David Howard-Pitney Boeken

The African American jeremiad emerges as a powerful tradition, rooted in the rhetoric of indignation that calls for social change. This edition highlights its role as a reflection of faith in America's potential for improvement and a beacon of hope for social justice. Through passionate essays and speeches, it showcases the ongoing struggle and resilience within this unique narrative, illustrating its significance in the broader context of American history.

The civil rights movement’s most prominent leaders, Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929–1968) and Malcolm X (1925–1965), represent two wings of the revolt against racism: nonviolent resistance and revolution "by any means necessary." This volume presents the two leaders’ relationship to the civil rights movement beyond a simplified dualism. A rich selection of speeches, essays, and excerpts from Malcolm X’s autobiography and King’s sermons shows the breadth and range of each man’s philosophy, demonstrating their differences, similarities, and evolution over time. Organized into six topical groups, the documents allow students to compare the leaders’ views on subjects including integration, the American dream, means of struggle, and opposing racial philosophies. An interpretive introductory essay, chronology, selected bibliography, document headnotes, and questions for consideration provide further pedagogical support.