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Michael J. Klarman
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From Jim Crow to Civil Rights: The Supreme Court and the Struggle for Racial Equality 1st Edition

by Michael J. Klarman (Author)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 72 ratings
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A monumental investigation of the Supreme Court's rulings on race, From Jim Crow To Civil Rights spells out in compelling detail the political and social context within which the Supreme Court Justices operate and the consequences of their decisions for American race relations. In a highly provocative interpretation of the decision's connection to the civil rights movement, Klarman argues that Brown was more important for mobilizing southern white opposition to racial change than for encouraging direct-action protest. Brown unquestioningly had a significant impact--it brought race issues to public attention and it mobilized supporters of the ruling. It also, however, energized the opposition. In this authoritative account of constitutional law concerning race, Michael Klarman details, in the richest and most thorough discussion to date, how and whether Supreme Court decisions do, in fact, matter.
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Previous page
  1. ISBN-10
    0195310187
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0195310184
  3. Edition
    1st
  4. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  5. Publication date
    May 4, 2006
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    9.22 x 6.17 x 1.38 inches
  8. Print length
    655 pages
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

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"Michael J. Klarman's monumental book--undertaking a sweeping exploration of the causes and consequences of all of the Supreme Court's race decisions from Plessy v. Ferguson to Brown vs. Board of Education--is likely to become the definitive study of the Supreme Court and race in the first half of the twentieth century. As a narrative history of the Court's actions on the broad array of constitutional issues relevant to racial equality--from criminal procedure to voting rights to desegregation--the book is an invaluable resource."--Reviews in American History

"Klarman's scholarly text is unique in that it encompasses not only the decision itself, but also the events before and after."--Elaine Cassel, author of The War on Civil Liberties

"This luminous study explores the relationship between the Supreme Court and the quest for racial justice.... a sweeping, erudite, and powerfully argued book that, despite its heft, is unfailingly interesting."--Wilson Quarterly

"Michael Klarman's authoritative account of constitutional law concerning race--from the late 19th century through the 1960s--is brilliant, both as legal interpretation and as social and political history. While the book deals with a wide range of racially charged issues--criminal procedure, peonage, transportation, residential segregation, and voting rights--it focuses with especially keen insights on the Brown v. Board of Education case of 1954. From Jim Crow to Civil Rights is a magisterial accomplishment." --James T. Patterson, Bancroft Prize-winning author of Grand Expectations: The United States, 1945-1974 (Oxford, 1996)

"Michael Klarman's exhaustively researched study is essential reading for anyone interested in civil rights, the Supreme Court, and constitutional law. Accessible to ordinary readers, students, and scholars, Klarman's book presents a challenging argument that places the Supreme Court's civil rights decisions in their social and political context, and deflates overstated claims for the importance of the Supreme Court's work while identifying carefully the precise contributions the Court made to race relations policy from 1896 through the 1960s."--Mark Tushnet, author of Taking the Constitution Away from the Courts

"Pulling together a decade of truly magnificent scholarship, this extraordinary book bids fair to be the definitive legal history of perhaps the most important legal issue of the twentieth century. There is no one from whom I have learned more--and whom I enjoy reading more--than Michael Klarman. This is legal history at its best, and on a panoramic canvas."--Akhil Reed Amar, author of The Bill of Rights: Creation and Reconstruction

"From Jim Crow to Civil Rights is a bold, carefully crafted, deeply researched, forcefully argued, lucidly written history of law and legal-change strategies in the civil rights movement from the 1880s to the 1960s, and a brilliant case study in the power and limits of law as a motor of social change. Among the hundreds of recent books on the history of civil rights and race relations, Klarman's is one of the most original, provocative, and illuminating, with fresh evidence and fresh insights on practically every page."--Robert W. Gordon, Chancellor Kent Professor of Law and Legal History, Yale University

"Michael J. Klarman has written an exhaustive--and according to many reviewers a definitive--account of the United States Supreme Court's twentieth-century jurisprudence of race."--Law and History Review

Book Description

New in paperback, a monumental investigation of the Supreme Court's rulings on race--Winner of the Bancroft Prize for 2005

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; 1st edition (May 4, 2006)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 655 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0195310187
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0195310184
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1500L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.02 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.22 x 6.17 x 1.38 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 72 ratings

