This introduction to the Civil Rights Movement synthesizes its history from the 1930s to the 1980s, explaining its origins, development, and results as well as relevant historiographical debates. It provides a critical perspective on the movement, eschewing the celebratory tone that pervades much of the current literature and takes into account the African American community's wide diversity.
Mark Newman outlines the range of responses to the movement from the north to the south, examining the role of the federal government, the church, and organized labor, and assessing the impact of the Cold War. The book discusses local, regional, and national civil rights campaigns, the utility of non-violent direct action, and the resurgence of Black Nationalism. It examines the achievements and disintegration of the national civil rights coalition, the role of Martin Luther King Jr., the NAACP, and the contributions made by many otherwise ordinary men and women.