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A history of the black civil rights movement in the United States
Running for Freedom
Civil Rights and Black Politics in White America, 1941-1988
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Steven F. Lawson
This book is a history of the black civil rights movement in the United States, ranging from A. Philip Randolph’s threatened march on Washington on the eve of American entry into World War II to Jesse Jackson’s stirring presidential bids in the 1980s. The author describes the major groups within the movement, the differing strategies they employed, and the political alliances they formed. The story is told against the background of national and international events that affected the reactions of government and the rest of society toward blacks and their struggle. Included is an assessment of the progress that has been made—and of the great problems that remain to be overcome before full racial equality can be realized.
Contents
Preface
1. World War II and the Origins of the Freedom Struggle
2. Ballots, Boycotts, and the Building of a National Agenda
3. Surging Protest, Shifting Politics
4. Reenfranchisement and Racial Consciousness
5. The New Black Politician: From Protest to Empowerment
6. Progress and Poverty: Politics in a Conservative Era
7. In Search of Legitimacy
8. Still Running for Freedom
Bibliographic Essay
Index
About the Author(s)
Steven F. Lawson, Professor of History at the University of Southern Florida, is the author of Black Ballots: Voting Rights in the South and In Pursuit of Power: Southern Black and Electoral Politics.