Along Freedom Road

Hyde County, North Carolina, and the Fate of Black Schools in the South

By David S. Cecelski | Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press

About the book

David Cecelski chronicles one of the most sustained and successful protests of the civil rights movement — the 1968–69 school boycott in Hyde County, North Carolina. For an entire year, the county’s black citizens refused to send their children to school in protest of a desegregation plan that required closing two historically black schools in their remote coastal community. Parents and students held nonviolent protests daily for five months, marched twice on the state capitol in Raleigh, and drove the Ku Klux Klan out of the county in a massive gunfight.

The threatened closing of Hyde County’s black schools collided with a rich and vibrant educational heritage that had helped to sustain the black community since Reconstruction. As other southern school boards routinely closed black schools and displaced their educational leaders, Hyde County blacks began to fear that school desegregation was undermining — rather than enhancing — this legacy. This book, then, is the story of one county’s extraordinary struggle for civil rights, but at the same time it explores the fight for civil rights in all of eastern North Carolina and the dismantling of black education throughout the South.

Editions of Along Freedom Road

Hardcover
ISBN 9780807821268
Paperback
ISBN 9780807844373
EBook
ISBN 9781469619705
EBook
ISBN 9780807860731
PDF
ISBN 9798890865496

Read an Excerpt

David Cecelski chronicles one of the most sustained and successful protests of the civil rights movement — the 1968–69 school boycott in Hyde County, North Carolina. For an entire year, the county’s black citizens refused to send their children to school in protest of a desegregation plan that required closing two historically black schools in their remote coastal community. Parents and students held nonviolent protests daily for five months, marched twice on the state capitol in Raleigh, and drove the Ku Klux Klan out of the county in a massive gunfight.

The threatened closing of Hyde County’s black schools collided with a rich and vibrant educational heritage that had helped to sustain the black community since Reconstruction. As other southern school boards routinely closed black schools and displaced their educational leaders, Hyde County blacks began to fear that school desegregation was undermining — rather than enhancing — this legacy. This book, then, is the story of one county’s extraordinary struggle for civil rights, but at the same time it explores the fight for civil rights in all of eastern North Carolina and the dismantling of black education throughout the South.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Along Freedom Road about?

David Cecelski chronicles one of the most sustained and successful protests of the civil rights movement — the 1968–69 school boycott in Hyde County, North Carolina. For an entire year, the county’s black citizens refused to send their children to school in protest of a desegregation plan that required closing two historically black schools in their remote coastal community. Parents and students held nonviolent protests daily for five months, marched twice on the state capitol in Raleigh, and drove the Ku Klux Klan out of the county in a massive gunfight.

The threatened closing of Hyde County’s black schools collided with a rich and vibrant educational heritage that had helped to sustain the black community since Reconstruction. As other southern school boards routinely closed black schools and displaced their educational leaders, Hyde County blacks began to fear that school desegregation was undermining — rather than enhancing — this legacy. This book, then, is the story of one county’s extraordinary struggle for civil rights, but at the same time it explores the fight for civil rights in all of eastern North Carolina and the dismantling of black education throughout the South.

What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Along Freedom Road?

Society and Social Sciences > Society and culture: general > Social groups, communities and identities > Ethnic studies / Ethnicity

Where can I read a sample of Along Freedom Road?

You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780807821268

How long is Along Freedom Road and how many pages does it have?

Along Freedom Road has 248 page(s)

Who is/are the Author/s of the book Along Freedom Road?

David S. Cecelski

Who is the Publisher of the book Along Freedom Road?

The University of North Carolina Press

What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?

Along Freedom Road is available as hardcover(ISBN 9780807821268) and paperback(ISBN 9780807844373) and ebook(ISBN 9781469619705) and ebook(ISBN 9780807860731) and pdf(ISBN 9798890865496)

Where can I buy Along Freedom Road online or support local independent bookshops?

You can buy Along Freedom Road from below

Where can I buy Along Freedom Road?