Freedom Is a Constant Struggle : The Mississippi Civil Rights Movement and Its Legacy

No part of the United States was more resistant to the civil rights movement and its pursuit of racial equality than Mississippi. Freedom Is a Constant Struggle explores the civil rights movement in that state to consider its emergence before the 1965 Voting Rights Act and its impact long after. Did the civil rights movement have a lasting impact, and, if so, how did it bring about change? Kenneth T. Andrews is the first scholar to examine not only the history of the movement but its social and political legacy as well. His study demonstrates how during the 1970s and '80s, local movements worked to shape electoral politics, increase access to better public schools, and secure the administration of social welfare to needy African Americans. Freedom Is a Constant Struggle is also the first book of its kind to detail the activities of white supremacists in Mississippi, revealing how white repression and intimidation sparked black activism and simultaneously undermined the movement's ability to achieve far-reaching goals. Andrews shows that the federal government's role was important but reactive as federal actors responded to the sustained struggles between local movements and their opponents. He tracks the mobilization of black activists by the NAACP, the creation of Freedom Summer, efforts to galvanize black voters, the momentous desegregation of public schools and the rise of all-white private academies, and struggles over the economic development of black communities. From this complex history, Andrews shows how the civil rights movement built innovative organizations and campaigns that empowered local leadership and had a lasting legacy in Mississippi and beyond. Based on an original and creative research design that combines extensive archival research, interviews with activists, and quantitative historical data, Freedom Is a Constant Struggle provides many new insights into the civil rights struggle, and it presents a much broader theory to explain whether and how movements have enduring impacts on politics and society. What results is a work that will be invaluable to students of social movements, democratic politics, and the struggle for racial freedom in the U.S.

No part of the United States was more resistant to the civil rights movement and its pursuit of racial equality than Mississippi. Freedom Is a Constant Struggle explores the civil rights movement in that state to consider its emergence before the 1965 Voting Rights Act and its impact long after. Did the civil rights movement have a lasting impact, and, if so, how did it bring about change? Kenneth T. Andrews is the first scholar to examine not only the history of the movement but its social and political legacy as well. His study demonstrates how during the 1970s and '80s, local movements worked to shape electoral politics, increase access to better public schools, and secure the administration of social welfare to needy African Americans.

Freedom Is a Constant Struggle is also the first book of its kind to detail the activities of white supremacists in Mississippi, revealing how white repression and intimidation sparked black activism and simultaneously undermined the movement's ability to achieve far-reaching goals. Andrews shows that the federal government's role was important but reactive as federal actors responded to the sustained struggles between local movements and their opponents. He tracks the mobilization of black activists by the NAACP, the creation of Freedom Summer, efforts to galvanize black voters, the momentous desegregation of public schools and the rise of all-white private academies, and struggles over the economic development of black communities. From this complex history, Andrews shows how the civil rights movement built innovative organizations and campaigns that empowered local leadership and had a lasting legacy in Mississippi and beyond.

Based on an original and creative research design that combines extensive archival research, interviews with activists, and quantitative historical data, Freedom is a Constant Struggle provides many new insights into the civil rights struggle, and it presents a much broader theory to explain whether and how movements have enduring impacts on politics and society. What results is a work that will be invaluable to students of social movements, democratic politics, and the struggle for racial freedom in the U.S.

CHOICE

CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title for 2006

In this beautifully crafted study, Andrews . . . offers a compelling work of history and sociology. . . . Sociologically, the book is of tremendous worth for clarifying theoretical and methodological issues in the study of social movements and for advancing new insights. It is also an exemplary combination of quantitiative and qualitative analysis. . . . Whereas many scholars investigate the origins of social movements, Andrews delineates and assesses results, a decidedly more difficult endeavor that he handles with considerable skill. The author particularly concentrates on political participation, social welfare policies, school desegregation, and election of African Americans, devoting excellent chapoters to each.

No part of the United States was more resistant to the civil rights movement and its pursuit of racial equality than Mississippi. Freedom Is a Constant Struggle explores the civil rights movement in that state to consider its emergence before the 1965 Voting Rights Act and its impact long after. Did the civil rights movement have a lasting impact, and, if so, how did it bring about change? Kenneth T. Andrews is the first scholar to examine not only the history of the movement but its social and political legacy as well. His study demonstrates how during the 1970s and '80s, local movements worked to shape electoral politics, increase access to better public schools, and secure the administration of social welfare to needy African Americans. Freedom Is a Constant Struggle is also the first book of its kind to detail the activities of white supremacists in Mississippi, revealing how white repression and intimidation sparked black activism and simultaneously undermined the movement's ability to achieve far-reaching goals. Andrews shows that the federal government's role was important but reactive as federal actors responded to the sustained struggles between local movements and their opponents. He tracks the mobilization of black activists by the NAACP, the creation of Freedom Summer, efforts to galvanize black voters, the momentous desegregation of public schools and the rise of all-white private academies, and struggles over the economic development of black communities. From this complex history, Andrews shows how the civil rights movement built innovative organizations and campaigns that empowered local leadership and had a lasting legacy in Mississippi and beyond.Based on an original and creative research design that combines extensive archival research, interviews with activists, and quantitative historical data, Freedom Is a Constant Struggle provides many new insights into the civil rights struggle, and it presents a much broader theory to explain whether and how movements have enduring impacts on politics and society. What results is a work that will be invaluable to students of social movements, democratic politics, and the struggle for racial freedom in the U.S.

Half Title 1 Title 3 Copyright 4 Dedication 5 Epigraph 7 Contents 9 Tables and Figures 11 Acknowledgments 13 Acronyms and Descriptions for Organizations 17 1. Introduction 19 2. Explaining the Consequences of Social Movements 31 3. The Contours of Struggle 59 4. The Formation of Local Movement Trajectories in Mississippi 82 5. The Struggle for Political Power 126 6. The Politics of Poverty 154 7. Federal Authority, School Desegregation, and Countermobilization 173 8. The Acquisition of Political Power 192 9. Conclusion: The Legacies of the Civil Rights Movement 209 Appendix A: Study Design 219 Appendix B: Archival Collections 232 Appendix C: List of Interviews 234 Appendix D: Descriptions of Major Variables and Sources 236 Notes 241 References 257 List of Tables and Figures Acknowledgments List of Acronyms and Descriptions for Organizations 1. Introduction 2. Explaining the Consequences of Social Movements 3. The Contours of Struggle 4. The Formation of Local Movement Trajectories in Mississippi 5. The Struggle for Political Power 6. The Politics of Poverty 7. Federal Authority, School Desegregation, and Countermobilization 8. The Acquisition of Political Power 9. Conclusion: The Legacies of the Civil Rights Movement Appendix A: Study Design Appendix B: Archival Collections Appendix C: List of Interviews Appendix D: Descriptions of Major Variables and Sources References Index Introduction -- Explaining The Consequences Of Social Movements -- The Contours Of Struggle -- The Formation Of Local Movement Trajectories In Mississippi -- The Struggle For Political Power -- The Politics Of Poverty -- Federal Authority, School Desegregation, And Countermobilization -- The Acquisition Of Political Power -- Conclusion : The Legacies Of The Civil Rights Movement. Kenneth T. Andrews. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 239-255) And Index.