What do you think?
Rate this book
The Struggle for Black Equality
The Struggle for Black Equality is a dramatic, memorable history of the civil rights movement. Harvard Sitkoff offers both a brilliant interpretation of the personalities and dynamics of civil rights organizations and a compelling analysis of the continuing problems plaguing many African Americans. With a new foreword and afterword, and an up-to-date bibliography, this anniversary edition highlights the continuing significance of the movement for black equality and justice.
Harvard Sitkoff , professor of history at the University of New Hampshire, is the author of New Deal for Blacks and editor of Fifty Years The New Deal Evaluted and A History of Our Time .
The Struggle for Black Equality is an arresting history of the civil-rights movement—from the pathbreaking Supreme Court decision of 1954, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas , through the growth of strife and conflict in the 1960s to the major issues of the 1990s. Harvard Sitkoff offers not only a brilliant interpretation of the personalities and dynamics of the civil-rights organizations—SNCC, CORE, NAACP, SCLC, and others—but a superb study of the continuing problems plaguing the African American the future that in 1980 seemed to hold much promise for a better way of life had by the early 1990s hardly lived up to expectations. Jim Crow has gone, but, fifty years after Brown , poverty, big-city slums, white backlash, politically and socially conservative policies, and prolonged recession have made economic progress for the vast majority of blacks an elusive, perhaps ever more distant goal.
"As an introduction to the subject, this book is outstanding . . . The civil rights movement challenges historians to chronicle the transformations that occurred over three decades [and] few have accomplished this task more satisfactorily than Harvard Sitkoff . . . The Struggle for Black Equality stunningly conveys the passion and anguish of the civil rights movement for those too young to remember and to those who prefer not to forget. From Brown to Bakke , Martin Luther King, Jr., to Malcolm X, and Montgomery to Memphis, the author vividly portrays the many currents flowing into the river of black protest—the individual and social, local and national, practical and philosophical. He skillfully charts the ebb and flow of Afro-American militancy alternating between optimism and despair, and concludes that a third Reconstruction must arise to remedy the economic and institutional ills carried over from the past. Readers will not find 'value-free' history in the pages of Sitkoff's book, for the author seeks to engage his audience, hoping to shatter its complacency. In doing so, he refrains from preaching, and while he never equivocates in his judgments, he carefully presents a balanced treatment."— Steven F. Lawson, University of South Florida, The Public Historian "Sitkoff is an excellent storyteller; he captures the drama of events, the calculations, the horror, the unbelievable sadness of struggle."— David Bradley, The Washington Post Book World
"First-rate . . . As an introduction to the subject, this book is outstanding . . . The civil rights movement challenges historians to chronicle the transformations that occurred over three decades [and] few have accomplished this task more satisfactorily than Harvard Sitkoff . . . The Struggle for Black Equality stunningly conveys the passion and anguish of the civil rights movement for those too young to remember and to those who prefer not to forget. From Brown to Bakke , Martin Luther King, Jr., to Malcolm X, and Montgomery to Memphis, the author vividly portrays the many currents flowing into the river of black protest—the individual and social, local and national, practical and philosophical. He skillfully charts the ebb and flow of Afro-American militancy alternating between optimism and despair, and concludes that a third Reconstruction must arise to remedy the economic and institutional ills carried over from the past. Readers will not find 'value-free' history in the pages of Sitkoff's book, for the author seeks to engage his audience, hoping to shatter its complacency. In doing so, he refrains from preaching, and while he never equivocates in his judgments, he carefully presents a balanced treatment."— Steven F. Lawson, University of South Florida, The Public Historian
"Well-written, logically organized . . . Sitkoff has succeeded admirably in retelling with poignancy and compassion a familiar story. The author has dramatically juxtaposed the resiliency of the freedom fighters against the depravity and violence of white opponents to social change along racial lines. The book will be of immense value to today's college students, especially those who experience difficulty comprehending and appreciating the courage and commitment of freedom fighters who willingly sacrificed jobs, lives, and education in the struggle to win equal justice for all."— Darlene Clark Hine, Purdue University, Georgia Histo...
Harvard Sitkoff , professor of history at the University of New Hampshire, is the author of New Deal for Blacks and editor of Fifty Years The New Deal Evaluted and A History of Our Time .
