Freedom's sword : the NAACP and the struggle against racism in America, 1909-1969 / Gilbert Jonas ; with a foreword by Julian Bond.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Jonas, Gilbert.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People--History.

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

African Americans--Civil rights--History--20th century.

African Americans.

African Americans--Civil rights.

History.

Civil rights movements--United States--History--20th century.

Civil rights movements.

United States.

African Americans--Politics and government--20th century.

African Americans--Politics and government.

Racism--United States--History--20th century.

Racism.

United States--Race relations.

Race relations.

Physical Description:

xvii, 520 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, portraits ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Routledge, 2005.

Summary:

In 1909, "The Call" went out against Jim Crow racism, and American race relations began to change. The violent discrimination that continued in the South spurred a group of concerned white liberals to form the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, an organization that grew to become one of the most powerful social forces in American history. Gilbert Jonas, who worked with the NAACP for more than 50 years, draws upon firsthand experience and extraordinary access to reveal how the organization contributed to the eradication of lynching in the South, the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision, and the passage of the 1964 Voting Rights Act. Jonas documents the NAACP's role in landmark events in American history, including the famed 1939 concert by Marian Anderson at the Lincoln Memorial and the historic 1963 march on Washington, led by A. Philip Randolph.

Freedom's Sword also examines the accomplishments of the NAACP's legendary leadership, which included Thurgood Marshall, Charles Hamilton Houston, James Weldon Johnson, and Roy Wilkins. Jonas shows how these men, working tirelessly with lawyers, intellectuals, and activists, secured the passage of legislation crucial to the integration of American society. It was to be "freedom's sword" that prevailed, winning victories for racial equality and civil justice in the United States.

Contents:

Creating a change agent : the NAACP's early years

The law as a weapon against unjust laws

Southern retaliation against Negro determination

Leading the African-American quest for political power

Comes the revolution : the struggle between the NAACP and the Communist Party USA

World War II and its consequences for race

The politics of political advancement

Revolution at the ballot box

Black workers, white unions, and the struggle for job equality

Head to head with the Garment Workers Union

The end of pretense : organized labor refuses to desegregate

Roy Wilkins : the gentle giant

The NAACP develops financial muscle.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [471]-480) and index.

ISBN:

0415949858

OCLC:

55729866