African Americans and Civil Rights

Michael L. Levine, PhD, is a freelance editor for Charles Scribner's Reference Books, Macmillan, Inc., where he is editor for Encyclopedia of American Legislative History, Civilizations of the Ancient Near East, and Encyclopedia of Latin American History. Previously, he was writer, researcher, and press coordinator for the A. Philip Randolph Institute, the National Organization of Black Trade Union Activists. Before that, he was editor-in-chief for National Productivity, a quarterly journal presenting new concepts, practical proposals, and case studies pertaining to the improvement of organizational productivity. He has also been a freelance writer and editor for Travel and Leisure magazine and other publications.

• Preface vii CHAPTER 1:West Africa, the Atlantic Slave Trade, and the Americas 1 CHAPTER 2:The Colonial Era: 1619-1763 16 CHAPTER 3:The Era of the American Revolution: 1764-1820 37 CHAPTER 4: The Antebellum Years: 1820-1860 57 CHAPTER 5: The Civil War and Reconstruction: 1861-1877 83 CHAPTER 6: The Triumph of White Racism: 1878-1915 109 CHAPTER 7: World War I through the Great Depression: 1914-1941 140 CHAPTER 8: World War II and the Postwar Years: 1941-1960 166 CHAPTER 9: The Civil Rights Revolution, Black Power, and White Backlash: 1960-1968183 CHAPTER 10: Progress and Setbacks in a Conservative Era: 1969 to the Present 209 Biographies 249Chronology 277Glossary 289Further Reading 295Index 317

"The volume encompasses nearly 400 years of African-American history with remarkable thoroughness and insight . . . [provides] thorough discussion of . . . issues that will shape the future of African Americans in our country." - Norman Hill, President A. Philip Randolph Institute