American Oracle: The Civil War in the Civil Rights Era by David Blight is an ambitious and riveting narrative of a nation struggling to come to terms with its civil war past amidst continuing racial and social conflict. Blight explores both the old view of the Civil War—a bloody and hopelessly chaotic conflict—as well as the contemporary interpretation of the war, highlighting the great social and political changes it catalyzed. Throughout the book, Blight details significant events and public figures involved in the Civil War, Reconstruction, and Civil Rights eras, providing a valuable perspective into how different generations have interpreted and remembered this difficult period.Beginning in the early 1960s, with the passage of the Civil Rights Act and the emergence of the civil rights movement, American Oracle follows the decade-long effort to provide African Americans with full civil rights. Blight examines the different philosophies that divided the country, tracing the struggles and resolution of the civil rights debates over the years. He also looks at the gradual integration of African Americans in the armed forces, and the story of the civil rights struggle in the south. Additionally, he covers the programs of the Great Society and their effect on civil rights efforts.Throughout the book, Blight provides details on the legacy of the Civil War and Reconstruction, examining how the memory of those tumultuous times has provided a rallying point of sorts for both the civil rights movement and its opposition. With this thoughtful and engaging history, American Oracle: The Civil War in the Civil Rights Era provides a clear and inspirational portrait of the civil rights movement and its lasting impact on this nation.
Add missing EndorsementThe ghosts of the Civil War never leave us, as David Blight knows perhaps better than anyone, and in this superb book he masterfully unites two distant but inextricably bound events with insightful dissection of the works of four of our best writers…obsessed with coming to terms with our original sin.
The Civil War has given us not only great history, literature, and art, but also great works of thought. David Blight enriches this canon by probing the war’s power to haunt and inspire every generation. American Oracle is intellectual history at its best―deep terrain, mined by a scholar who brings gems to the page.