Class, Race, and the Civil Rights Movement

by Jack M. Bloom, Richard Hatcher (Foreword)

Praise for the first edition:

"A unique sociohistorical analysis of the civil rights movement, analyzing the interaction between the economy and political systems in the South, which led to racial stratification. An intriguing look at the interplay of race and class, this work is both scholarly and jargon-free. A sophisticated study."-Library Journal

"This is an exciting book combining dramatic episodes with an insightful analysis.The use of concepts of class is subtle and effective." -Peter N. Stearns

"Ambitious and wide-ranging." -Georgia Historical Quarterly

"Excellent historical analysis." -North Carolina Historical Review

"Historians should welcome this book. A well-written, jargon-free interpretive synthesis, it relates impersonal political-economic forces to the human actors who were shaped by them and, in turn, helped shape them . . . . This refreshing study reminds us how much the American dilemma of race has been complicated by problems of class." -American Historical Review

"A broad historical sweep . . . . Skillfully surveys key areas of historiographical debate and succinctly summarizes a good deal of recent secondary literature." -Journal of Southern History

"Bloom does a masterful job of presenting the major structural and psychological interpretations associated with the Civil Rights Movement. . . . It will make an excellent general text to welcome undergraduates and reintroduce old-timers to the social ferment that surrounded the civil rights movement." -Contemporary Sociology

Genres: Race, History

380 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1987

Reviews

[Dan Sharber · Rating 4 out of 5]

if you are looking for a clear class based, dialectical analysis of the movements for black liberation from reconstruction through the black power period of the 60's then check out this book. critical to changing the world is understanding the role that racism has played and still plays in this country. and equally important is the understand the class interaction with race. it is clear in this book that racism is something that humans created and thus humans can tear it down. as an aside, the books ends on a bit of an optomistic note which, while not bad at all, seems much more tragic after having read 'the new jim crow' by michelle alexander - another amazing book...

[Brian Bean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential. Required reading.

[Brenmlaws · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great overview, light of the details of the black power movement but explains the class dynamics in the US and the contradictions of the US very well.

[Rosalux · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clear political history of the Civil Rights Movement and the smaller struggles of the preceding decades. Blooms's major contribution is a painstaking analysis of mass consciousness and of the political assessment of activists as the movement developed. A must-read for activists today.