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Michael J. Klarman

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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
72 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Tee
5.0 out of 5 stars So rich
Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2022
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This is a difficult read - but in a good way. It’s extremely thorough and information rich. It is also hard to imagine a more comprehensive historical narrative of civil rights law. Get yourself a strong cup of coffee and enjoy.
2 people found this helpful
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Jonathan
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Book!
Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2018
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This is truly a fantastic book. One of the few books I read for a course that I thought was absolutely fantastic. Klarman's writing is very easy to follow, despite the incredible abundance of stats, figures, data that Klarman provides to support his arguments. Even if you're not reading this for a course, this is a fantastic book to survey the development of Constitutional and civil rights jurisprudence while also serving as a great detailing of history.
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Stephen J. Whitfield
5.0 out of 5 stars The arc bending toward justice
Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2021
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Professor Klarman's book is extraordinarily well-researched and devastating in its account of how slowly the legal process operated to fulfill the promise of the Fourteenth Amendment in particular, from the end of the nineteenth century to the end of the twentieth century. The scale is epic; the injustices are palpable, infuriating, saddening.
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Libro
5.0 out of 5 stars Kluge
Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2023
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Kruger Simple Justice is much, much more accessible. Indeed Klarman is definitive, but pondersome
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Madison Perry
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly satisfied with this book, it's content, and it's value.
Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2018
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This book was required for a college class and was the most reasonable price I could find in store or on the internet. Despite being required to buy this book, I absolutely loved the content. Klarman gives a comprehensive insight to the history of Southern law in the context of the country in a way that you don't have to have a PhD to understand. I would recommend this to anyone even remotely interested in the topic.
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Good buyer
5.0 out of 5 stars Fast shipping & product in good condition as told.
Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2020
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Awesome. A+ fast shipping and book is in great condition as told. Recommended. Can’t wait to read it.
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Linda Calvin
3.0 out of 5 stars Treatise, Thesis or Book?
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2012
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I will admit that I only started this book a few days ago and I am only at 5% completion (I bought it for the Kindle), but I am struggling a bit. Not with the subject matter, because I am a lawyer, but with the way in which it is written. Thus far I feel like I am reading a treatise for a civil rights course in law school. If that is the intention, then mission accomplished and I stand corrected. However, if this book was written for all who wish to be enlightened on Jim Crow and Civil Rights, I would try another text first.

The author does state up front that it is meant to be factual. And it is. It is disturbing to understand our nation's history - a history not so long ago. We are a young country and the systematic intentional disfranchisement of blacks is incredibly disturbing, especially in our judicial system and government. Though the original intent of the book may not necessarily be to incite passion, I think one may have to be emotionally dead inside not to be moved, shocked,or horrified. And ultimately thankful that the jurisprudence of our Courts (and public opinion) have evolved.

That said, I really feel there's a way to represent this information in a fashion more suited for reading than for study. When I first bought the book, I thought perhaps it was for a general audience - a way of helping the nonlawyer understand a fascinating but complex topic. Upon initial reading, I am now guessing that the target audiences are law students, scholars, lawyers, judges or perhaps government actors - not the enlightened citizen.

I believe if the amazon peruser is interested in understanding more about Jim Crow laws and our Courts' struggles with these laws under our Constitution, look for another book or, better yet, ask a civil rights lawyer or professor to lead a discussion group featuring this text. Again, this book, in my reading thus far, gives a fantastic factual picture of the interplay. It would be a great reference if you are a law student writing a paper for a civil rights course. The author is clearly an expert. That said, I don't believe it's written for casual reading, Starbucks in hand, feet up on the coffee table. It's a more "formal read" if you get my meaning. EXAMPLE: It's filled with deliberate transitions - reminiscent of thesis writing - you need to get to the next point because it was in your outline, so you use lots of "According tos and Moreovers" to move from topic to topic. If you are a young law student, keep your Black's Law Dictionary nearby. I also suggest you make sure you have an internet connection or 3G/4G access for your iPad, computer or phone while you read, in case you need to Google a few terms.

I cannot imagine how humbled I would be to meet the author, me being a new attorney, not even wet enough behind the ears to speak in court without sweating. However as a journalism undergrad and a pretty decent blogger, I think if the target is the general enlightened citizen, it's a little off center.
7 people found this helpful
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Kevin L.
5.0 out of 5 stars Good book, goes into adequate detail of civil rights ...
Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2015
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Good book, goes into adequate detail of civil rights era court cases. Used for a class and was easy to follow.
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Top reviews from other countries

Lisa C.
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 11, 2017
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Very pleased
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Marcus
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 2, 2015
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Excellant read
One person found this helpful
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