This introduction to the Civil Rights Movement synthesises its history, explaining its origins, development and results as well as historiographical debates. A survey based on a wealth of recent scholarship, it provides a critical perspective on the movement, eschewing the celebratory tone that pervades much of the current literature, and taking into account the African-American community's diversity.
Mark Newman outlines the range of white responses to the movement and analyses both northern and southern opinion. He examines the role of the federal government, the church and organised...