In 1947; as the integration of Major League Baseball began; the once-daring American League had grown reactionary; unwilling to confront postwar challenges--population shifts; labor issues and; above all; racial integration. The league had matured in the Jim Crow era; when northern cities responded to the Great Migration by restricting black access to housing; transportation; accommodations and entertainment; while blacks created their own institutions; including baseball's Negro Leagues. As the political climate changed and some major league teams realized the necessity of integration; the American League proved painfully reluctant. With the exception of the Cleveland Indians; integration was slow and often ineffective. This book examines the integration of baseball--widely viewed as a triumph--through the experiences of the American League and finds only a limited shift in racial values. The teams accepted few black players and made no effort to alter management structures; and organized baseball remained an institution governed by tradition-bound owners.
#203194 in Books 2012-02-23Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.80 x .90 x 6.90l; 1.50 #File Name: 0786469285397 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. This series of books on the Guerrilla war in Missouri ...By jab40This series of books on the Guerrilla war in Missouri during the civil war is apart of process of learning about a totally different aspect of the Civil War. In all my research on the civil war I never read or studied about the war on the Missouri and Kansas border. This book is truly enlightening and is very well researched. There is no way to retain all information contained in this book. The only thing I found that was lacking in this book was maps; having no knowledge of Missouri made it difficult following the places described in the book. I over came this by printing a small map of counties and major towns. This helped tremendously and I was able to find the places and geography of the areas.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Good coverage of the events in Missouri in 1862By gloine36I enjoyed this book a lot. Nichols broke it up into regions and periods of the year. It is not an academic history by any means; but I do not think Nichols was aiming for that crowd. He was writing for all those amateur historians that make up the bulk of the readers of historical works and in that regard he delivered the information well. I would have preferred footnotes; but that seems to be a dying thing in the book publishing world. His introduction states his purpose and source work. I was particularly happy to see that he acknowledged the flawed county histories of Missouri as such. Too many county histories are colored by bad and seriously biased accounts of the Civil War period which tend to reflect how certain people in the county preferred to remember that period of time instead of letting the facts speak for themselves. I didn't detect a bias in Nichols' work at all. He wrote what happened as it happened and remained impartial which is the mark of a professional historian. His contacts with professional historical organizations and amateur ones came in helpful in the writing of this book as I see it. He does cover some material that could be expanded a bit such as why there was a guerrilla war in the first place; but then that is also the subject of larger works so the synopsis works well. I also enjoyed the detailed sources in the book of the book. I used this book to help develop information about Colonel Joseph Porter and his 1862 campaign in Northeast Missouri and found this information to be very helpful. The artwork was excellent. I will say that really sets this book apart from others. There were some things I would like to have seen expanded such as a roster of units; weapons used; and a bit more on the political situation in the state which I think would have helped give a better overall picture to the story of the guerrilla war. Other than that; the book was good and I definitely recommend it for any Civil War reader interested in what happened in Missouri during 1862.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Ultimate SourceBy bjjIf you are interested in Civil War Missouri; this book is essential reading ~ and you may as well buy it; because if you get it from the library; you won't want to return it.With its sequel (Guerrilla Warfare in Civil War Missouri; 1863); it brings to vivid life the courage and suffering demanded of Missourians on both sides of the conflict. Nichols doesn't mention my ancestors in these books; but having read them; I have an immensely increased knowledge of what my relatives experienced.Nichols manages to be both detailed and interesting. While explaining what was happening in every part of the state; his logical format allows the reader to easily find and follow the action in whatever section is of particular interest. The book includes an excellent index.I took my set (1862 and 1863) to a presentation by an expert in Ozark Civil War history; and was lucky to get back home with it. I escaped loaning them only by promising to send him his own set immediately. He has since written to thank me for the best source he has ever seen.Mr. Nichols; please hurry with 1864!
