This is the first comprehensive treatment of the complex phenomenon of African-American mayors in the nation's major urban centers. Offering a diverse portrait of leadership, conflict, and almost insurmountable obstacles, this volume assesses the political alliances that brought black mayors to office as well as the accomplishments and challenges that marked their careers.
Once in office, African-American mayors faced the intractable problems of decaying inner cities, white flight, a dwindling tax base, violent crime, and diminishing federal support for social programs. Many encountered...
This is the first comprehensive treatment of the complex phenomenon of African-American mayors in the nation's major urban centers. Offering a diverse...
"Colburn presents the facts and is not afraid to interpret them. His narrative captures the inherent drama of specific events and situations: the ruthless beatings of demonstrators, the complacency and fear of many white moderates, the genuinely incredible power of nonviolence to accomplish grand political ends, and the great courage this weapon required of those who wielded it." --Reviews in American History
In 1964, racial reform and racial extremism clashed in St. Augustine, Florida, the city the Southern Christian Leadership Conference targeted for the activities of its...
"Colburn presents the facts and is not afraid to interpret them. His narrative captures the inherent drama of specific events and situations: the r...
Africans participated in all the Spanish explorations and settlements in Florida, as they did throughout the Spanish Americas. In Florida they helped establish St. Augustine and the free black community of Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose. Africans and African Americans fought in the many conflicts that wracked Florida, including the three Seminole Wars and the Civil War. Despite the oppressions of slavery and segregation, black Floridians struggled to establish their own communities, combat racism and economic deprivation, and negotiate the terms of their labor. Against overwhelming...
Africans participated in all the Spanish explorations and settlements in Florida, as they did throughout the Spanish Americas. In Florida they helped ...
"David Colburn and Lance deHaven-Smith have long been two of Florida s most respected and insightful political commentators, so it comes as no surprise that they have authored such an interesting and eminently readable analysis of the Sunshine State s dynamic political history and culture. They] powerfully demonstrate how Florida s eclectic mix of people, ideas, economic activities, and environmental treasures gives us a preview of the challenges and opportunities that the United States will confront in the 21st century."--Bob Graham, U.S. Senator
From the foreword: "I strongly...
"David Colburn and Lance deHaven-Smith have long been two of Florida s most respected and insightful political commentators, so it comes as no surp...
"The authors have synthesized their vast knowledge and understanding of Florida's modern history, politics, and people, woven them around Florida's challenges and opportunities, and laid them before us in a fascinating and informative read."--Wendy Abberger, executive director, Leadership Florida
"A much-needed overview of the critical and conflicting trends that have shaped and will continue to shape Florida in the twenty-first century."--Terri Susan Fine, University of Central Florida
Florida began the twentieth century rooted in the Confederacy--the least populated of the...
"The authors have synthesized their vast knowledge and understanding of Florida's modern history, politics, and people, woven them around Florida's...
Likely to raise hackles among Democrats and Republicans alike, this dynamic history of modern Florida argues that the Sunshine State has become the political and demographic future of the nation. David Colburn reveals how Florida gradually abandoned the traditions of race and personality that linked it to the Democratic Party. The book focuses particularly on the population growth and chaotic gubernatorial politics that altered the state from 1940, when it was a sleepy impoverished southern outpost, to the present and the emergence of a dominant Republican Party.In the twenty-first century,...
Likely to raise hackles among Democrats and Republicans alike, this dynamic history of modern Florida argues that the Sunshine State has become the po...
"Florida's modern face, the result of its astonishing population growth since World War II, belies an unbalanced economy: overly dependent on tourism and retirement that generates primarily low-paying service jobs. . . . Florida's Megatrends is timely reading for any citizen, and especially any aspiring politician." St. Petersburg Times
"This brief but powerful book analyzes Florida since the 1870s. ?. . . Here each historical event is included for a reason, and each forecast for the future is based on solid historical precedents. The result is an exciting and informative...
"Florida's modern face, the result of its astonishing population growth since World War II, belies an unbalanced economy: overly dependent on touri...
A masterful study of Florida politics. Gary R. Mormino, author of Land of Sunshine, State of Dreams In this sweeping overview of modern Florida politics, Colburn challenges the country s preconceived notions of the Sunshine State s political leanings. It] is the result of a lifetime of observing and analyzing a once small and rural state that has transformed itself, in less than fifty years, into a political powerhouse and national weathervane. Governor Reubin O D. Askew A solid piece of scholarship and a comprehensive survey of state politics over the past sixty-five years...
A masterful study of Florida politics. Gary R. Mormino, author of Land of Sunshine, State of Dreams In this sweeping overview of modern Flo...
