View the Table of Contents. Read Chapter 1.
Winner of the 2006 Richard W. Leopold Prize from the
Organization of American Historians
Winner of the 2006 George Pendleton Prize from the Society for
History in the Federal Government
aNot only has [Schneller] given us his remarkable insight into
one manas story of courage, perseverance and determination, but he
has framed that dramatic experience within the larger narration of
American race relations in the twentieth centurya]. Anyone desiring
a more complete understanding of African Americansa struggle to
desegregate the armed forces will find this book
indispensable.a
--"Journal of American History"
aA marvelous book. Schneller takes what might first appear to be
a fairly narrow topic and offers a sweeping, well-researched
account which places the question of race at the Naval Academy in
the context of the Navy and the Nation.a
--"International Journal of Maritime History"
aDescribes for the first time the difficulties Wesley Brown
endured and the concerted effort by a atight knota of southern
upperclassmen to oust him using racial epithets, ostracism, and
demerits."
--"Washington Post"
"This detailed story is one that has been long overdue in being
told. Dr. Schneller has told it exceedingly well."
--"Proceedings/US Naval Institute"
"This richly researched and judiciously written study
facilitates deeper comprehension of how institutional racism
preserved white hegemony in the U.S. Navy until Midshipman Wesley
Brown detonated its color barrier."
--Darlene Clark Hine, author of "A Shining Thread of Hope: The
History of Black Women in America"
"A comprehensive and compelling work. Schneller explores
thelives of the pioneering black midshipmen in intensely
interesting detail."
--David P. Colley, author of "Blood For Dignity: The Story Of The
First Integrated Combat Unit In The U.S. Army"
"A remarkable book. Wesley Brown's journey through the U.S.
Naval Academy shortly after WWII is a story of one man's strength,
perseverance and courage in forging a new era in the grand
tradition of naval leadership."
--John Lehman, former Secretary of the Navy, member of the 9/11
Commission
"In well-documented detail and vivid prose, Breaking the Color
Barrier captures the arduous, often tragic struggle black naval
cadets were compelled to wage. This is history that rises to its
memorable subject."
--William Loren Katz, author of "Black Indians: A Hidden
Heritage"
"Traces the long and bitter struggle to integrate the U.S. Naval
Academy. . . . "Breaking the Color Barrier" is an engrossing
account of how an American institution struggled to deal with its
racist past and ultimately triumphed in the fight to become
integrated."
--"Shipmate Magazine"
>"A thoroughly researched, well-balanced account."
--"Choice"
Only five black men were admitted to the United States Naval
Academy between Reconstruction and the beginning of World War II.
None graduated, and all were deeply scarred by intense racial
discrimination, ranging from brutal hazing incidents to the
institutionalized racist policies of the Academy itself.
Breaking the Color Barrier examines the black community's
efforts to integrate the Naval Academy, as well as the experiences
that black midshipmen encountered at Annapolis. Historian Robert J.
Schneller analyzes how the Academy responded to demands for
integration fromblack and white civilians, civil rights activists,
and politicians, as well as what life at the Academy was like for
black midshipmen and the encounters they had with their white
classmates.
In 1949, Midshipman Wesley Brown achieved what seemed to be the
impossible: he became the first black graduate of the Academy.
Armed with intelligence, social grace, athleticism,
self-discipline, and an immutable pluck, as well as critical
support from friends and family, Congressman Adam Clayton Powell,
and the Executive Department, Brown was able to confront and
ultimately shatter the Academyas tradition of systematic racial
discrimination.
Based on the Navyas documentary records and on personal
interviews with scores of midshipmen and naval officers, Breaking
the Color Barrier sheds light on the Academyas first step in
transforming itself from a racist institution to one that today
ranks equal opportunity among its fundamental tenets.
General
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