Race and the Shaping of Twentieth-Century Atlanta / Edition 2

by Ronald H. Bayor

Overview

Atlanta is often cited as a prime example of a progressive New South metropolis in which blacks and whites have forged "a city too busy to hate." But Ronald Bayor argues that the city continues to bear the indelible mark of racial bias. Offering the first comprehensive history of Atlanta race relations, he discusses the impact of race on the physical and institutional development of the city from the end of the Civil War through the mayorship of Andrew Young in the 1980s. Bayor shows the extent of inequality, investigates the gap between rhetoric and reality, and presents a fresh analysis of the legacy of segregation and race relations for the American urban environment.
Bayor explores frequently ignored public policy issues through the lens of race—including hospital care, highway placement and development, police and fire services, schools, and park use, as well as housing patterns and employment. He finds that racial concerns profoundly shaped Atlanta, as they did other American cities. Drawing on oral interviews and written records, Bayor traces how Atlanta's black leaders and their community have responded to the impact of race on local urban development. By bringing long-term urban development into a discussion of race, Bayor provides an element missing in usual analyses of cities and race relations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807848982
Publisher:	The University of North Carolina Press
Publication date:	08/28/2000
Series:	Fred W. Morrison Series in Southern Studies
Edition description:	2
Pages:	350
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Ronald H. Bayor is professor of history at the Georgia Institute of Technology and editor of the Journal of American Ethnic History. His books include Neighbors in Conflict: The Irish, Germans, Jews, and Italians of New York City, 1929-1941 and Fiorello La Guardia: Ethnicity and Reform.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

A marvelous study of the role of race in the development of Atlanta. . . . Well-written and analytically engaging, Race and the Shaping of Twentieth-Century Atlanta makes a substantial contribution toward developing a broader understanding of the importance of race in the planning, development and administration of twentieth-century urban America and will prove valuable reading for historians of African America, city planners, urban historians and anyone else who is interested in understanding the complexity of the forces at work in American cities, and how at least one American city has come to be the way it is.—Journal of Social History



A significant historical account of deplorable, and often appalling, developments. . . . Ronald Bayor's work exposes the vast gap that existed between the pretty racial picture of Atlanta that the city's white power structure consistently tried to purvey and the racial reality.—Mississippi Quarterly



Energized with insights and anecdotal information. . . . An important and ground-breaking study of Atlanta and its development during the twentieth century. Ron Bayor's book is a must-read for those who study the history of this city.—Atlanta History



[This book] breaks new ground in the urban dimension of twentieth-century race relations. In unprecedented detail Ronald Bayor demonstrates the wide gap between the rhetoric and reality of Atlanta's reputation for progressive race relations and does so in a non-preachy, restrained, and compelling manner. A real triumph.—Howard N. Rabinowitz, University of New Mexico



Ron Bayor has demonstrated the frightening intersection of race and policy in shaping the city that boasted it was 'Too Busy to Hate.' This is an important study of the making—and distorting—of a modern metropolis.—Julian Bond, University of Virginia



[Bayor] displays an impressive grasp of how white citizens used public policy to segregate and subordinate black Atlantans—in everything from health care and education to residential patterns and the placement of roads, from elections and employment to parks, and police and fire services. . . . Bayor effectively documents how race, even when unacknowledged, has played a major role in shaping Atlanta.—Atlanta Journal-Constitution



A sweeping assessment. . . . The definitive case study of race relations and public policy in twentieth-century Atlanta. It is extremely well-researched, masterfully argued, and, notwithstanding the abundant detail, easily read.—Journal of American Ethnic History



This comprehensive presentation of race as the principal factor in the shaping of a city is a valuable contribution to urban and African-American history.—Reviews in American History



Bayor shows that despite its well known slogan, 'the city too busy to hate,' and its popular image as a progressive southern city, Atlanta's race relations were similar to other segregated cities.—Choice



In writing his revealing portrait of Atlanta, Bayor has taken a fresh perspective by analyzing white racism as a determinant of spatial development, of the growth of social and economic institutions, and of the course of politics in the twentieth century. . . . Bayor has added significantly to our understanding of the implications of race by demonstrating the costs of segregation for white as well as for black citizens, both of whom were losers as Atlanta grew and apparently prospered.—Journal of Southern History



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Editorial Reviews

A significant historical account of deplorable, and often appalling, developments.

"Mississippi Quarterly"

Extremely well-researched, masterfully argued, and, notwithstanding the abundant detail, easily read.

"Journal of American Ethnic History"

"A significant historical account of deplorable, and often appalling, developments.

"Mississippi Quarterly""

"Extremely well-researched, masterfully argued, and, notwithstanding the abundant detail, easily read.

"Journal of American Ethnic History""

A marvelous study of the role of race in the development of Atlanta.

"Journal of Social History"

A valuable contribution to urban and African-American history.

"Reviews in American History"

Energized with insights and anecdotal information . . . . Ron Bayor's book is a must-read for those who study the history of this city.

"Atlanta History"

The definitive case study of race relations and public policy in twentieth-century Atlanta. It is extremely well-researched, masterfully argued, and, notwithstanding the abundant detail, easily read. ("Journal of American Ethnic History)

From the Publisher

Bayor has expertly and graphically portrayed the enormous burden in time, energy, dollars, human pain, and wasted human resources levied by urban racism and the policy of apartheid.

American Historical Review

A marvelous study of the role of race in the development of Atlanta.

Journal of Social History

Bayor has added significantly to our understanding of the implications of race by demonstrating the costs of segregation for white as well as for black citizens, both of whom were losers as Atlanta grew and apparently prospered.

Journal of Southern History

Bayor shows that despite its well known slogan, 'the city too busy to hate, ' and its popular image as a progressive southern city, Atlanta's race relations were similar to other segregated cities.

Choice

The definitive case study of race relations and public policy in twentieth-century Atlanta. It is extremely well-researched, masterfully argued, and, notwithstanding the abundant detail, easily read.

Journal of American Ethnic History