David L. Chappell

You probably didn’t learn this in school. At least I know I didn’t.
Much has been written about Martin Luther King, Jr. and how he inspired the world with his call for racial equality. Not a lot has been written about how he has continued to influence the Civil Rights movement since his death. This title does an excellent job in filling in that gap in our knowledge of American history. Specifically, it explores—

• How the movement scattered and had a hard time unifying on anything show more without a definite leader to succeed King, Jr.
• How the movement used their legislative influence to tackle vital issues such as equal housing and full employment.
• How Martin Luther King, Jr. Day became a national holiday.
• King, Jr.’s influence on the rise and influence of Jesse Jackson in the Civil Rights movement.
• King, Jr.’s character issues and their impact on the movement.

Overall, I found this to be a balanced read. It offers good coverage of the subject and the varying opinions surrounding it and is objective enough to allow the reader to form his or her own opinion. show less

This book is notable for discussing how secular liberals--led by John Dewey--noticed the transforming power of religion, and sought to duplicate that power and harness it for secular liberalism. Their inability to do so affected their presence in the civil rights movement, and affected their relationship with its religious leaders (Dr. King and his Southern Christian Leadership Conference). The author is definitely not Christian, if you don't like reading books with a Christian worldview; show more near the end of the book, he reveals himself to be an atheist.

This was one of the five or six assigned readings in my fall 2005 Post-WWII America course, and I found it arguably the most interesting of them. show less