The Struggle for Black Equality is an arresting history of the civil-rights movement—from the pathbreaking Supreme Court decision of 1954, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas , through the growth of strife and conflict in the 1960s to the major issues of the 1990s. Harvard Sitkoff offers not only a brilliant interpretation of the personalities and dynamics of the civil-rights organizations—SNCC, CORE, NAACP, SCLC, and others—but a superb study of the continuing problems plaguing the African American the future that in 1980 seemed to hold much promise for a better way of life had by the early 1990s hardly lived up to expectations. Jim Crow has gone, but, fifty years after Brown , poverty, big-city slums, white backlash, politically and socially conservative policies, and prolonged recession have made economic progress for the vast majority of blacks an elusive, perhaps ever more distant goal.
"As an introduction to the subject, this book is outstanding . . . The civil rights movement challenges historians to chronicle the transformations that occurred over three decades [and] few have accomplished this task more satisfactorily than Harvard Sitkoff . . . The Struggle for Black Equality stunningly conveys the passion and anguish of the civil rights movement for those too young to remember and to those who prefer not to forget. From Brown to Bakke , Martin Luther King, Jr., to Malcolm X, and Montgomery to Memphis, the author vividly portrays the many currents flowing into the river of black protest—the individual and social, local and national, practical and philosophical. He skillfully charts the ebb and flow of Afro-American militancy alternating between optimism and despair, and concludes that a third Reconstruction must arise to remedy the economic and institutional ills carried over from the past. Readers will not find 'value-free' history in the pages of Sitkoff's book, for the author seeks to engage his audience, hoping to shatter its complacency. In doing so, he refrains from preaching, and while he never equivocates in his judgments, he carefully presents a balanced treatment."— Steven F. Lawson, University of South Florida, The Public Historian "Sitkoff is an excellent storyteller; he captures the drama of events, the calculations, the horror, the unbelievable sadness of struggle."— David Bradley, The Washington Post Book World
"First-rate . . . As an introduction to the subject, this book is outstanding . . . The civil rights movement challenges historians to chronicle the transformations that occurred over three decades [and] few have accomplished this task more satisfactorily than Harvard Sitkoff . . . The Struggle for Black Equality stunningly conveys the passion and anguish of the civil rights movement for those too young to remember and to those who prefer not to forget. From Brown to Bakke , Martin Luther King, Jr., to Malcolm X, and Montgomery to Memphis, the author vividly portrays the many currents flowing into the river of black protest—the individual and social, local and national, practical and philosophical. He skillfully charts the ebb and flow of Afro-American militancy alternating between optimism and despair, and concludes that a third Reconstruction must arise to remedy the economic and institutional ills carried over from the past. Readers will not find 'value-free' history in the pages of Sitkoff's book, for the author seeks to engage his audience, hoping to shatter its complacency. In doing so, he refrains from preaching, and while he never equivocates in his judgments, he carefully presents a balanced treatment."— Steven F. Lawson, University of South Florida, The Public Historian
"Well-written, logically organized . . . Sitkoff has succeeded admirably in retelling with poignancy and compassion a familiar story. The author has dramatically juxtaposed the resiliency of the freedom fighters against the depravity and violence of white opponents to social change along racial lines. The book will be of immense value to today's college students, especially those who experience difficulty comprehending and appreciating the courage and commitment of freedom fighters who willingly sacrificed jobs, lives, and education in the struggle to win equal justice for all."— Darlene Clark Hine, Purdue University, Georgia Histo...
270 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1981
29 people are currently reading
441 people want to read
About the author
Harvard Sitkoff
29 books1 followerHarvard Sitkoff is is professor emeritus of history at the University of New Hampshire.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
April 9, 2024
This book was intelligently and emotionally written. It makes me upset I hadn’t read it sooner and extremely grateful I own a copy that I may refer back to. This book should inform, remind, and resonate with everyone.
April 20, 2016
Grade: A- A well-written, concise overview of the Civil Rights Movement. If you're looking for an introductory book or a synopsis of the struggle between 1954-1970, this is it. At only 235 pages it's easy enough for most readers to get through, yet detailed enough to provide a great snapshot of the key events throughout the nation. The final 25 pages are devoted to 1970-1992 which is nowhere near enough space to cover these decades, but it provides a decent "warp-up" of the main thrust of the 60s movement. If you're looking for one book to read which spans the first part of the modern Civil Rights Movement, look no further.
November 15, 2023
Read for my history class. Honestly a really enjoyable and interesting read and I normally don’t like non fiction. This was really cool because it made me realize that what we learned about the civil rights movement in high school/ middle school was literally just scraping the surface and there is SO much that was left out. Tbh only complaint is that I wish it didn’t skip around the timeline so much because I kept getting confused about what was happening at what time and also it definitely could have been longer and I still would have enjoyed it .
