The incredible story of the man and legend who has come to symbolize the continuing pursuit of justice for Blacks in the United States Through the 1980s, the mainstream press portrayed the Reverend Al Sharpton as a buffoon, a fake minister, a hustler, an opportunist, a demagogue, a race traitor, and an anti-Semite. Today, Sharpton occupies a throne that would have shocked the white newspaper reporters who covered him forty years ago. A mesmerizing story of astounding transformation, craftiness, and survival, King Al follows Reverend Sharpton's life trajectory, from his early life as a boy preacher to his present moment as the most popular Black American activist/minister/cable news host. In the 1980s, Rev. Al created controversies that would have doomed a lesser man to the dustbin of history. Among these controversies were his work with the FBI as the agency attempted to locate Black Liberation Army leader Assata Shakur; and his involvement in the 1987 Tawana Brawley episode. Regarding the Brawley matter, a white prosecutor sued Sharpton, successfully, for falsely accusing him of having raped the then-fifteen-year-old Brawley. It was the white press, in its glory days, that created the podium from which Sharpton became both famous and infamous. Those reporters would joke that the most dangerous place in New York was between Al Sharpton and a television camera. But it was those reporters who made Sharpton the media figure he is today. Today, as host of MSNBC's PoliticsNation news program, Sharpton has more news viewers than those reporters ever had readers. The Reverend Al's rise to respectability is a testament to an endurance and boldness steeped in Black American history. Born in Brooklyn to parents from the old slave-holding South, he transformed himself into one of the most respected and politically influential Blacks in the United States. In his in-depth coverage, author Ron Howell tells the stories of Sharpton's ascendance to the throne. He tells us about the glory years of American newspapers, when Sharpton began his rise. And he tells us about the politicians who intersected with Sharpton as he climbed the ladder. King Al is an engaging read about the late-twentieth-century history of New York City politics and race relations, as well as about the remarkable staying power of the colorful, politically skillful, and enigmatic Sharpton.

Amidst the rolling land of the beautiful Finger Lakes Region of New York, stands the city of Ithaca. Over 250 vintage, hand-tinted and black and white postcards from the 1900s to the 1940s take readers on a nostalgic journey, showcasing Ithaca's most famous and interesting spots. Attend a concert at Ithaca College, a lecture at Cornell University, or lunch at the Clinton House. Travel outside Ithaca for a trip to the majestic Taughannock Falls, hike in Buttermilk Falls State Park, or cheer the Cornell Crew Team to victory from the shores of Cayuga Lake.

Ronnie Earle was a Texas legend. During his three decades as the district attorney responsible for Austin and surrounding Travis County, he prosecuted corrupt corporate executives and state officials, including the notorious US congressman Tom DeLay. But Earle maintained that the biggest case of his career was the one involving Frank Hughey Smith, the ex-convict millionaire, alleged criminal mastermind, and Dixie Mafia figure. With the help of corrupt local authorities, Smith spent the 1970s building a criminal empire in auto salvage and bail bonds. But there was one problem: a rival in the salvage business threatened his dominance. Smith hired arsonists to destroy the rival; when they botched the job, he sent three gunmen, but the robbery they planned was a bloody fiasco. Investigators were convinced that Smith was guilty, but many were skeptical that the newly elected and inexperienced Earle could get a conviction. Amid the courtroom drama and underworld plots the book describes, Willie Nelson makes a cameo. So do the private eyes, hired guns, and madams who kept Austin not only weird but also riddled with vice. An extraordinary true story, Last Gangster in Austin paints an unusual picture of the Texas capital as a place that was wild, wonderful, and as crooked as the dirt road to paradise.

This is a book about Glasgow, but not your everyday history book. Glasgow By the Way But is a contemporary series of essays examining different aspects of Glasgow in a historical and cultural context, revealing a unique, amusing and sometimes critical, perspective of Cairney's beloved city. Those who remember John Cairney's performances and have read his other books will enjoy the insightful anecdotes from Cairney's career.

