Little Rock : race and resistance at Central High School / Karen Anderson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Anderson, Karen, 1947-

Series:

Politics and society in twentieth-century America.

Politics and society in twentieth-century America

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

School integration--Arkansas--Little Rock--History--20th century.

School integration.

African American students--Arkansas--Little Rock--History--20th century.

African American students.

African Americans--Education--Arkansas--Little Rock--History--20th century.

African Americans.

School integration--Massive resistance movement--Arkansas--Little Rock--History--20th century.

Little Rock (Ark.)--Race relations.

Little Rock (Ark.).

Little Rock (Ark.)--Politics and government--20th century.

Central High School (Little Rock, Ark.)--History.

Central High School (Little Rock, Ark.).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (344 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Princeton : Princeton University Press, c2010.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The desegregation crisis in Little Rock is a landmark of American history: on September 4, 1957, after the Supreme Court struck down racial segregation in public schools, Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus called up the National Guard to surround Little Rock Central High School, preventing black students from going in. On September 25, 1957, nine black students, escorted by federal troops, gained entrance. With grace and depth, Little Rock provides fresh perspectives on the individuals, especially the activists and policymakers, involved in these dramatic events. Looking at a wide variety of evidence and sources, Karen Anderson examines American racial politics in relation to changes in youth culture, sexuality, gender relations, and economics, and she locates the conflicts of Little Rock within the larger political and historical context. Anderson considers how white groups at the time, including middle class women and the working class, shaped American race and class relations. She documents white women's political mobilizations and, exploring political resentments, sexual fears, and religious affiliations, illuminates the reasons behind segregationists' missteps and blunders. Anderson explains how the business elite in Little Rock retained power in the face of opposition, and identifies the moral failures of business leaders and moderates who sought the appearance of federal compliance rather than actual racial justice, leaving behind a legacy of white flight, poor urban schools, and institutional racism. Probing the conflicts of school desegregation in the mid-century South, Little Rock casts new light on connections between social inequality and the culture wars of modern America.Some images inside the book are unavailable due to digital copyright restrictions.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Illustrations

Acknowledgments

Introduction: Not Here, Not Now, Not Us

1. Mapping Change: Little Rock Forges a Desegregation Plan

2. "Occupied Arkansas": Class, Gender, and the Politics of Resistance

3. Uncivil Disobedience: The Politics of Race and Resistance at Central High School, 1957-1958

4. The Politics of School Closure: Massive Resistance Put to the Test, 1958-1959

5. The Politics of Fear and Gridlock

6. Politics as Usual: Reviving the Politics of Tokenism

Conclusions: Little Rock and the Legacies of Brown v. Board of Education

Abbreviations

Notes

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-282-45790-X

9786612457906

1-4008-3214-4

OCLC:

593209764