December 13, 2017
I think this should be the first book recommended to anyone looking to begin their studies of the Civil Rights Movement. The writing style is effectively detailed but not overwhelming and thought provoking rather than opinionated. This book should become a staple in American History studies.
Read
December 21, 2023for class
August 31, 2014
A. Synopsis: “This book is concerned with one of the most significant developments in American history: the struggle for racial equality and justice waged between 1954 and 1980. (Vii).” This is written from someone who participated and associated with the black struggle in the early 1960s.
B. Up from slavery
1. Segregation in 1890s. Booker Washington. Great Migration 1910-1920. 1920’s Black renaissance. NAACP and Du Bois. Marcus Garvey a psychologist who convinced many blacks that white racism and not black inability was the cause of their lowly status. 1930s saw the first stirrings for black equality with the liberalism of the New Deal. Yet, the ND did not change the lives of blacks.
2. Promises of great change occurred during WWII. NAACP worked diligently at litigation (attempting to desegregate white schools) and voter registration. Thurgood Marshall leads the segregation fight. Brown in 1954 was hailed enthusiastically as the law that would end all segregation. But, this was tempered significantly when the order to desegregate was to “go slow.” By the late 50s there were Southern demagogues who vowed never to desegregate. The Little Rock governor called out the national guard to stop 9 black students from entering the high school. IKE intervened reluctantly and allowed the students to go to the school. 1957 also saw the first civil-rights legislation by Congress since Reconstruction. This attempted to give back the right to vote for blacks.
3. Thus, hope and anguish followed Brown. The hope was that Jim Crow would be destroyed. But, “Colored” and “White” signs remained on drinking fountains. By 164 only 2% of blacks went to desegregated schools.
C. The cradle rocks
1. Rosa Parks, bus boycott in the “Cradle of the Confederacy,” Montgomery, Alabama. MLK leads the fight. Black leaders are jailed. The boycott lasted 381 days. The SC confirmed that the Montgomery segregation laws were unconstitutional. “The successful bus boycott accelerated the movement of the black struggle from the courtroom to the streets. (62)” This ushered in an “age of confrontation.” MLK’s emergence as a worldwide symbol of African-American determination was another important consequence of the Montgomery boycott.
D. More than a hamburger (sit-ins)
1. In 1960, in Greensboro NC, 4 black students decided to go to a lunch counter at Woolworth’s and wait until served. When they said we don’t serve “coloreds” they argued that they already had because they purchased some school supplies at Woolworth’s. Two days later blacks occupied 63 of the 66 seats at the lunch counter. This type of protest spread throughout the South.
2. The main cause for these protests was impatience over Brown. The greatest significance of the sit-ins was the transformation of the young blacks image of themselves. The formation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee SNCC represented this spirit.
E. The long journey (freedom rides & voter registration)
1. In 1961-62 realized that resistance to civil rights remained strong in the South. The new tactic was confrontation politics led by SNCC and the Congress of Racial Equality CORE. Freedom rides to test discrimination at interstate travel terminal restaurants, waiting rooms, and restrooms. When arrested the blacks would remain in jail and not pay bonds to draw attention to themselves. They were intent to follow the Ghandian technique. They encountered much violence on their journey.
2. The freedom rides resulted in a number of gains and losses for the civil rights movement. White and colored signs were removed in the Southern terminals. The FR demonstrated that victory in the Deep South was possible. The FR brought more blacks into the movement and also whites. The image of the movement was tarnished because the American people viewed the Freedom Riders as unkempt and unreasonable. Jail strengthened the resolve of some while weakening other. The conditions were so harsh that some blacks believed that whites would never change their mind concerning racism.
3. Voter registration: This drive was led by Marion Barry. They encountered whites tactics of harassment including changing the dates and procedures of registration; literacy and understanding tests; and forced blacks to wait long hours before registering.
F. We shall overcome (King and Birmingham)
1. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) led by King needed a major victory in 1963. Malcolm X advocated violence and hated integration. King attempted to attack segregation in Birmingham Alabama.