A personal account of life in the orbit of Mao and Zhao En-Lai and one woman's effort to tell what it was like to be at the center of the storm. The history of China in the twentieth century is comprised of a long series of shocks: the 1911 revolution, the civil war between the communists and the nationalists, the Japanese invasion, the revolution, the various catastrophic campaigns initiated by Chairman Mao between 1949 and 1976, its great opening to the world under Deng, and the Tiananmen Square Massacre. Yuan-tsung Chen, who is now 90, lived through most of it, and at certain points in close proximity to the seat of communist power. Born in Shanghai in 1929, she came to know Zhou En-Lai-second only to Mao in importance-as a young girl while living in Chongqing, where Chiang Kai-Shek's government had relocated to, during the war against Japan. That connection to Zhou helped her save her husband's life in Cultural Revolution. After the communists took power, she obtained a job in one of the culture ministries. While there, she frequently engaged with the upper echelon of the party and was a first-hand witness to some of the purges that the regime regularly initiated. Eventually, the commissar she worked under was denounced in 1957, and she barely escaped being purged herself. Later, during Cultural Revolution, she and her husband were purged and sent to live in a rough, poor area. She and her husband finally moved to Hong Kong, with Zhou's special permission, in 1971. A first-hand account of what life was like in the period before the revolution and in Mao's China, The Secret Listener gives a unique perspective on the era, and Chen's vantage point provides us with a new perspective on the Maoist regime-one of the most radical political experiments in modern history and a force that genuinely changed the world.

After the Revolutionary War ended, the new American nation grappled with a question about its identity: Were the states sovereign entities or subordinates to a powerful federal government? The War of 1812 brought this vexing issue into sharp relief, as a national government intent on waging an unpopular war confronted a populace in Massachusetts that was vigorously opposed to it. Maine, which at the time was part of Massachusetts, served as the battleground in this political struggle.Joshua M. Smith recounts an innovative history of the war, focusing on how it specifically affected what was then called the District of Maine. Drawing on archival materials from the United States, Britain, and Canada, Smith exposes the bitter experience of Maine's citizens during that conflict as they endured multiple hardships, including starvation, heavy taxes, smuggling, treason, and enemy occupation. War's inherent miseries, along with a changing relationship between regional and national identities, gave rise to a statehood movement that rejected a Boston-centric worldview in favor of a broadly American identity.

Broughty Ferry has gone through many changes since its origins as a small fishing village nestled in the shadow of a fifteenth-century castle. The industrial age saw wealthy jute barons arrive and build their grand residences there, while the coming of the train saw the town become a popular destination for holidaymakers. The twentieth century and beyond has seen Broughty Ferry evolve into a popular and affluent suburb. This compilation of images follows Broughty Ferry through all of these changes and shows how, despite officially becoming part of Dundee in 1913, 'the Ferry' has always maintained an independent air.

The dramatic account of a Revolutionary-era conspiracy in which a band of farmers opposed to military conscription and fearful of religious persecution plotted to kill the governor of North Carolina. Less than a year into the American Revolution, a group of North Carolina farmers hatched a plot to assassinate the colony's leading patriots, including the governor. The scheme became known as the Gourd Patch or Lewellen Conspiracy. The men called themselves the Brethren. The Brethren opposed patriot leaders' demand for militia volunteers and worried that "enlightened" deist principles would be enshrined in the state constitution, displacing their Protestant faith. The patriots' attempts to ally with Catholic France only exacerbated the Brethren's fears of looming heresy. Brendan McConville follows the Brethren as they draw up plans for violent action. After patriot militiamen threatened to arrest the Brethren as British sympathizers in the summer of 1777, the group tried to spread false rumors of a slave insurrection in hopes of winning loyalist support. But a disaffected insider denounced the movement to the authorities, and many members were put on trial. Drawing on contemporary depositions and legal petitions, McConville gives voice to the conspirators' motivations, which make clear that the Brethren did not back the Crown but saw the patriots as a grave threat to their religion. Part of a broader Southern movement of conscription resistance, the conspiracy compels us to appreciate the full complexity of public opinion surrounding the Revolution. Many colonists were neither loyalists nor patriots and came to see the Revolutionary government as coercive. The Brethren tells the dramatic story of ordinary people who came to fear that their Revolutionary leaders were trying to undermine religious freedom and individual liberty-the very causes now ascribed to the Founding generation.

