Synopses & Reviews
The Montgomery bus boycott was a formative moment in twentieth-century history: a harbinger of the African American freedom movement, a springboard for the leadership of Martin Luther King Jr., and a crucial step in the struggle to realize the American dream of liberty and equality for all. In Daybreak of Freedom, Stewart Burns presents a groundbreaking documentary history of the boycott. Using an extraordinary array of more than one hundred original documents, he crafts a compelling and comprehensive account of this celebrated year-long protest of racial segregation. Daybreak of Freedom reverberates with the voices of those closest to the bus boycott, ranging from King and his inner circle, to Jo Ann Robinson and other women leaders who started the protest, to the maids, cooks, and other 'foot soldiers' who carried out the struggle. With a deft narrative hand and editorial touch, Burns weaves their testimony into a riveting story that shows how events in Montgomery pushed the entire nation to keep faith with its stated principles.
Review
An insightful documentary history of the nation•s most successful nonviolent mass protest.
Register of the Kentucky Historical Society
Review
[A] rich documentary history of a crucial episode during the civil rights movement.
Florida Historical Quarterly
Review
[A] treasure trove of possibilities for any teacher who uses primary sources.
Journal of American History
Review
Provides an intimate yet thorough analysis of a moment in the Civil Rights Movement.
West Coast Review of Books
Review
A skillfully edited, handsomely designed volume that will be proven useful to anyone interested in the civil rights movement.
Journal of Southern History
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 349-350) and index.
Table of Contents
Preface: The Spirit of Montgomery
Acknowledgments
Overview: The Proving Ground
Chronology
Editorial Practices
Abbreviations for Collections and Archives
1. Prelude
2. December
3. January
4. Interlude
5. February
6. Interlude
7. March
8. Interlude
9. Spring
10. Summer
11. Fall
12. Winter: Return of the Light
Selected Bibliography
Index
Maps and Illustrations
Map of Alabama
Map of Montgomery, Alabama
A section of illustrations