audiobook Down to the Crossroads: Civil Rights; Black Power; and the Meredith March Against Fear by Aram Goudsouzian in History

Review

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Aram Goudsouzian reveals the story behind the Meredith MarchBy Paul T. MurrayThe Meredith March in 1966 is usually remembered as the birthplace of the Black Power slogan. Down to the Crossroads by Aram Goudsouzian reveals that this march was much more than that. Begun as a solo hike from Memphis to Jackson by James Meredith; the first African American to attend Ole Miss; it became a national event when he was shot from ambush. Martin Luther King; Stokely Carmichael; the new chairman of SNCC; and Floyd McKissick; the head of CORE; took up Meredith’s cause.Compared with the unparalleled success of the Selma to Montgomery march just sixteen months earlier; the Meredith march was a disappointment. Moderate leaders hoped the march would build support for the Civil Rights bill then before Congress. Radical spokesmen; most notably Carmichael; wanted to turn the Civil Rights Movement towards Black Nationalism and away from nonviolence. Reporters covering the march focused on disagreements among the leaders and anti-white implications of the new slogan. Largely overlooked was the march’s announced goal of promoting black voter registration.Goudsouzian has done extensive research on the events and personalities involved in the Meredith march. He has interviewed a wide variety of participants and observers. He scrupulously avoids taking sides among the various factions and points out benefits of the march as well its less positive consequences.Students of the Civil Rights Movement will learn much they previously did not know from reading Down to the Crossroads.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. An End and a BeginningBy JemarI'm so glad I picked up "Down to the Crossroads" by Aram Goudsouzian! First; by examining the March Against Fear; this work adds an essential voice to the narrative of the Civil Rights movement. Also; very few historians combine thorough research with compelling prose that makes the reader feel; taste; see; and hear the history. Finally; Goudsouzian links the regional history of Mississippi to the larger national story of civil rights. The author makes a strong case supporting this powerful statement; "It was an end and a beginning: the last great march of the civil rights movement; and the birth of black power." So true!"Down to the Crossroads" helped tell a story that the PBS special on the Black Panthers largely overlooked. The film billed the Black Panther movement as mostly northern and urban; which it was. But as part of the black power movement; it had its roots in the south and clear connections to the March Against Fear; in my opinion. You will be grateful you read this book.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Less Known but Pivotal Event in the Civil Rights MovementBy Purple DragonMeredith March of 1966James Meredith integrator of Ole Miss returns to the spotlight with his planned March Against Fear from Memphis to Jackson. He had two main goals—challenge blacks to fight their daily fears of whites in the south; especially Mississippi; and the second goal register 450;000 voters. The book looks at this march initiated by Meredith and continued by “Others” after he was nearly killed in an assassination attempt. The March occurs mainly during the month of June 1966.Dissolution of Civil Rights CoalitionThe “Others” included leaders and representatives of each of the major civil rights organizations—SCLC; SNCC; CORE; NAACP and many local organizations participating in the march and vying to re-make (co-opt?) the Meredith March in ways that would advance their own agendas. Each differed on strategy; tactics and objectives.The organizations’ agendas conflicted. The march surfaced major organizational differences that lead to permanent rifts which prevented these organizations from working collaboratively in the future in any major way.National Introduction of the Slogan—Black PowerThe second point of the March was the wide promulgation of the term “Black Power”. This term’s promotion was done primarily by 24 year old SNCC president Stokely Carmichael elevating him to national prominence. The usefulness of this slogan was hotly debated by those involved in the March. The slogan meant many things to many people and took on different meanings at different times. For blacks; the slogan was a call to black pride; self-definition and self-determination. For many whites; aided by slanted press coverage; this slogan conjured anti-white visions of racial retaliation; retribution; and violence. This slogan created an atmosphere where whites felt threatened and uncomfortable. This caused many to decrease support and participation in the movement.Beginning of the White BacklashIt was felt that this may have been the time when the Civil Rights movement lost the moral high ground. Some mark this as the beginning of the “white backlash” which ultimately led to the Reagan revolution and beyond.This is a lesser known; but key chapter in the history of civil rights movement.