This book juxtaposes landmark buildings, homes, restaurants, and parks in greater Los Angeles, from past and present, using vintage postcards and 21st century photographs of the scenes portrayed in the originals. Enjoy a view of the Los Angeles Biltmore Hotel, as it was once known, from a past era, side by side with what's now known as the Millennium. See one era compared to another in Santa Monica, Venice, Chinatown, and many other areas of Los Angeles County. Whether you actually remember these places or have never even seen them with your own eyes, you'll appreciate this thrilling visual array that is a lifetime in the making. The author's ultimate goal is to inspire readers to go out and see the sights in this book for themselves.

How the places in Brooklyn got their names--complete with vivid photographs and maps From Bedford-Stuyvesant to Williamsburg, Brooklyn's historic names are emblems of American culture and history. Uncovering the remarkable stories behind the landmarks, Brooklyn By Name takes readers on a stroll through the streets and places of this thriving metropolis to reveal the borough's textured past. Listing more than 500 of Brooklyn's most prominent place names, organized alphabetically by region, and richly illustrated with photographs and current maps the book captures the diverse threads of American history. We learn about the Canarsie Indians, the region's first settlers, whose language survives in daily traffic reports about the Gowanus Expressway. The arrival of the Dutch West India Company in 1620 brought the first wave of European names, from Boswijck ("town in the woods," later Bushwick) to Bedford-Stuyvesant, after the controversial administrator of the Dutch colony, to numerous places named after prominent Dutch families like the Bergens. The English takeover of the area in 1664 led to the Anglicization of Dutch names, (vlackebos, meaning "wooded plain," became Flatbush) and the introduction of distinctively English names (Kensington, Brighton Beach). A century later the American Revolution swept away most Tory monikers, replacing them with signers of the Declaration of Independence and international figures who supported the revolution such as Lafayette (France), De Kalb (Germany), and Kosciuszko (Poland). We learn too of the dark corners of Brooklyn"s past, encountering over 70 streets named for prominent slaveholders like Lefferts and Lott but none for its most famous abolitionist, Walt Whitman. From the earliest settlements to recent commemorations such as Malcolm X Boulevard, Brooklyn By Name tells the tales of the poets, philosophers, baseball heroes, diplomats, warriors, and saints who have left their imprint on this polyethnic borough that was once almost disastrously renamed "New York East." Ideal for all Brooklynites, newcomers, and visitors, this book includes: *Over 500 entries explaining the colorful history of Brooklyn's most prominent place names *Over 100 vivid photographs of Brooklyn past and present *9 easy to follow and up-to-date maps of the neighborhoods *Informative sidebars covering topics like Ebbets Field, Lindsay Triangle, and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge *Covers all neighborhoods, easily find the street you're on

Houston, the largest city in Texas, has always been a dynamic metropolis, filled with historic and economic significance as well as cultural charm. Journey into its past over 190 picturesque vintage postcards with images from the early twentieth century. The pride of Houston is clearly displayed in hand-tinted cards that depict the monument of Sam Houston, the city's name sake, and the San Jacinto Memorial that memorializes an important battle in the Texas Revolution. View the magnificent Gulf and Esperson buildings, the Hermann and Sam Houston parks, and the lovely scenes ranging from the Houston Channel to the busy main streets of commerce and tradition. Approximate dating and values are included.

From concrete dinosaurs of Bongoland and the Citrus Hall of Fame, to underwater scenery of Silver Springs and alligators of Gatorland, 1950s Florida had something to offer every native and visitor. Over 400 vintage postcards take readers on a journey back in time to tour throughout Florida, showcasing the state's most famous roadside attractions. Tour the historic Gamble Mansion, walk through the picturesque gardens of Gerbing's Gardens, see the jumping dolphins at Marineland, visit the Seminole Indian Village at Musa Isle, and listen to talking parrots at Parrot Jungle. All the wonderful, whimsical sites you visited as a child, or that your grandparents reminisce about, are found in an alphabetical exploration starting with Africa USA and winding up at Zorayda Castle.

