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

By Vincent Harding and Darlene Clark Hine

Book Overview

The most comprehensive anthology of primary sources available, spanning the entire history of the American civil rights movement.

A record of one of the greatest and most turbulent movements of this century, The Eyes on the Prize Civil Rights Reader is essential for anyone interested in learning how far the American civil rights movements has come and how far it has to go.

Included are the Supreme Court's Brown vs Board of Education decision in its entirety; speeches by Martin Luther King, Jr., and his famous "Letter from Birmingham City Jail"; an interview with Rosa Parks; selections from Malcolm X Speaks; Black Panther Bobby Seale's Seize the Time; Ralph Abernathy's controversial And the Walls Came Tumbling Down; a piece by Herman Badillo on the infamous Attica prison uprising; addresses by Harold Washington, Jesse Jackson, Nelson Mandel, and much more.

"An important volume for students and professionals who wish to grasp the basic nature of the civil rights movement and how it changed America in fundamental ways." --Aldon Morris, Northwestern University

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140154035
• ISBN13: 9780140154030
• Release Date: November 1991
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Length: 784 Pages
• Weight: 1.42 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 5.5" x 8.4"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Interesting and Informative

I took a history of civil rights course in college, and this book was one of the required reading materials. I started reading it and couldn't put it down. I liked how the author included first hand accounts from individuals who actually lived during the civil rights movement. Before I read this book I only knew about two civil rights leaders- MLK Jr. and Malcolm X. I learned about other leaders and organizations such as Thurgood Marshall, SCLC, SNCC, and CORE. This is a must read because it will open your eyes to the civil rights struggle.

Another great one.

This was another one that I am glad I read, new stuff,and things you won't find any other place. A must read.

First Hand Documents Bring You There

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.

Great Book to Begin Learning

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.

A valued companion to the study of the Civil Rights Movement

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.