A History of African-American Leadership (Studies In Modern History) - Softcover

The story of black emancipation is one of the most dramatic themes of American history, covering racism, murder, poverty and extreme heroism. Figures such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King are the demigods of the freedom movements, both film and household figures.

This major text explores the African-American experience of the twentieth century with particular reference to six outstanding race leaders. Their philosophies and strategies for racial advancement are compared and set against the historical framework and constraints within which they functioned.

The book also examines the 'grass roots' of black protest movements in America, paying particular attention to the major civil rights organizations as well as black separatist groups such as the Nation of Islam.

Now fully revised and updated, this third edition of a popular text explores the African-American experience from the slave period to the present.

As well as analyzing the contribution of significant figures such as Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois, Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King, Jr, Malcolm X, and Jesse Jackson, the book now includes a separate chapter on the remarkable work of female political and cultural leaders, including Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells, Mary McLeod Bethune, Fannie Lou Hamer, Condoleezza Rice, and Oprah Winfrey. The book ends with a consideration of the life and career of Barack Obama ? America?s first black president ? who has sometimes been perceived as downplaying the issue of race in his leadership roles.

A remarkable work of synthesis and collective biography, illuminated with numerous first-person quotations, A History of African-American Leadership is ideal for students of American history, politics, sociology, and race relations, as well as for general readers interested in gaining a deeper understanding of one of the major issues of our time.

Bruce J. Dierenfieldis Professor of History, Director of the All-College Honors Program, and former Peter Canisius Distinguished Teaching Professor of the African-American Experience at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York. He is the award-winning author of four previous books, including The Civil Rights Movement (Pearson, 2008).

John White is Reader Emeritus in American History at the University of Hull. He has taught at the Universities of Michigan, Rochester, Rutgers, California State and Alabama.