Skip to Main Content

Lifting the Chains: The Black Freedom Struggle Since Reconstruction

Online ISBN:
9780197616482
Print ISBN:
9780197616451
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Book

Lifting the Chains: The Black Freedom Struggle Since Reconstruction

William H. Chafe
William H. Chafe
Professor Emeritus, Duke University
Find on
Published online:
20 July 2023
Published in print:
29 November 2023
Online ISBN:
9780197616482
Print ISBN:
9780197616451
Publisher:
Oxford University Press

Abstract

Lifting the Chains: The Black Freedom Struggle in Americas Since Reconstruction discusses the history of the Black experience in America since the Civil War. Using scores of oral history interviews with Black activists conducted over the last fifty years by Duke scholars, as well as traditional written sources, it argues that the long battle against racism in America was carried forward primarily by Black Americans through their churches, civil rights organizations, and community activist groups. Despite repeated defeats, culminating with the era of Jim Crow and disenfranchisement in the early 20th century, Black insurgents persisted, and aided by the changes wrought by their involvement in World War II, the civil rights movement of the 1940s, 50s, and 60s struggled to reshape America. The book elaborates on this struggle, the relationship between political equality and economic equality, and what remains to be achieved before the promises of the Declaration of Independence can be realized.

Contents
Close
This Feature Is Available To Subscribers Only

Sign In or Create an Account

Close

This PDF is available to Subscribers Only

View Article Abstract & Purchase Options

For full access to this pdf, sign in to an existing account, or purchase an annual subscription.

Close