First published in 1962; Negroes with Guns is the story of a southern black community's struggle to arm itself in self-defense against the Ku Klux Klan and other racist groups. Frustrated and angered by violence condoned or abetted by the local authorities against blacks; the small community of Monroe; North Carolina; brought the issue of armed self-defense to the forefront of the civil rights movement. The single most important intellectual influence on Huey P. Newton; the founder of the Black Panther Party; Negroes with Guns is a classic story of a man who risked his life for democracy and freedom.
#1569110 in Books University of Virginia Press 2007-01-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.42 x 1.09 x 6.40l; 1.48 #File Name: 0813925703384 pages
Review
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Civil War PetersburgBy macRelates some of my great grandfather's thoughts during the battle. The book does a fine job of documenting.personal histories from all levels -- from the trench soldier up to the generals.9 of 9 people found the following review helpful. Great Inside View of The Last Citadal Before; During and after the WarBy Daniel HurleyWill Greene; longtime National Parks historian in Virginia and currently the CEO and Chief Historian of the Pamplin Civil War Park at the scene of the Petersburg break through; writes a very well researched history of Petersburg giving the personal view. Through Greene's book you see the residents and the city before the war leading up to the political evolution of session. Petersburg; as noted by Greene; was an international City and as the war unfolds you see the excitement of the town folk even among the different classes with direct quotes from the people themselves as they prepare for war by drilling militias and companies that go forward to war. The book picks up military steam as the war progresses and the vulnerability of this vital link to Richmond and Lee's army slowly become apparent. From a military perspective you see Jefferson Davis' severe and complex nature of his many departments that result in overlapping commands particularly in Petersburg where there are numerous command changes even as Kautz and Butler arrive at City Point and the Bermuda 100. Pickett; Beauregard and then Lee finally take control. The book includes fascinating and little known details such as the economic fall out of the war on the population; the City Council's consideration in providing relief for families and AP Hill's parading of captured soldiers black and white from the crater intermingled to the derision of the populace. The limited troop dispositions by the Confederacy are almost the down fall as they resist enormous odds by the virtually unsuspecting or tentative union commanders. The final days of the war of course end with the draining siege that Greene provides an excellent and fast moving summary style detail and the gloom of the population is evident as the defense finally collapses. Heartening to know that the occupation was civil; respectful and charitable to the population; Of course race relations are traumatized by the sudden freedman and black units that occupy the City. But that is part of the uniqueness of the book; Greene addresses all the residents and soldiers along with race relations of the City such as the pre-war free blacks who work in the City and within the war effort maintaining their freedom but enduring more hardship due to the severity of war economics. This is a unique book that provides the civilian and military experience within the tragedy of war.14 of 14 people found the following review helpful. An Excellent Book - Well Written And DocumentedBy David H. JonesWhen you think of any aspect of the Petersburg campaign; A. Wilson Greene is clearly the expert historian in this venue. The importance of Petersburg during the Civil War was greatly illuminated and better undertood by me from reading this book. In conjunction with his previous book on the Petersburg Breakthrough Battle; this book adds dimension and texture to the battles fought; the people who lived there; and the culture and industry of Petersburg as the war progressed. The author's keen perspective brings those times to life in an entertaining and educational manner. I fully enjoyed the hours spent reading this book. For those of us who carefully read footnotes in history books; there is a wealth of information in this meticulously researched account. I highly recommend it.
