Quest for the Dream, The: The Development of Civil Rights and Human Relations in Modern America

With authority, wit, and historical perspective, Prof. Roche documents the extraordinary advances since 1913 in the attitudes of the law, the federal government, and, most vitally, the public itself toward the rights and basic liberties of minority and nonconformist groups within the United States.  He illustrates the revolution brought about by the urbanization of American society, the "Walpurgis Night" of World War I and its aftermath, and the new dawn of hope that arose with the New Deal.  Shattering the myths that surround the "halcyon" period before World War I, the author convincingly demonstrates that the Negroes' explosive demand for equality is, in fact, a climax in the long, bitter, and sometimes discouraging fight to realize the American dream.