Until Justice Be Done: America's First Civil Rights Movement, from the Revolution to Reconstruction

Before the Civil War, conflicts over equality and freedom plagued the half-century. African American activists and their white allies fought against racist laws, arguing for equal rights based on the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. The movement gained mainstream support in the 1850s, with the Civil Rights Act and Fourteenth Amendment being landmark achievements. Activists like John Jones played a crucial role in shaping the American ideal of equality before the law.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 496 pages
Publication date: 07 June 2022
Publisher: WW Norton & Co

The half-century preceding the Civil War was marked by intense debates over equality and freedom. In 1803, numerous free states introduced laws that deterred free African Americans from settling within their borders and limited their rights to testify in court, travel freely, work, vote, and attend public school. However, African American activists, alongside their white allies, bravely organized a movement to challenge these discriminatory laws. They countered the states' claims that their actions were aimed at maintaining domestic peace by referencing the equal-rights promises outlined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. These activists included pastors, editors, lawyers, politicians, ship captains, and countless ordinary men and women who engaged in various forms of activism, including press campaigns, court battles, state legislatures, and Congress. Despite facing hostility from white majorities and unfavorable court decisions, the movement's ideals gained widespread acceptance in the 1850s, particularly among supporters of the new Republican party.

When Congress began rebuilding the nation after the Civil War, Republicans included this vision of racial equality in the 1866 Civil Rights Act and the Fourteenth Amendment. These landmark achievements marked the beginning of the first civil rights movement. Kate Masurs' masterful history provides a detailed account of this transformative era. Activists like John Jones, a free Black tailor from North Carolina, played a crucial role in advocating for racial equality by opposing the Illinois "black laws." Their efforts helped establish the importance of African Americans in shaping the American ideal of legal equality. It is important to note that legal equality alone was not sufficient; enforcement was necessary to ensure its realization.

Weight: 554g
Dimension: 139 x 208 x 31 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781324021841