The early decades of the twentieth century -- the period covered in this narrative history -- were critical "watershed" years for black Tennesseans, just as they were for Afro-Americans generally. Those were the years that saw the northward migration of an increasing number of blacks, the peak of segregation restriction, and the spawning of the "New Negro" or militant movement. Faced with these special pressures, Tennessee became an arena for conflict between the accommodationist view of Booker T. Washington and the activist ideas of W. E. B. DuBois. (Both men came to the state to proselytize.) Although the majority of black Tennesseans basically accepted the approach of Booker T. Washington, they -- especially the young -- became more likely during these years to act on their own behalf, rather than passively accept the inequities borne by past generations.

Intro -- Contents -- Preface -- 1. Black Nashville during Slavery Times -- 2. Religion, Education, and the Politics of Slavery and Secession -- 3. The Civil War: "Blue Man's Coming -- 4. Life after Slavery: Progress Despite Poverty and Discrimination -- 5. Business and Culture: A World of Their Own -- 6. On Common Ground: Reading, "Riting," and Arithmetic -- 7. Uplifting the Race: Higher Education -- 8. Churches and Religion: From Paternalism to Maturity -- 9. Politics and Civil Rights: The Black Republicans -- 10. Racial Accommodationism and Protest -- Notes -- Index

From page one of the book: "Black Tennesseans knew achievement and degradation, fairness and discrimination, success and failure over the course of the twentieth century. Their experience was as varied as the Volunteer State's landscape, but there were certain things as constant as the hot sun in Memphis in the summertime: Their race set them apart from, and usually beneath, the privileged whites in society; and they faced discrimination and separation with a commitment to struggle that rarely flagged or failed them, even if their efforts did not always yield change. They began their struggle at what the historian Rayford Logan called 'the nadir' of race relations in America, his assessment of conditions at the start of twentieth century. Indeed it was the low point. But 100 years later, African Americans in Tennessee had risen to a much higher place, in their own estimation, and that of their white neighbors. To be sure, not every problem had been overcome, and the past of discrimination and separation still weighed heavily on twenty-first century black Tennesseans. But by most indicators their climb had been upward, out of a strict caste system, to a position of reachable, if not fully achieved, equality.

Intro -- Contents -- Preface -- 1. Black Nashville during Slavery Times -- 2. Religion, Education, and the Politics of Slavery and Secession -- 3. The Civil War: "Blue Man's Coming -- 4. Life after Slavery: Progress Despite Poverty and Discrimination -- 5. Business and Culture: A World of Their Own -- 6. On Common Ground: Reading, "Riting," and Arithmetic -- 7. Uplifting the Race: Higher Education -- 8. Churches and Religion: From Paternalism to Maturity -- 9. Politics and Civil Rights: The Black Republicans -- 10. Racial Accommodationism and Protest -- Notes -- Index

Although southern Appalachia is popularly seen as a purely white enclave, blacks have lived in the region from early times. Some hollows and coal camps are in fact almost exclusively black settlements. The selected readings in this new book offer the first comprehensive presentation of the black experience in Appalachia. Organized topically, the selections deal with the early history of blacks in the region, with studies of the black communities, with relations between blacks and whites, with blacks in coal mining, and with political issues. Also included are a section on oral accounts of black experiences and an analysis of black Appalachian demography. The contributors range from Carter Woodson and W. E. B. Du Bois to more recent scholars such as Theda Perdue and David A. Corbin. An introduction by the editors provides an overall context for the selections. Blacks in Appalachia focuses needed attention on a neglected area of Appalachian studies. It will be a valuable resource for students of Appalachia and of black history.

"Emancipation is an important and impressive work; one cannot read it without being inspired by the legal acumen, creativity, and resiliency these pioneer lawyers displayed. . . . It should be read by everyone interested in understanding the road African-Americans have traveled and the challenges that lie ahead."—From the Foreword, by Justice Thurgood Marshall

Throughout the South, black women were crucial to the Civil Rights Movement, serving as grassroots and organizational leaders. They protested, participated, sat in, mobilized, created, energized, led particular efforts, and served as bridge builders to the rest of the community. Ignored at the time by white politicians and the media alike, with few exceptions they worked behind the scenes to effect the changes all in the movement sought. Until relatively recently, historians, too, have largely ignored their efforts. Although African American women mobili.