James Farmer Jr.: The Great Debater

by Ben Voth

Overview

This book provides an argumentation study of the life of the “great debater,” James Farmer Jr. and analyzes his emergence as a debater in conjunction with the fight for racial equality. It shows how Farmer’s rhetoric helped him lead the founding of the American Civil Rights Movement and other key events during this time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781498539654
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	08/13/2019
Pages:	210
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Ben Voth is associate professor of corporate communications and public affairs and director of debate at Southern Methodist University.

Table of Contents

Contents Preface Acknowledgements Introduction Why James Farmer Jr. Matters Today Chapter 1. The Family of James Farmer Jr. Chapter 2. James Farmer Jr. at Wiley College—1934-1938 Chapter 3. The Debate Coach: Melvin Tolson Chapter 4. From Minister to Advocate Against Segregation Chapter 5. The first Sit-in— Jack Spratt in 1942 Chapter 6. The Freedom Rides 1961 Chapter 7. The MOW 1963 and Freedom Summer 1964 Chapter 8. Malcolm X and James Farmer Jr. Chapter 9. Republican for Congress and the Nixon Years Chapter 10. James Farmer and the Matter of Black Lives Today Chapter 11. The implications of Farmer Today Appendix Malcolm X debates James Farmer Jr. at Cornell References About the Author

Editorial Reviews

James Farmer was considered by many to be the intellectual of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s. He was one of those charismatic leaders whose words and actions affected change not only in the United States but also all over the world. Now he’s been largely forgotten, but Ben Voth, in his book, James Farmer Jr.: The Great Debater, sheds new light on Farmer and one of the great reasons that he was able to do what he did. It adds new light to Farmer’s enduring legend.

Gail Beil

Voth vividly recounts the story of perhaps the greatest forgotten hero of the Civil Rights Movement. This book is an inspiring chronicle of a forgotten legacy, which is unknowingly embedded in the very fabric of the lives of all Americans.

Christopher Medina