2. Project C: Small groups led sit-ins at lunch counters. Later after the news media had their attention on Birmingham King led a march with 50 blacks on city hall. Day after day the public marches and arrests continues. In jail he wrote his 19 page letter from a Birmingham Jail. The letter was published a was an excellent weapon of propaganda against segregation. Eventually conflict raged in the streets, firehoses, violence, national media. After days of negotiation Birmingham repealed segregation. All the Civil Rights groups joined the struggle: CORE, SNCC, SCLC, NAACP.
3. Over 200,000 blacks march on Washington to argue for the passage of the Civil Rights bill. “I have a dream speech.” The act was signed in 1964 as a tribute to JFK.
G. How many roads
1. “The struggle for black equality reached its crest and rapidly began to recede in the two years following the March on Washington. (167)” While it ended segregation, in the process the fissures in the movement became major cleavages. The main split was between X and JFK. The 1965 voting rights act was passed. But, the struggle to gain this right “poisoned the movement.”
H. The dream deferred
1. Race riots in 1965 just days after the voting right bill was passed. Watts. This represented the loss of MLK’s non-violent protests and a rise of X’s violence. 1966 brought even more race riots. The blacks sought dignity, housing, and work. They rioted not for anarchy but to “enter the mainstream of society (207).” They protests the ghetto lives by rioting because they saw no other way to make their protests heard. The civil rights gains shook the blacks out of their lethargy and showed that something could be done and they wanted more.
2. With X’s shooting the blacks rallied behind his separatist conception of Black Power. This allowed blacks to celebrate their own culture, music, food, skin color, life style.
3. King is shot in 1968. Race riots break out. The hopes of the movement died with King. His death meant the abandonment of the middle ground. The 1968 presidential election further substantiated a shift in momentum to the opponents of racial equality. Nixon campaigned against housing and busing for racial balance.
4. Only 13 pages cover the years from 1968 to 1980. One page a year. Maybe that is because there is nothing to say. These pages mainly concern the lack of political support given to blacks. By 1980 the “full promise of the civil-rights revolution was unrealized (228)” Failure to desegregate schools and housing patterns.
5. The end is hopeful arguing for a Third Reconstruction and that the “struggle to complete the unfinished business of American democracy will endure until its fulfillment. (237)”
B. Up from slavery
1. Segregation in 1890s. Booker Washington. Great Migration 1910-1920. 1920’s Black renaissance. NAACP and Du Bois. Marcus Garvey a psychologist who convinced many blacks that white racism and not black inability was the cause of their lowly status. 1930s saw the first stirrings for black equality with the liberalism of the New Deal. Yet, the ND did not change the lives of blacks.
2. Promises of great change occurred during WWII. NAACP worked diligently at litigation (attempting to desegregate white schools) and voter registration. Thurgood Marshall leads the segregation fight. Brown in 1954 was hailed enthusiastically as the law that would end all segregation. But, this was tempered significantly when the order to desegregate was to “go slow.” By the late 50s there were Southern demagogues who vowed never to desegregate. The Little Rock governor called out the national guard to stop 9 black students from entering the high school. IKE intervened reluctantly and allowed the students to go to the school. 1957 also saw the first civil-rights legislation by Congress since Reconstruction. This attempted to give back the right to vote for blacks.
3. Thus, hope and anguish followed Brown. The hope was that Jim Crow would be destroyed. But, “Colored” and “White” signs remained on drinking fountains. By 164 only 2% of blacks went to desegregated schools.
C. The cradle rocks
1. Rosa Parks, bus boycott in the “Cradle of the Confederacy,” Montgomery, Alabama. MLK leads the fight. Black leaders are jailed. The boycott lasted 381 days. The SC confirmed that the Montgomery segregation laws were unconstitutional. “The successful bus boycott accelerated the movement of the black struggle from the courtroom to the streets. (62)” This ushered in an “age of confrontation.” MLK’s emergence as a worldwide symbol of African-American determination was another important consequence of the Montgomery boycott.
D. More than a hamburger (sit-ins)
1. In 1960, in Greensboro NC, 4 black students decided to go to a lunch counter at Woolworth’s and wait until served. When they said we don’t serve “coloreds” they argued that they already had because they purchased some school supplies at Woolworth’s. Two days later blacks occupied 63 of the 66 seats at the lunch counter. This type of protest spread throughout the South.
2. The main cause for these protests was impatience over Brown. The greatest significance of the sit-ins was the transformation of the young blacks image of themselves. The formation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee SNCC represented this spirit.
