On March 7, 1965, a peaceful voting rights demonstration in Selma, Alabama, was met with an unprovoked attack of shocking violence that riveted the attention of the nation. In the days and weeks following "Bloody Sunday," the demonstrators would not be deterred, and thousands of others joined their cause, culminating in the successful march from Selma to Montgomery. The protest marches led directly to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a major piece of legislation, which, ninety-five years after the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment, made the practice of the right to vote available to all Americans, irrespective of race. From Selma to Montgomery chronicles the marches, placing them in the context of the long Civil Rights Movement, and considers the legacy of the Act, drawing parallels with contemporary issues of enfranchisement.

In five concise chapters bolstered by primary documents including civil rights legislation, speeches, and news coverage, Combs introduces the Civil Rights Movement to undergraduates through the courageous actions of the freedom marchers.

About the Author
Barbara Harris Combs is Assistant Professor of Sociology and Southern Studies at the University of Mississippi.

Reviews

1. Stephen Middleton, Mississipp State University

The focus on the Selma March and its connection to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is intriguing. Also, the investigator promises to include minor figures in the book, which is equally appealing.

2. Tracy K'Meyer, University of Louisville

I do think that there is a growing need for relatively short books for lower division college classes. I also think there is a growing demand for courses on race and civil rights movement. My courses in those subjects fill up every semester.

3. Clarence Lange, Illinois State University

This text would be useful in survey-level African American history courses (which generally meet General Education requirements and would attract large enrollments); as well as upper-level undergraduate courses (and perhaps much smaller graduate seminars) on Civil Rights and Black Power in the 1950s-60s, or Civil Rights and the Law.

With the explosion in literature on the modern Civil Rights/Black Power movements (e.g., the field of "Black Freedom Studies"), the market for this type of book has indeed grown. Most history departments and Black Studies/Ethnic Studies departments have such courses "on the books," so to speak, and they generally attract consistently large numbers of undergraduate and graduate students alike.

On the plus side, the author(s) focus their attention on the movement's lesser known local activists, which rightfully de-centers national figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr., in the movement's narrative. Moreover, linking the Selma-to-Montgomery March and the 1965 Voting Rights Act to contemporary discussions of the Voting Rights Act's legacies (especially with regard to Latino voters and immigration), is a timely and important scholarly intervention.

"With admirable insight, Barbara Combs nicely frames and examines the great significance of the Selma campaign. She not only places this high point of the Civil Rights Movement into an historical context but equips us to understand the ripple effects of this 'moment in time,' especially as relevant to the quality of contemporary American citizenship and the franchise."

- Todd C. Shaw, author of Now is the Time! Detroit Black Politics and Grassroots Activism

"[Barbara Combs] focuses attention on the movement's lesser known local activists, which rightfully de-centers national figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr., in the movement's narrative. Moreover, linking the Selma-to-Montgomery March and the 1965 Voting Rights Act to contemporary discussions of the Voting Rights Act's legacies is a timely and important scholarly intervention."

-Clarence Lang, author of Grassroots at the Gateway: Class Politics and Black Freedom Struggle in St. Louis, 1936-75

"Barbara Harris Combs offers a complex and nuanced approach to the study of the 1965 march to Montgomery, Alabama, in the context of black Americans' freedom struggles. From Selma to Montgomery is a wonderfully crafted tool for both history and sociology undergraduate classrooms, and a scaffold from which to teach interdisciplinary methodology, thinking, and questioning."

-David Ponton III, Rice University, USA in The Journal of Southern History

Book Information
ISBN 9780415529600
Author Barbara Harris Combs
Format Paperback
Page Count 228
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 340g