Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.: The Political Biography of an American Dilemma

by Charles V. Hamilton

In this authoritative biography of the congressman and civil rights activist Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., Prof. Hamilton reassesses the man's unique and complex place in American history. As the senior pastor of Harlem's Abyssinian Baptist Church, Powell led protests against segregation and discrimination during the Great Depression. Through persistent effort and skillful politicking, Powell was elected to Congress in 1944 and continued his efforts on behalf of blacks during the Truman and Eisenhower administrations. Following Kennedy's election, Powell gained the chairmanship of the House Committee on Education and Labor, but the remaining years of his life were filled with accusations, family problems, and the loss of his supporters. Drawing on extensive interviews and untapped archival material, Hamilton enriches the reader's understanding of Powell and the turbulent era in which he lived.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, History, Race, American History, Psychology, Biography

576 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1991

About the author

American political scientist, civil right activist and professor born in 1929.

Reviews

[David Tykulsker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Surprisingly uninsightful bio of the "mercurial" Harlem politico, marred by "breezy" writing style. Powell was a deeply flawed individual, but the constraints of the "American Dilemma" straightjacket allow virtually no room for any serious exploration of his political creativity, first as a Harlem militant, and then as a social critic, which was more far-reaching than his Congressional activity. He was probably the first public figure to call attention to the use of crime, and crime control, a technique pioneered in NYC by liberal
Democrats and then adopted nationally by Nixon and used ever since, as a means of social control for African American militancy. Of course, Powell's calling this out by naming Esther James as a bagwoman was the key to his political undoing. His relationship with Malcolm X is largely unexplored, and the substance his speeches (particularly those in the 60s) which, as with King, is where his vision was best expressed, are absent. One would have expected a more insightful analysis from Stokely's co-author of Black Power.

[Dr. Corey Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be read by everyone who works on the Hill. Powell was an enigma but he also was a liberator of black and brown rights. We should remember him with the other black politicians and civic leaders of his time.

[Joe Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

ACP was a warrior for the nation's black populace and Dr. Hamilton reveals how he became our country's greatest federal legislator

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent biography of Powell, who is an important figure to know, in the realm of civil rights in the 20th century --- and a lesson in how difficult it has been to fashion a response to racial injustice.