E. The long journey (freedom rides & voter registration)
1. In 1961-62 realized that resistance to civil rights remained strong in the South. The new tactic was confrontation politics led by SNCC and the Congress of Racial Equality CORE. Freedom rides to test discrimination at interstate travel terminal restaurants, waiting rooms, and restrooms. When arrested the blacks would remain in jail and not pay bonds to draw attention to themselves. They were intent to follow the Ghandian technique. They encountered much violence on their journey.
2. The freedom rides resulted in a number of gains and losses for the civil rights movement. White and colored signs were removed in the Southern terminals. The FR demonstrated that victory in the Deep South was possible. The FR brought more blacks into the movement and also whites. The image of the movement was tarnished because the American people viewed the Freedom Riders as unkempt and unreasonable. Jail strengthened the resolve of some while weakening other. The conditions were so harsh that some blacks believed that whites would never change their mind concerning racism.
3. Voter registration: This drive was led by Marion Barry. They encountered whites tactics of harassment including changing the dates and procedures of registration; literacy and understanding tests; and forced blacks to wait long hours before registering.
F. We shall overcome (King and Birmingham)
1. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) led by King needed a major victory in 1963. Malcolm X advocated violence and hated integration. King attempted to attack segregation in Birmingham Alabama.
2. Project C: Small groups led sit-ins at lunch counters. Later after the news media had their attention on Birmingham King led a march with 50 blacks on city hall. Day after day the public marches and arrests continues. In jail he wrote his 19 page letter from a Birmingham Jail. The letter was published a was an excellent weapon of propaganda against segregation. Eventually conflict raged in the streets, firehoses, violence, national media. After days of negotiation Birmingham repealed segregation. All the Civil Rights groups joined the struggle: CORE, SNCC, SCLC, NAACP.
3. Over 200,000 blacks march on Washington to argue for the passage of the Civil Rights bill. “I have a dream speech.” The act was signed in 1964 as a tribute to JFK.
G. How many roads
1. “The struggle for black equality reached its crest and rapidly began to recede in the two years following the March on Washington. (167)” While it ended segregation, in the process the fissures in the movement became major cleavages. The main split was between X and JFK. The 1965 voting rights act was passed. But, the struggle to gain this right “poisoned the movement.”
H. The dream deferred
1. Race riots in 1965 just days after the voting right bill was passed. Watts. This represented the loss of MLK’s non-violent protests and a rise of X’s violence. 1966 brought even more race riots. The blacks sought dignity, housing, and work. They rioted not for anarchy but to “enter the mainstream of society (207).” They protests the ghetto lives by rioting because they saw no other way to make their protests heard. The civil rights gains shook the blacks out of their lethargy and showed that something could be done and they wanted more.
2. With X’s shooting the blacks rallied behind his separatist conception of Black Power. This allowed blacks to celebrate their own culture, music, food, skin color, life style.
3. King is shot in 1968. Race riots break out. The hopes of the movement died with King. His death meant the abandonment of the middle ground. The 1968 presidential election further substantiated a shift in momentum to the opponents of racial equality. Nixon campaigned against housing and busing for racial balance.
4. Only 13 pages cover the years from 1968 to 1980. One page a year. Maybe that is because there is nothing to say. These pages mainly concern the lack of political support given to blacks. By 1980 the “full promise of the civil-rights revolution was unrealized (228)” Failure to desegregate schools and housing patterns.
5. The end is hopeful arguing for a Third Reconstruction and that the “struggle to complete the unfinished business of American democracy will endure until its fulfillment. (237)”
January 30, 2025
Read this for a history class of social movements. Really good overview and starting point for learning about the Civil Rights movement that swept the south and all of America from 1954-1968. The author is great at conveying the information in an engaging way that makes it easy for the reader to understand what’s happening.
The dates did move around a bit as I was reading, so it was hard to keep track of which strategies were employed and when. There was also a lack of information on black women during this movement, and I know for certain black women were leaders, organizers and had a different experience than black men during the Civil Rights Movement.
Besides an absence of acknowledgment of women, I believe the book is a great starting point if you’re just getting into the Civil Rights Movement.
The dates did move around a bit as I was reading, so it was hard to keep track of which strategies were employed and when. There was also a lack of information on black women during this movement, and I know for certain black women were leaders, organizers and had a different experience than black men during the Civil Rights Movement.
Besides an absence of acknowledgment of women, I believe the book is a great starting point if you’re just getting into the Civil Rights Movement.
September 18, 2020
Great summary and "story" of the Civil Rights Movement main events. Would have liked to learn more about Malcolm X. With that said, I recognize there were many key players in the movement and there was limited space to write about Malcolm.
