Rhetoric, Religion, and the Civil Rights Movement, 1954-1965 - (Studies in Rhetoric & Religion) by Davis W Houck & David E Dixon (Paperback)

About the Book

This volume chronicles how national movement leaders and local activists moved a nation to live up to the biblical ideals it often professed but infrequently practiced.

Book Synopsis

The Civil Rights Movement succeeded in large measure because of rhetorical appeals grounded in the Judeo-Christian religion. While movement leaders often used America's founding documents and ideals to depict Jim Crow's contradictory ways, the language and lessons of both the Old and New Testaments were often brought to bear on many civil rights events and issues--from local desegregation to national policy matters. This volume chronicles how national movement leaders and local activists moved a nation to live up to the biblical ideals it often professed but infrequently practiced.

Review Quotes

... an excellent resource.

-- "Communication Research Trends"

... there is... much eloquence in these pages.

-- "Dallas Morning News"

... a commendable effort to highlight the eloquence of overlooked advocates of black civil rights.

-- "Quarterly Journal of Speech"

... one cannot fail to acknowledge the work that went into compiling this anthology. As a project of recovery, it has few peers.

-- "Literature and Belief"

[An] important and worthwhile contribution.

-- "Journal of Law & Religion"

Scholars Houck and Dixon have compiled a massive compendium--an embarrassment of riches... Indispensable... Essential. All levels/libraries.

-- "CHOICE"

About the Author

Davis W. Houck is Professor of Communication, Florida State University.

David E. Dixon is is Professor and Chair of Political Science, California State University, Dominguez Hills.