Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement (Seminar Studies In History) - Softcover

Kirk, John A.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 140822013X ISBN 13: 9781408220139

Publisher: Pearson, 2013

Synopsis

Martin Luther King, Jr is one of the iconic figures of 20th century history, and one of the most influential and important in the American Civil Rights Movement.  John Kirk here presents the life of Martin Luther King in the context of that movement, placing him at the center of the Afro-American fight for equality and recognition.

This book combines the insights from two fields of study seeking to combine the “top down” national federal policy-oriented approach to the movement with the “bottom up” local grassroots activism approach to demonstrate how these different levels of activism intersect and interact with each other.

About this title

About the Author

Lecturer, Dept of History, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham

From the Back Cover

Many histories of the civil rights movement focus on the role and influence of Martin Luther King, beginning with his rise to leadership during the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott and ending with his 1968 assassination in Memphis.  However, recent scholars have questioned the accuracy of this King-centred narrative, arguing that black activism was already a potent force in many places before King’s involvement, and continued to be so long after his death.

 

John A. Kirk delivers a fresh perspective on the relationship between ‘the man and the movement’. He argues that analysing the interaction between national and local movement concerns is crucial to gaining a better understanding of King’s leadership, as well as the movement as a whole. This book also:

 

- Provides a critical analysis of Kings’ strengths and weaknesses

- Examines the contributions of other key figures in the civil rights movement

- Demonstrates how thousands of grassroots activists played an important role in the civil rights movement

 

Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement is perfect for any student looking for an introduction to the topic, as well as anyone with an interest in gaining new insight into the wider role and impact of one of the most important figures and movements of twentieth-century world history.

 

John A. Kirk is George W. Donaghey Professor and Chair of the History Department at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He is author, editor or co-editor of seven books and numerous articles and essays on the civil rights movement in the United States.

Edition details

• Publisher: Pearson
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 140822013X
• ISBN 13: 9781408220139
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 204