The Divided Skies: Establishing Segregated Flight Training at Tuskegee, Alabama, 1934-1942

Jakeman, Robert J.

ISBN 10: 0817305270 / ISBN 13: 9780817305277

Published by University of Alabama Press, 1992

Tuscaloosa/London. 1992. University of Alabama Press. 1st American Edition. Very Good in Dustjacket With A Small Tear At Bottom Edge Corner. 0817305270. 417 pages. hardcover. keywords: History Segregation America Aviation. DESCRIPTION - This study tells the story of the establishment of flight training programs at Tuskegee, beginning with Tuskegee Institute's early involvement with aviation and culminating with the graduation of the first class of black pilots from Air Corps training in 1942. Basing his research on records at Tuskegee University, the Library of Congress, the United States Air Force Historical Research Center, the Roosevelt Library, the National Archives, and the Chicago Historical Society, Jakeman places the establishment of the flight training program at Tuskegee in the broader context of black military history, black aviation, and race relations during the 1930s. This examination of the events that resulted in the breakdown of the ban on admitting blacks to the Air Corps highlights many issues and factors not explored by other researchers. Tuskegee Institute's attempts to add aviation to its curriculum during the mid 1930s paved the way for the school's involvement with federally sponsored programs after 1939. Three sources of the campaign for Air Corps participation are identified and explored - the tradition of military service among black Americans, the black public's growing interest in aviation, and the emergence of civil rights as a national issue during the 1930s. Against this backdrop the story of the establishment of a training program for black pilots unfolds - the key role of the Tuskegee Institute administrators, the competition between Tuskegee and the black aviation community in Chicago, the intransigence of the Air Corps leadership, and the dispute among black leaders regarding the wisdom of accepting a segregated program are key themes that emerge. inventory #4060 Very Good in Dustjacket With A Small Tear At Bottom Edge Corner. Seller Inventory # z4060

Synopsis:

The continued attention of African Americans in the military, the growing interest of the community in aviation, and the birth of civil rights as a major issue led to the setting up of flight training for black pilots in Alabama. This book covers this struggle for justice and equal opportunities.

Review: "Jakeman's scholarship is thorough and impressive. The prose is clear. . . . A fine case study of black protest and institution building in the forgotten years before the Civil Rights Movement." Raymond Wolters"

"Robert Jakeman has done an excellent job of giving meaning to the aviation experience. He clearly explains that the decision to create a segregated flight training program at Tuskegee Institute came about as a result of the confluence of three forces: the continued attention of African-Americans in the military, the growing interest of the community in aviation, and the emergence of civil rights as a major issue." "The Journal of Military History""

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Divided Skies: Establishing Segregated ...
Publisher: University of Alabama Press
Publication Date: 1992
Binding: hardcover
Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good
Edition: First Edition.