This is the first of three biographical/historical volume about Martin Luther King Jr and the Civil Rights Movement in general from the historian Taylor Branch. Some context for the books. This first volume came out in 1990, and was partially being written at the time when Reagan enshrined the federal holiday for King. And thus began the era of white conservatives scolding Black people about King’s legacy, that they completely fabricate in their heads. Reagan of course spent a lot of his time as governor of California and as president not only instituting policies that destroyed Black people’s lives in various ways, but also in violently putting down protests. So cool for him to be the president who did this. Not that liberals have a clean record either, but, well credit where credit is due.
So, this book is an exhaustive history primarily focused on “the King Years” specifically 1954-1963, with the two later volumes carrying us through King’s death. But the book begins at the end of the civil war in order to help us better understand much of the context. For example, we mostly begin with the life and history of Vernon Johns, one of the famous firebrand Black ministers who was always at the forefront of civil rights preaching, and who met with a lot of divisiveness. He’s also the uncle of Barbara Johns, the Farmville VA high school student who organized her school against segregation and helped to put together the amalgamated Brown v Board of Education supreme court case.
From here, we also get the life and history of MLK Sr, who among other things I learned in this book, was born Michael and named his son Michael, changing both names with the young King Jr was only five. He also worked to organize his church into a kind of corporate structure that increased membership, streamlined finances, and helped to provide a model for Black churches across the country. We meet the young MLK as a high school student, college and seminary student, learning about his specific teachers and influences, move into his job search, his PHD, and the beginnings of his associations with with the Civil Rights movement.
The second half of the book focuses mostly on the various Civil Rights groups who led various demonstration and campaigns in different parts of the country. Specifically the book focuses on SNCC, SCLC, the NAACP, and the Gandhi Society. This is a good reminder that the movement was not singular in its leadership, group association, approach, or goals. There is a lot of coming together, but not monolith throughout.
The book also focuses heavily on King’s relationship with the Kennedy’s and the FBI’s surveillance and interdiction strategies.
It’s hard to review 1/3 of a 2500 page history, but this book is not only monumental in its importance, it’s very readable and compelling throughout.
