A more beautiful and terrible history: the uses and misuses of civil rights history
Description
The civil rights movement has become national legend, lauded by presidents from Reagan to Obama to Trump, as proof of the power of American democracy. This fable, featuring dreamy heroes and accidental heroines, has shuttered the movement firmly in the past, whitewashed the forces that stood in its way, and diminished its scope. And it is used perniciously in our own times to chastise present-day movements and obscure contemporary injustice. In A More Beautiful and Terrible History award-winning historian Jeanne Theoharis dissects this national myth-making, teasing apart the accepted stories to show them in a strikingly different light. We see Rosa Parks not simply as a bus lady but a lifelong criminal justice activist and radical; Martin Luther King, Jr. as not only challenging Southern sheriffs but Northern liberals, too; and Coretta Scott King not only as a "helpmate" but a lifelong economic justice and peace activist who pushed her husband's activism in these directions. Moving from "the histories we get" to "the histories we need," Theoharis challenges nine key aspects of the fable to reveal the diversity of people, especially women and young people, who led the movement; the work and disruption it took; the role of the media and "polite racism" in maintaining injustice; and the immense barriers and repression activists faced. Theoharis makes us reckon with the fact that far from being acceptable, passive or unified, the civil rights movement was unpopular, disruptive, and courageously persevering. Activists embraced an expansive vision of justice, which a majority of Americans opposed and which the federal government feared. By showing us the complex reality of the movement, the power of its organizing, and the beauty and scope of the vision, Theoharis proves that there was nothing natural or inevitable about the progress that occurred. -- Publisher
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Subjects
Subjects
African Americans
African Americans -- Civil rights -- Historiography
African Americans -- Civil rights -- History -- 20th century
Civil rights
Civil rights movements
Civil rights movements -- United States -- Historiography
Civil rights movements -- United States -- History -- 20th century
Historiography
History
Race relations
United States -- Race relations -- Historiography
United States -- Race relations -- History -- 20th century
African Americans -- Civil rights -- Historiography
African Americans -- Civil rights -- History -- 20th century
Civil rights
Civil rights movements
Civil rights movements -- United States -- Historiography
Civil rights movements -- United States -- History -- 20th century
Historiography
History
Race relations
United States -- Race relations -- Historiography
United States -- Race relations -- History -- 20th century
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Grouping Information
Grouped Work ID | e100641f-7263-1196-9850-f0f38a0aac33 |
---|---|
Grouping Title | more beautiful and terrible history the uses and misuses of civil rights history |
Grouping Author | jeanne theoharis |
Grouping Category | book |
Grouping Language | English (eng) |
Last Grouping Update | 2024-04-23 20:46:13PM |
Last Indexed | 2024-05-03 01:52:12AM |
Solr Fields
accelerated_reader_point_value
0
accelerated_reader_reading_level
0
author
Theoharis, Jeanne
author_display
Theoharis, Jeanne
display_description
The civil rights movement has become national legend, lauded by presidents from Reagan to Obama to Trump, as proof of the power of American democracy. This fable, featuring dreamy heroes and accidental heroines, has shuttered the movement firmly in the past, whitewashed the forces that stood in its way, and diminished its scope. And it is used perniciously in our own times to chastise present-day movements and obscure contemporary injustice. In A More Beautiful and Terrible History award-winning historian Jeanne Theoharis dissects this national myth-making, teasing apart the accepted stories to show them in a strikingly different light. We see Rosa Parks not simply as a bus lady but a lifelong criminal justice activist and radical; Martin Luther King, Jr. as not only challenging Southern sheriffs but Northern liberals, too; and Coretta Scott King not only as a "helpmate" but a lifelong economic justice and peace activist who pushed her husband's activism in these directions. Moving from "the histories we get" to "the histories we need," Theoharis challenges nine key aspects of the fable to reveal the diversity of people, especially women and young people, who led the movement; the work and disruption it took; the role of the media and "polite racism" in maintaining injustice; and the immense barriers and repression activists faced. Theoharis makes us reckon with the fact that far from being acceptable, passive or unified, the civil rights movement was unpopular, disruptive, and courageously persevering. Activists embraced an expansive vision of justice, which a majority of Americans opposed and which the federal government feared. By showing us the complex reality of the movement, the power of its organizing, and the beauty and scope of the vision, Theoharis proves that there was nothing natural or inevitable about the progress that occurred. -- Publisher
format_category_lafayette
Books
format_lafayette
Book
id
e100641f-7263-1196-9850-f0f38a0aac33
isbn
9780807075876
itype_lafayette
hardcover book
last_indexed
2024-05-03T07:52:12.745Z
lexile_score
-1
literary_form
Non Fiction
literary_form_full
Non Fiction
primary_isbn
9780807075876
publishDate
2018
publisher
Beacon Press
recordtype
grouped_work
subject_facet
African Americans -- Civil rights -- Historiography
African Americans -- Civil rights -- History -- 20th century
Civil rights movements -- United States -- Historiography
Civil rights movements -- United States -- History -- 20th century
United States -- Race relations -- Historiography
United States -- Race relations -- History -- 20th century
African Americans -- Civil rights -- History -- 20th century
Civil rights movements -- United States -- Historiography
Civil rights movements -- United States -- History -- 20th century
United States -- Race relations -- Historiography
United States -- Race relations -- History -- 20th century
title_display
A more beautiful and terrible history : the uses and misuses of civil rights history
title_full
A more beautiful and terrible history : the uses and misuses of civil rights history / Jeanne Theoharis
title_short
A more beautiful and terrible history
title_sub
the uses and misuses of civil rights history
topic_facet
African Americans
Civil rights
Civil rights movements
Historiography
History
Race relations
Civil rights
Civil rights movements
Historiography
History
Race relations
Solr Details Tables
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ils:.b28323257 | .i43013557 | Longmont Adult Nonfiction | 323.1196 THE | 1 | false | false | On Shelf | Jun 03, 2023 | lgnfa |
record_details
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---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ils:.b28323257 | Book | Books | English | Beacon Press | 2018 | xxv, 253 pages ; 24 cm |
scoping_details_lafayette
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More Details
ISBN:
9780807075876