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Here, in a concise, compelling narrative, Bancroft Prize-winning historian James T. Patterson takes readers through the dramatic case and its fifty-year aftermath. A wide range of characters animates the story, from the little-known African-Americans who dared to challenge Jim Crow with lawsuits (at great personal cost); to Thurgood Marshall, who later became a Justice himself; to Earl Warren, who shepherded a fractured Court to a unanimous decision. Others include segregationist politicians like Governor Orval Faubus of Arkansas; Presidents Eisenhower, Johnson, and Nixon; and controversial Supreme Court justices such as William Rehnquist and Clarence Thomas.
Most Americans still see Brown as a triumph--but was it? Patterson shrewdly explores the provocative questions that still swirl around the case. Could the Court--or President Eisenhower--have done more to ensure compliance with Brown? Did the decision touch off the modern civil rights movement? How useful are court-ordered busing and affirmative action against racial segregation? To what extent has racial mixing affected the academic achievement of black children? Where indeed do we go from here to realize the expectations of Marshall, Ellison, and others in 1954?
| Editors' Note | xi | |
| Preface: Contesting the Color Line | xiii | |
| 1 | Race and the Schools Before Brown | 1 |
| 2 | The Grass Roots and Struggling Lawyers | 21 |
| 3 | The Court Decides | 46 |
| 4 | Crossroads, 1954-55 | 70 |
| 5 | Southern Whites Fight Back | 86 |
| 6 | Striving for Racial Balance in the 1960s | 118 |
| 7 | The Burger Court Surprises | 147 |
| 8 | Stalemates | 170 |
| 9 | Resegregation? | 191 |
| 10 | Legacies and Lessons | 206 |
| Appendix I | Key Cases | 225 |
| Appendix II | Tables and Figures | 227 |
| Notes | 237 | |
| Bibliographical Essay | 263 | |
| Acknowledgments | 269 | |
| Index | 271 |
Anonymous
Posted April 14, 2004
This is a book that I would read again. Not only is it on a topis that interests me, it is well written. James Patterson illustrates the turmoil over Brown v. Board very well. His writing is very consice and even. The way he presents the information is easy to follow. Unforunatley (for myself) my favorite part was the pictures. I am a very heavy fiction reader. When I started learning about segregation and Brown v. Board, although it starts in my home state, I was unable to picture the people. Having the pictures there not only helped break up the reading, it gave a prespective of the roiting and the emotion that insued to to the Brown desiscion. Patterson's book gives brief but accurate background on the earlier cases. Not having to read a lot before getting to the acutal discussion of Brown v. Board was nice. I would suggest to anyone that is interested in the segregation and civil rights to read this book. If you aren't into reading, I would just look at the pictures. They are expressive and convey emotion. All of Patterson's praises are deserved.
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