About the Author

Michael J. Klarman is James Monroe Distinguished Professor of Law and Professor of History, University of Virginia. One of the nations leading authorities on race and constitutional history, he clerked for Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and he won the 2005 Bancroft Prize for From Jim Crow to Civil Rights: The Supreme Court and the Struggle for Racial Equality. He has written for The Nation among other publications and has given talks across the country.

Reviews

"Klarman is America's most distinguished scholar of the constitutional struggles to achieve racial equality. In this superb and engrossing book, he argues that America's halting steps toward racial equality have resulted more from political and cultural pressure than judicial rulings. A characteristic tour de force that will enlighten all Americans about our most vexing national debate."--Jeffrey Rosen, Legal Affairs Editor of The New Republic and Professor of Law, George Washington University"Brief but superlative primer... a brisk and effective account of race-relations in the United States"--History News Network"Klarman has written a compact, lucid, and riveting narrative of the struggle for racial justice in America and a cautionary tale of the limits of judicial power. Rich in insight, Klarman's book is essential reading for students of race and law."--Richard A. Posner, Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit"This remarkably concise and innovative book offers a comprehensive history of American race relations and takes our understanding of that topic in a compelling new direction."--Henry Louis Gates, Jr., W. E. B. Du Bois Professor of the Humanities, Harvard University