Introduction; 1. World War I and the New Negro movement; 2. 'We return fighting': the first wave of armed resistance; 3. Fighting a mob in uniform: armed resistance in Washington, DC; 4. Blood in the streets: armed resistance in Chicago; 5. Armed resistance to the courthouse mobs; 6. Armed resistance to economic exploitation in Arkansas, Indiana, and Louisiana; 7. 'It is my only protection': federal and state efforts to disarm African Americans; 8. The fight for justice: the arrests and trials of black and white rioters; 9. The fight for justice: the death penalty cases; 10. Fighting Judge Lynch; Conclusion: 1919's aftermath and its importance in the black freedom struggle.
Krugler recounts African Americans' brave stand against a cascade of mob attacks in the United States after World War I.
David F. Krugler is Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin, Platteville.
'Decades before the Black Power movement brought a national
spotlight to armed self-defense, African Americans waged a
multi-front battle to protect themselves and their communities from
white supremacist violence. This powerful book captures the high
cost and high stakes of the War for Democracy brought home. By
turns devastating and inspiring, it sets the new standard for
exploring African Americans' struggle for safety, truth, and
justice in the aftermath of World War I.' Adriane Lentz-Smith, Duke
University, North Carolina
'David Krugler's 1919, The Year of Racial Violence continues the
narrative of the tradition of armed resistance in the Black freedom
struggle. Most of the recent scholarship on armed resistance
focuses on the Civil Rights Movement. Krugler's excellent research
focuses on the armed defense of the 'Red Summer' of 1919 and how
Black people also utilized their newspapers and litigation
strategies to assert their humanity. This is a contribution to the
documentation of Black agency in the face of white supremacist
violence and lynching during arguably the most dangerous period of
our sojourn in the United States.' Akinyele Umoja, Georgia State
University
'With meticulous research and narrative force, David Krugler has
produced a brilliant account of one of the most turbulent and
bloody years in American history. As he powerfully demonstrates,
African Americans, in the face of horrific nationwide racial
violence, used every tool at their disposal to fight back and
preserve both their citizenship and humanity. 1919, The Year of
Racial Violence is a landmark achievement.' Chad Williams, Brandeis
University, Massachusetts
'Krugler adroitly diagrams how and why African Americans fought
back during attacks by whites in the watershed year of racial
violence in his study covering an important chapter in race
relations in the US … it is clear that Krugler understands that
there are lessons to be learned from discussing and debating the
country's unpleasant past. He reveals that African Americans who
literally fought to safeguard their property and lives expressed
their patriotism by demanding the American dream as warranted by
the Constitution. African Americans fought for democracy in Europe
during WWI and expected equality when they returned. Many whites in
the South and North were dismayed by this threat to the racial
status quo. In addition, Krugler covers the inequity African
Americans received through arrests and in the courts as compared to
whites involved in the 1919 riots. Students of US history who want
a better understanding of race in the twentieth-century US need to
read Krugler's superb examination. Summing up: essential.' R. D.
Screws, Choice
'Captivating and well written, this account details the
three-pronged approach of African Americans toward [the 1919]
riots: 'the fighting in the streets, the battle for truth in the
press, and the struggle for justice in the courts'. In other words,
they fought back in the streets, pressed for accuracy in the field
of public information, and sought justice in the judicial system …
The conclusion provides an excellent and impressive survey of black
resistance through the 1960s, including comparisons between the
armed black resistance of 1919 and the 1960s … a definitive account
of racial violence in 1919 and crucial reading for those interested
in the tragic race riots of that year.' Elizabeth Gritter, The
American Historical Review
'In detailed and lively prose, Krugler narrates the valiant and
unwavering efforts of ordinary African Americans, the black press
and black churches, local chapters of the NAACP, and white allies
in defense of the black community - that defied racial custom and
white intimidation … charts new ground, chronicling the stories of
African Americans' long tradition of armed resistance. This seminal
book should find a readership among specialists, and graduate and
undergraduate students.' Shannon King, The Journal of American
History
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