Steven F Lawson Running For Freedom Summary

Steven F. Lawson’s Running for Freedom serves effectively as a single study survey of the beginnings, work, and results of the civil rights movement. Lawson proves himself as an authority on the subject with the depth and clarity with which he presents the information. He presents an organized, clear, and unbiased narration of the various chaotic and monumental events of the civil rights movement. In the process of narrating the events of the civil rights movement, he also surveys the growing strength of African-American’s role and influence in politics. Lawson largely bases his research on secondary sources and gives significant credit to historians that have provided research relevant to Running for Freedom. The book spans many decades and issues that have arisen from recent history to World War II. In this book, Lawson attempts to mesh together the various approaches that were taken during the civil rights movement. He seeks to reconcile the national leaders with the grass roots movements that historians tend to separate. Lawson does a good job at looking at the effects and impact that national movements had on local movements and that local movements had on national movements. Lawson also produces a riveting investigation on the difference between the

Running for Freedom would fit well in a college course focusing on various aspects of African-American history or political movements within the United States. People from the young adult age group would find Lawson’s explanations of current race issues both helpful and clear. The narrative still presents itself as being exceedingly relevant especially in light of recent political developments, which have called into question the power of the African-American voter, and how political capital translates into the everyday lives of African-American