Civil War on Race Street: The Civil Rights Movement in Cambridge, Maryland

Southern Dissent

by Peter B. Levy

Civil War on Race Street, so named because Race Street was the road that divided blacks and whites in Cambridge, Maryland, is a detailed examination of one of the most vibrant locally based struggles for racial equality during the 1960s. Beginning with an overview of Cambridge, particularly its history of racial and class relations, Peter Levy traces the emergence of the modern civil rights movement in this city on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Catalyzed by the arrival of freedom riders in 1962, the movement in Cambridge expanded in 1963 and 1964 under the leadership of Gloria Richardson, one of the most prominent (and one of the few female) civil rights leaders in the nation. In the years after her departure from Cambridge, the movement went into decline until 1967, when it underwent a brief revival that culminated with a riot allegedly incited by black power spokesman H. Rap Brown. In the wake of the riot, blacks and whites in Cambridge sought to rebuild their city and return to a politics of moderation. However, Spiro Agnew, then governor of Maryland, used the riot to advance his political career and the fortunes of the New Right, thereby garnering the attention of the public (as well as Richard Nixon) and achieving the vice-presidency in 1968. At the same time, H. Rap Brown saw his influence and that of the civil rights movement decline. In addition to providing valuable insights into Richardson and Agnew, this study is one of the few to examine a community in a "border" state. Levy demonstrates that the goals of the movement were not universal, that strategies underwent constant political and social change, and that the impact on the micro level was not as clean and immediate as historians would have us believe.

264 pages, Hardcover

First published August 7, 2003

Reviews

[Josie Mae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone, especially those in and around Dorchester County, need to read this book, if not nationwide. There is so much still applicable and present to the lives we live today, in and outside of Cambridge, Maryland. This explains a lot about the town we live in, the mindsets here, the constantly referenced in conversations "good ol' boy"network, and more. Peter Levy did an excellent job with his research, the history, and the full picture of all that happened from every perspective.

So, then the question becomes, why isn't this being sold in our tourist shops? Why hasn't the advice he puts forth followed? Instead of commemorating, learning, and growing, we see much of the excuses, shame, waffling, blame, etc. It has recently been said, and said within the book, that unless history is talked about and taught, we will never heal.

It would be interesting to see a piece from Levy now. What does he think about the current political situation, locally and nationally? What would he add since the early 2000's in reflection?

My only reason for not rating it higher lies in the awkwardness and the readability of some of the text. The book was thought provoking, a lot to process, and took me some time to work through.

[Alan Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating history of the civil rights movement in Cambridge, Maryland (focused almost exclusively on the period from 1962--1968). During this short six years, Cambridge went from peaceful marches demanding equal access to lunch counters and employment, to multiple declarations of marshal law, enforced by the National Guard), ending with an incendiary speech by H. Rap Brown, followed within a couple of hours by a fire which destroyed a large part of the (segregated) Black neighborhood.

Civil War on Race Street describes in detail the rise of local leadership (Gloria Richardson--one of the few civil rights fights openly lead by a woman), the influence of local college students, and organizers from national organizations (SNCC, CORE, and NAACP, mainly), and the interactions between the local (all white) "establishment" and the poor white community.

This is a really fascinating case study on its own, but the reactions of the "moderates" and conservatives in the national and historical context makes the story especially interesting. Both the local establishment, and national conservatives, branded the violence in Cambridge as the fault of outside forces. As the author summarizes toward the end:

“[A conservative reporter] condemned radical blacks for causing the violence. By stepping outside traditional political channels, he argued, they caused the strife. [I]f black activists had resisted the temptation to resort to direct action protest, they would have achieved more of their goals and avoided provoking white backlash.”

In other words, Black people are at fault for not agreeing to continue to be oppressed until white people decided to give them their rights. Interestingly, today, this is the position of many white LIBERALS to Black Lives Matter protests. What was once a far right position, is now what passes for liberalism.

An interesting historical footnote: It was Cambridge which transformed Spiro Agnew from a moderate liberal on race issues, to a rabid fire eating conservative, who served as the attack dog for Nixon, and but for his taking bribes, would have been president.
Highly recommended.