Overall this was a great book to read during the 2020 George Floyd/BLM protests and I do believe it gave me strong insight into why peaceful protests are limited in their ability to make changes.
It's interesting in that seemingly every time black people try to better themselves, bring attention to their struggles, etc., moderates across the country say "not like that! you should protest differently!" (ex: Colin Kaepernick kneeling, BLM marches).
Overall this was a great book to read during the 2020 George Floyd/BLM protests and I do believe it gave me strong insight into why peaceful protests are limited in their ability to make changes.
It's interesting in that seemingly every time black people try to better themselves, bring attention to their struggles, etc., moderates across the country say "not like that! you should protest differently!" (ex: Colin Kaepernick kneeling, BLM marches).
June 11, 2020
Excellent history of black Americans in the modern era. As it is only 235 pages, this is just a skimming of the surface. Still, it's thorough and accessible, though the last chapter glossed over the last six Presidents much too quickly--I wish Sitkoff had added at least one more chapter.
November 23, 2020
Why didn’t I read this earlier? Why aren’t we using this book in schools in history class? This book is brilliant and so well written. Unbiased and yet emotionally intelligent educating. Everyone should read this book.
April 27, 2021
not too bad a book! It offered an interesting, in depth look at the power structures that formatted civil protest in the 20th century, and the grassroots aspect of many organizations of the 60’s and 70’s. Easy to read and follow the information as it was given.
March 18, 2024
This book is a synthesis of the Civil Rights movement in the US from 1954 to 1980. Though written by a historian, it contains no footnotes. It does include a historiographical essay as an appendix. It is an easy, enjoyable read but of dubious value academically.
November 25, 2012
A great history book about civil right movement in the United States from 1954-1992. This book talks about discrimination of black people in 19-th century. It also elaborates how African-Americans started to fight for their basic human rights under the leadership of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcom X and other black leaders. This book also explains how the idea of racism started to change once white people started to support their African America friends. There is pain and smile in this book. It is a great read. Everybody should read this book and learn how people, only as humans, regardless of race, gender and color, are great assets for their country, society, friends and family. It is a rich book with lots of lessons about humanity, ethics, economy and politics.
March 24, 2021
Unlike Kendi's "Stamped From The Beginning," Sitkoff's work did not give the widest horizon of Racism's history in America. But if people were searching for a book that heavily discusses the civil rights movements and black activism, I'd surely recommend to finish reading this first, then proceed to reading the part of "Angela Davis" in Kendi's book.
Harvard Sitkoff significantly laid down most of the profoundly moving rallies conducted by the Negroes, and I really love how he crafted it with the aim of not just shoving pieces of information to someone's throat, but to appeal to the nethermost part of a reader's pathos to arouse a sense of concern and amazement to the Negroes' bravery and presistence.
This is a surprisingly lighter read than Kendi's.❤️
Harvard Sitkoff significantly laid down most of the profoundly moving rallies conducted by the Negroes, and I really love how he crafted it with the aim of not just shoving pieces of information to someone's throat, but to appeal to the nethermost part of a reader's pathos to arouse a sense of concern and amazement to the Negroes' bravery and presistence.
This is a surprisingly lighter read than Kendi's.❤️
May 12, 2010
An excellent survey of the civil rights movement, emphasizing its leadership diversity (as in, Martin Luther King didn't invent the movement, though he is amply given his due here) and the importance of external factors (such as court decisions, presidential ambivalence, Cold War strategy, television coverage, and various kinds of reactions by opponents). It would make a great high school or college text. The 1993 edition's final chapter, which connects the events of the 1960s with the bitter but sometimes roundabout racial politics of the 1980s and 1990s, is useful but not as good as the rest of the book.
July 3, 2007
A very informed survey of civil rights that drops the pretense of MLK as hero, and adds a new perspective on Malcolm X as influencer.
August 10, 2016
This was one of the books that shaped and directed my view of history- it gave me the real facts. One step in my journey of working to change the world.
March 7, 2009
A very good overview of the civil-rights movement. Well researched and well written. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Read
February 11, 2010A conversational and engaging super basic history to help me brush up on the facts. By brush up I mean, re-learn the things that never stuck during Mr. Armstrong's U.S. History class.
May 3, 2011
Watery, though earnest.
March 21, 2017
Reread for history of Peace class 3/20/17. Excellent overview of struggle of civil rights.
August 11, 2017
A good overview of history. Quick read.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews