Black Power in Dixie - (Southern Dissent) by Alton Hornsby (Paperback)

About the Book

Alton Hornsby provides an analysis of how one of the most important southern cities managed, adapted, and coped with the struggle for racial justice, examining both traditional electoral politics as well as the roles of non-elected individuals influential in the community. Highlighting the terms of Maynard Jackson and Andrew Young, the city's first two black mayors, Hornsby concludes by raising important questions about the success of black political power and whether it has translated into measurable economic power for the African American community.

Book Synopsis

Atlanta stands out among southern cities for many reasons, not least of which is the role African Americans have played in local politics. Black Power in Dixie offers the first comprehensive study of black politics in the city.

From Reconstruction to recent times, the middle-class black leadership in Atlanta, while often subordinating class and gender differences to forge a continuous campaign for equality, successfully maintained its mantle of racial leadership for more than a century through a deft combination of racial advocacy and collaboration with local white business and political elites.

Alton Hornsby provides an analysis of how one of the most important southern cities managed, adapted, and coped with the struggle for racial justice, examining both traditional electoral politics as well as the roles of non-elected individuals influential in the community. Highlighting the terms of Maynard Jackson and Andrew Young, the city's first two black mayors, Hornsby concludes by raising important questions about the success of black political power and whether it has translated into measurable economic power for the African American community.

Review Quotes

"[A] richly detailed account of the problems and successes of Atlanta's African American leaders."--Choice


"Examines the rise of black political power in Atlanta, Georgia, from 1867 to 1900. . . . Makes an important contribution to the vital field of postwar black freedom struggles."--Journal of Southern History

"Offers a revealing genealogy of a politically active black community and the complex political machinery of one of the South's most important cities."--Journal of African American History


"Relates how Atlanta's African Americans insisted on determined betterment for themselves in city services, voting rights and education--despite the overarching power wielded by whites in the southern caste system. . . . Hornsby . . . has distilled a lifetime of distinguished work and his own experience into this study of dissent politics from the black side of Atlanta."--Georgia Historical Quarterly


"Succeeds masterfully in synthesizing a vast array of secondary and primary sources into a highly readable account of black politics in Atlanta."--American Historical Review


"This deeply researched work makes a crucial contribution to southern and African American history."--Journal of American History

About the Author

Alton Hornsby Jr. is the Fuller E. Callaway Professor of History Emeritus at Morehouse College.