River Jordan - African American Urban Life in the Ohio Valley

The Ohio River once symbolized the passage of blacks from slavery to freedom along the underground railroad. Hence, they frequently referred to it as the "River Jordan". Yet in the urban centers along the river's shores, blacks faced racial hostility. Here Joe Trotter examines African American life in the Ohio Valley cities Evansville, Louisville, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh, from the arrival of the first blacks to the Civil Rights movement. 21 photos. 5 maps.

About the author

Joe William Trotter Jr. is Giant Eagle Professor of History and Social Justice and director of the Center for Africanamerican Urban Studies and the Economy (CAUSE) at Carnegie Mellon University. He is the author or coauthor of numerous publications, including Race and Renaissance: African Americans in Pittsburgh since World War II, Black Milwaukee: The Making of an Industrial Proletariat, 1915-1945, and Workers on Arrival: Black Labor in the Making of America.

Summary

Yet despite these pressures, African Americans were able to create vibrant new communities as former agricultural workers transformed themselves into a new urban working class.

Product details

• Authors: Joe William Trotter
• Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 19.03.1998
• EAN: 9780813109503
• ISBN: 978-0-8131-0950-3
• No. of pages: 218
• Dimensions: 152 mm x 229 mm x 13 mm
• Weight: 345 g
• Series: Ohio River Valley Series; Ohio River Valley
• Subjects: Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; Social sciences, law, business > Ethnology > Folklore