Civil Rights and the Making of the Modern American State

by Megan Ming Francis

Did the civil rights movement impact the development of the American state? Despite extensive accounts of civil rights mobilization and narratives of state building, there has been surprisingly little research that explicitly examines the importance and consequence that civil rights activism has had for the process of state building in American political and constitutional development. Through a sweeping archival analysis of the NAACP's battle against lynching and mob violence from 1909 to 1923, this book examines how the NAACP raised public awareness, won over American presidents, and secured the support of Congress. In the NAACP's most far-reaching victory, the Supreme Court ruled that the constitutional rights of black defendants were violated by a white mob in the landmark criminal procedure decision Moore v. Dempsey. This book demonstrates the importance of citizen agency in the making of new constitutional law in a period unexplored by previous scholarship.

Genres: History, Law, Politics, Race, Nonfiction

216 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 2014

Reviews

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I am tempted to complain about how boring and difficult to read this book was, I won't. Civil Rights is actually an enlightening book on the genesis of the civil rights era, with some shocking, unique insights on the injustices and prejudices throughout America's past. I appreciated Francis' academic tone and vocabulary as well as her impeccable structure throughout, which made it simpler to follow her more complicated points. Be aware, there are some gruesome pictures and descriptions, but this book is worth the time because it taught me how important it is to learn about civil rights.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

Francis knows that humans are frail and corrupted. So she has an idea, of how to make America great again: make more laws. Because the people from a few decades ago were great, but not as smart as Francis. And likewise they wanted to make America great. So they said to themselves, like Francis, we need more laws. Because they knew humans are fail and corrupted. And the people before them were great, but not as smart as them. Rinse. Repeat.