], ''Race and History: Selected Essays, 1938-1988''(Louisiana State University Press: 1989) pp.&nbsp;65, 411.

* Fletcher M. Green. "Walter Lynwood Fleming: Historian of Reconstruction," ''The Journal of Southern History,'' Vol. 2, No. 4. (Nov., 1936), pp. 497-521. [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0022-4642(193611)2%3A4%3C497%3AWLFHOR%3E2.0.CO%3B2-K in JSTOR]

* Fletcher M. Green. "Walter Lynwood Fleming: Historian of Reconstruction," ''The Journal of Southern History,'' Vol. 2, No. 4. (Nov., 1936), pp.&nbsp;497–521. [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0022-4642(193611)2%3A4%3C497%3AWLFHOR%3E2.0.CO%3B2-K in JSTOR]

====Notes====

====Notes====