Black Liberation from Reconstruction to Black Lives Matter (Debating American History Series)

Black Liberation from Reconstruction to Black Lives Matter (Debating American History Series)

Embracing an argument-based model for teaching history, the Debating American History series encourages students to participate in a contested, evidence-based discourse about the human past. Each book poses a question that historians debate--How democratic is the U.S. Constitution? or Why did civil war erupt in the United States in 1861?--and provides abundant primary sources so that students can make their own efforts at interpreting the evidence. They can then use that analysis to construct answers to the big question that frames the debate and argue in support of their position. Black Liberation from Reconstruction to Black Lives Matter poses this big question: After decades of struggle, was there a breakthrough in civil rights in the 1960s? "Black Liberation from Reconstruction to Black Lives Matter is a groundbreaking text in African American history that gives students the opportunity to develop their own arguments about both the victories of the struggle for racial equality and the fights that still remain." --Suzanne Smith, George Mason University "The book challenges students to choose a side and argue their selection using those sources, and it implements the latest pedagogical approaches to the study of history while covering a topic which most students will find not only new but deeply empowering." --Jeff Strickland, Montclair State University "Black Liberation from Reconstruction to Black Lives Matter is well-suited to the undergraduate or even graduate classroom. It raises meaningful questions about race in America and forces any reader to consider the evolution of progress in our society. This is a first rate teaching tool which will inspire debate and excitement among students." --Michael Holm, Boston University "Black Liberation from Reconstruction to Black Lives Matter is long overdue. It supports an argument-based approach in the classroom that engages students rather than a coverage- based model that generalizes history. The text offers students an opportunity to think historically by doing what historians do. Debating the guiding questions engages students and offers students an opportunity to develop habits of critical thinking. The author has astute insight and understanding of the African American socio-historical experience." --Angela Flounory, University of Michigan-Dearborn Encourages your students to participate in a contested, evidence-based discourse about the human past Robert Smith is the Harry G. John Professor of History and the Director of the Center for Urban Research, Teaching & Outreach at Marquette University.