In this Book
- Groundwork: Charles Hamilton Houston and the Struggle for Civil Rights
- Book
- 2011
- Published by: University of Pennsylvania Press
"A classic. . . . [It] will make an extraordinary contribution to the improvement of race relations and the understanding of race and the American legal process."—Judge A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr., from the Foreword
Charles Hamilton Houston (1895-1950) left an indelible mark on American law and society. A brilliant lawyer and educator, he laid much of the legal foundation for the landmark civil rights decisions of the 1950s and 1960s. Many of the lawyers who won the greatest advances for civil rights in the courts, Justice Thurgood Marshall among them, were trained by Houston in his capacity as dean of the Howard University Law School. Politically Houston realized that blacks needed to develop their racial identity and also to recognize the class dimension inherent in their struggle for full civil rights as Americans.
Genna Rae McNeil is thorough and passionate in her treatment of Houston, evoking a rich family tradition as well as the courage, genius, and tenacity of a man largely responsible for the acts of "simple justice" that changed the course of American life.
Table of Contents
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- pp. ix-xiv
- INTRODUCTION
- pp. 3-11
- PART ONE: Prologue to Struggle: The Formative Years, 1829—1924
- Chapter I: The Inheritance
- pp. 15-23
- Chapter II: Charles Hamilton Houston
- pp. 24-34
- Chapter III: ''Army Justice"
- pp. 35-45
- PART TWO: Developing Cadres: The Howard Years, 1924—1935
- Chapter V: Houston & Houston
- pp. 59-62
- Chapter IX: Matters of Conscience
- pp. 106-127
- PART THREE: Struggling on Diverse Fronts: The National Years, 1935—1950
- Chapter XI: Protecting the Right to Work
- pp. 156-175
- Chapter XII: "Racism Must Go"
- pp. 176-193
- Chapter XIII: "In Any Fight, Some Fall"
- pp. 194-212
- CONCLUSIONS
- pp. 213-225
- APPENDIXES
- pp. 227-236
- SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
- pp. 237-248
- A NOTE ON SOURCES AND ABBREVIATIONS
- pp. 249-250
- INDEX OF NAMES, PLACES, AND SUBJECTS
- pp. 299-306
- INDEX OF PRINCIPAL CASES CITED
- pp. 307-308
Additional Information
Copyright
1983