Nashville: An American Self Portrait captures the essence of the city at a pivotal time in its history. The year 2000 a period of signal events: a presidential primary season with two Nashvillians seeking the nomination; a fall run for the White House that Democrat Al Gore won at the ballot box yet lost in the electoral college; the 75th anniversary of the Grand Ole Opry; a farewell crusade by the Reverend Billy Graham; the 22nd decennial census of the nation’s (and Nashville’s) population, revealing a striking new profile of the city; a dramatic shift from home-owned to outsider-owned financial and commercial institutions; the near-collapse of the state’s lawmaking authority in the final years of the old century, and the contrasting rise of Metro government in the same decade; and a stunning Super Bowl season for the brand new, Nashville-based Tennessee Titans.
Created by more than 100 Nashvillians and others with a connection to the city-writers, editors, photographers, and artists- Nashville brings into sharp focus the principal players and episodes of modern politics, religion, economics, and popular culture in this quaint and thriving pocket of the American heartland.