In the early 1900s, three small-town midwestern playwrights helped shepherd American theatre into the modern era. Together, they created the renowned Provincetown Players collective, which not only launched many careers but also had the power to affect US social, cultural, and political beliefs. The philosophical and political orientations of Floyd Dell, George Cram Cook, and Susan Glaspell generated a theatre practice marked by experimentalism, collaboration, leftist cultural critique, rebellion, liberation, and community engagement. In Three Midwestern Playwrights, Marcia Noe situates the origin of the Provincetown aesthetic in Davenport, Iowa, a Mississippi River town. All three playwrights recognized that radical politics sometimes begat radical chic, and several of their plays satirize the faddish elements of the progressive political, social, and cultural movements they were active in. Three Midwestern Playwrights brings the players to life and deftly illustrates how Dell, Cook, and Glaspell joined early 20th-century midwestern radicalism with East Coast avant-garde drama, resulting in a fresh and energetic contribution to American theatre.

In this third book beckoning readers to search for historic lost loot, journey to New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania to learn about Native American villages, lost mines, pirate booty, ghosts, curses, monsters, dangers, and more. Learn about the connection between the infamous Jersey Devil monster and Captain Kidd - both are said to guard a pirate treasure! Discover precious and rare gems in New York, and look up to see what has been flying through the Pennsylvania skies, a sentry of a golden treasure since prehistoric times. There may be military artifacts to discover, but one may also see the soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice still roaming the battlefields. Take the journey to find the loot, but always walk into the adventure with both eyes wide open!

Take a magical journey back in time in this historically rich and visually appealing coffee table book. Displayed in over 240 precious views of hand-tinted and sepia-toned postcards from the late 1800s through the 1940s, Burlington's history comes alive. View its bays, beaches, and boats and enjoy the images of park-like and wilderness settings as they once were. See Lake Champlain, one of the nation's most beautiful waterfronts, and the Adirondack Mountains towering behind. Burlington's turn-of-the-century city streets, architectural excellence, and busy college life at the University of Vermont will delight you.

The Pennsylvania capital city has dynamic architecture and a remarkable skyline, beautiful parks, and important transportation routes along the mighty Susquehanna River near the middle of the state. Learn why the city thrived during the 19th century due to its location, commerce, and leading citizens. See the government buildlings and many street scenes as they are portrayed on over 400 postcards of the 20th century. Tourism emerged here with the opening of the Pennsylvania Turnpike in the 1950s. A concise explanation of postcard history defines the styles, postmarks, and popularity of the cards shown. This beautiful state and its political center are well documented in this handsome souvenir and historical reference.

Go back in time and see San Antonio, Texas, through vintage postcards from the 1900s to the 1950s. Historic images review places that made the city famous. See Fort Sam Houston, the San Fernando Cathedral, the authentic Mexican shops in Market Square, visit the historic Bexar County Courthouse and an immense collection of trophies in the Buckhorn Saloon. Enjoy the scenery of Brackenridge Park, the sights along the River Walk, and the old Spanish architecture of the Mission San Juan de Capistrano. The Spanish Governor's Palace has been called "the most beautiful building in San Antonio." Learn about Texas history and San Antonio's most famous landmark, the Alamo.

The key theme of the Hall Book remains Borough Governance. The town's charters and rights were confirmed and extended in 1664 by the Charter of Charles II. The key theme of the Hall Book remains Borough Governance. The town's charters and rights were confirmed and extended in 1664 by the Charter of Charles II. James II's Charter of 1685 led to the Alderman becoming Mayor, the First Twelve becoming Aldermen and the Second Twelve becoming Councillors. James also sought to extend his powers with more rights to interfere, as with other cities and boroughs across the country. The Quo Warranto issued in April 1688 and the removal of six Aldermen resulted in an un-sought for Charter later in 1688 but this may not have even been physically received in Grantham as the events of the Glorious Revolution intervened and governance was restored under the terms of the 1631 Charter of Charles I. The borough of Grantham was then governed in these terms until the Municipal Corporations Act of 1835. Subsidiary themes include the precautions against plague in 1665; the issue and recall of the town's half-pennies in 1667-1674; references to non-conformity in 1668-69 and the lives of some of the Corporation members.

