The Eyes on the Prize Civil Rights Reader: Documents, Speeches, and Firsthand Accounts from the Black Freedom Struggle [Paperback]

Clayborne Carson (Editor), David J. Garrow (Editor), Gerald Gill (Editor), Vincent Harding (Editor), Darlene Clark Hine (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0140154035 | ISBN-13: 978-0140154030 | Publication Date: November 1, 1991

A record of the American civil rights movement. Included are speeches by Martin Luther King Jr, and his "Letter from Birmingham City Jail", an interview with Rosa Parks, selections from "Malcolm X Speaks"; Black Panther Bobby Seale's "Seize the Time", a piece by Herman Badillo on the infamous Attica prison uprising; addresses by Harold Washington, Jesse Jackson, Nelson Mandela and much more.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This volume is one of several produced in conjunction with the 14-part PBS Eyes on the Prize television series. It is a collection of over 100 court decisions, speeches, interviews, and other documents on the civil rights movement from 1954 to 1990. Included in the collection are the Brown v. Board of Education decision of the Supreme Court that declared legally segregated schools to be unconstitutional, Martin Luther King's "Letter from Birmingham City Jail," Harold Washington's inaugural speech after being elected mayor of Chicago, and the speech delivered by Nelson Mandela in Atlanta in June 1990. The chapter introductions written by the editors are sometimes too brief to enable readers to fully appreciate the context and importance of the documents. Nonetheless, the volume is rich in primary source material on the civil rights movement. It can be a valuable reference work for public and university libraries.
- Thomas H. Ferrell, Univ. of Southwestern Louisiana, Lafayette
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 784 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (November 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140154035
• ISBN-13: 978-0140154030
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,046 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #18 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Current Events > Civil Rights & Liberties
  • #32 in Books > History > Americas > United States > African Americans

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A valued companion to the study of the Civil Rights Movement, April 12, 2000

By 

Eric V. Moye (New York, by way of Dallas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Eyes on the Prize Civil Rights Reader: Documents, Speeches, and Firsthand Accounts from the Black Freedom Struggle (Paperback)

I think that this book is a valued companion to Taylor Branch's epic work "Parting the Waters". Together, they make an unbeatable pair of study aids for one of America's most turbulent periods.

While P.T.W. is a more dispassionate third person chronicle, E.O.T.P. is more personally driven. It brings to life individuals like Bayard Rustin, Stokley Carmichael, John Lewis and other giants (known and obscure) of the movement. Events from the Till lynching to the Attica riots as seen through the eyes of those on the scene (sometimes, those making the scene).

Fascinating reading.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book to Begin Learning, November 23, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Eyes on the Prize Civil Rights Reader: Documents, Speeches, and Firsthand Accounts from the Black Freedom Struggle (Paperback)

This is a great book to get get a background on the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950's and 60's. I read it when I began trying to learn about the CRM and some of the key players.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First Hand Documents Bring You There, June 29, 2004

By 

J. J. Kwashnak "voracious reader" (Monroe, LA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Eyes on the Prize Civil Rights Reader: Documents, Speeches, and Firsthand Accounts from the Black Freedom Struggle (Paperback)

When you get involved in studying political events and movements, ultimately there is going to be some disagreement on interpretations. While the Civil Righs Movement has suffered less revisionist history than many events of the last century, it is still valuable to go to the source documents and read about events in the words of those who participated in history or who made history. I agree that this book works well in tandem with another more narrative history, such as Eyes on the Prize, or Partin the Waters. But the compilers have done an excellent job of grouping by topics, with clear introductions putting the pieces that follow into proper place. I was surprised - I feared that this would be more dry of a read than it was. Instead I found myself pulled along, especially by some riveting first hand accounts of events such as the Attica riots. Another big plus for the book is that it brings the documents and the struggles into the 1980's, when first published. Many books ont he Civil Rights Movement cover until 1965, or 1968, this one keeps events in the 1970's and 80's relevant to what came before. I highly recommend this for anyone who is looking to feel as if they were there for these struggles, and understand our history.