Source material quoting from diaries, letters, court decisions, poetry, statements, articles, etc. by 137 different authors.

Author Michael V. Uschan looks at the Civil Rights Movement in the United States as a four-century struggle that began with as early as the Revolutionary War and continued with slave rebellions in the years leading up to the Civil War. This book presents rights that were gained during Reconstruction, but then lost again as southern states used violence to disenfranchise and oppress blacks. Examines early 20th century efforts to improve the lives of African Americans, encouraged by black leaders such as W.E.B. DuBois and Ida B. Wells-Barnett. These efforts led to what many call the modern Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. This book chronicles the journey that led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the milestone election of President Barack Obama, as well as the continuing struggle for true equality.