Marquette Bookshelf: Black Liberation from Reconstruction to Black Lives Matter
By Dr. Robert S. Smith, Harry G. John Professor of History in Marquette University’s Klingler College of Arts and Sciences
As a part of the Debating American History series, Dr. Robert S. Smith, Harry G. John Professor of History, uses Black Liberation from Reconstruction to Black Lives Matter to pose this big question: After decades of struggle, was there a breakthrough in civil rights in the 1960s? He then 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.
Dr. Smith answered some questions about his new book, including his favorite part of the process and how this book will advance his scholarship on the subject.
What was your favorite part of the writing/editing process?
Learning from local experts whose thoughts and experiences inform contemporary expressions of historical debates. Then synergizing those ideas and experiences with parallel scholarly debates.
How does this book advance or complement your research and/or teaching?
It provides a useful teaching tool for exploring Black Liberation Movements.
How would you describe the book in one sentence?
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?
Is this your first book? What is your publishing history?
This is my second book, alongside other articles and scholarly commentaries.
Dr. Smith also wrote Race, Labor & Civil Rights: Griggs v. Duke Power and the Struggle for Equal Employment Opportunity in 2008.
Where did the idea for this book come from?
This book is part of the Debating American History Series from Oxford University Press, which considers the following:
- Organized around a big question about which historians themselves disagree
- Exposes students to rival positions about which they must make informed judgments
- Offers an alternative to the “coverage model” that has dominated history classrooms since the late nineteenth century, and which has consistently fallen short of its own goals since its inception
- Concise and flexible format allows for inclusion in a variety of classroom settings
What do you hope to accomplish with this book?
- Encourage students to judge the relative merits of rival positions on the basis of historical evidence
- Encourage students to develop their own positions, for which they must argue on the basis of historical evidence
Book Details
- Publisher : Oxford University Press (July 16, 2021)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 192 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0197583954
- ISBN-13 : 978–0197583951