Winner, 2020 Herbert H. Lehman Prize for Distinguished Scholarship in New York history Honorable Mention, 2019 CASA Literary Prize for Studies on Latinos in the United States, given by La Casa de las Americas The dramatic story of the origins of the Cuban community in nineteenth-century New York. More than one hundred years before the Cuban Revolution of 1959 sparked an exodus that created today's prominent Cuban American presence, Cubans were settling in New York City in what became largest community of Latin Americans in the nineteenth-century Northeast. This book brings this community to vivid life, tracing its formation and how it was shaped by both the sugar trade and the long struggle for independence from Spain. New York City's refineries bought vast quantities of raw sugar from Cuba, ultimately creating an important center of commerce for Cuban emigres as the island tumbled into the tumultuous decades that would close out the century and define Cuban nationhood and identity. New York became the primary destination for Cuban emigres in search of an education, opportunity, wealth, to start a new life or forget an old one, to evade royal authority, plot a revolution, experience freedom, or to buy and sell goods. While many of their stories ended tragically, others were steeped in heroism and sacrifice, and still others in opportunism and mendacity. Lisandro Perez beautifully weaves together all these stories, showing the rise of a vibrant and influential community. Historically rich and engrossing, Sugar, Cigars, and Revolution immerses the reader in the riveting drama of Cuban New York. Lisandro Perez analyzes the major forces that shaped the community, but also tells the stories of individuals and families that made up the fabric of a little-known immigrant world that represents the origins of New York City's dynamic Latino presence.

Original tales by remarkable writers Hometown Tales is a series of books pairing exciting new voices with some of the most talented and important writers at work today. Some of the tales are fiction and some are narrative non-fiction - they are all powerful, fascinating and moving, and aim to celebrate regional diversity and explore the meaning of home. In these pages on Wales, you'll find two unique short stories. 'Last Seen Leaving' is a gripping account of the days following the disappearance of a local man by award-winning writer Tyler Keevil. 'The Lion and the Star' by Eluned Gramich is a vivid retelling of the Welsh language protests that electrified Cardiganshire in the 1970s and the impact of the protests on ordinary lives.

Nicknamed "Paris on the Platte," Denver, Colorado combines the cosmopolitan atmosphere of Eastern cities with the rugged spirit of miners and pioneers who founded the "Queen City of the Plains" in the days of the Old West. Over 200 vintage hand-tinted postcards from the 1900s through the 1940s take readers on a journey through Denver's history. Stop at the Brown Palace Hotel, stroll around the Civic Center, visit the Colorado State Capitol, take a tour through the Denver Mint, read up on Old West history at the Denver Public Library, and venture city into the majestic Rocky Mountains. Witness some of the the events and the places that made the "Mile-High City" famous.

Across the decades, photographers from the Bristol EVening Post and its predecessors have been faithfully recording life in the city to produce a precious archive of Bristol and its suburbs as they used to be. Narrow roadways have become dual carriageways, horse-drawn vehicles have disappeared from the streets, the trams have come and gone, and whole areas have been redeveloped as green fields became new estates. Areas like Brislington and Clifton, once separate villages, have been encompassed by the spreading city. And throughout these momentous changes, photographers have been on hand to capture the ever-changing story. Now this wonderful record is available in a new paperback format to entrance a new generation of readers. The quality of the photographs and the reproduction will make this most enthralling pictorial view of bygone Bristol a delight for readers across the city.

The Rouge River is a mostly urbanized watershed of about 500 square miles populated by nearly 1.4 million people. While not geographically large, the river has played an outsized role in the history of southeast Michigan, most famously housing Ford's massive Rouge Factory, designed by architect Albert Kahn and later memorialized in Diego Rivera's renowned "Detroit Industry" murals. In recent decades, the story of the Rouge River has also been one of grassroots environmental activism. After pollution from the Ford complex and neighboring factories literally caused the river to catch on fire in 1969, community groups launched a Herculean effort to restore and protect the watershed. Today the Rouge stands as one of the most successful examples of urban river revival in the country. Rouge River Revived describes the river's history from pre-European times into the 21st century. Chapters cover topics such as Native American life on the Rouge; indigenous flora and fauna over time; the river's role in the founding of local cities; its key involvement in Detroit's urban development and intensive industrialization; and the dramatic clean-up arising from citizen concern and activism. This book is not only a history of the environment of the Rouge River, but also of the complex and evolving relationship between humans and natural spaces.