Presidential historian David Nichols will speak at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 in Anderson Center for the Arts Theatre. His topic, "A Matter of Justice: Eisenhower and the Beginning of the Civil Rights Revolution," will be based on his book of the same name, which was published in fall 2007 by Simon & Schuster. The public is invited to attend.
Nichols' book is a lively and provocative narrative history that completely inverts our long-held understanding of Eisenhower and civil rights. Nichols replaces the disinterested, mildly racist president that historians have traditionally portrayed with the real Eisenhower, who was fully engaged in the legal fight for civil rights for African Americans in the 1950s.
Indeed, Nichols argues that, in the 1950s, Ike was more progressive on civil rights than Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon Johnson. He introduced and pushed through Congress the first civil rights legislation in 82 years, completed the integration of the armed forces, desegregated the District of Columbia, and made pivotal judicial appointments that advanced the cause of civil rights long after his term of office.
The leading authority on Eisenhower and civil rights, Nichols is the first historian to exhaustively mine the archives of the Eisenhower Presidential Library for documents pertaining to civil rights--many of them newly released or previously neglected. In the groundbreaking book, he offers a comprehensive and surprisingly intimate look at Eisenhower's civil rights record.
Nichols, dean emeritus at Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas, has been engaged in research on President Dwight D. Eisenhower and civil rights for the past five years. The book, published by Simon and Schuster in September 2007, was launched with events at the Eisenhower Library in Abilene and the Clinton Library in Little Rock, Arkansas in September, the latter in observance of the 50th anniversary of President Eisenhower's deployment of troops in Little Rock to support a federal court order for school desegregation. Nichols has been featured on BookTV, the Tavis Smiley Show, and National Public Radio's Talk of the Nation.
The event is sponsored by the Hartwick College Departments of History, Business Administration and Accounting, Political Science, and U.S. Ethnic Studies program and the Pluralism program. For more information, contact Associate Professor of History Edythe Ann Quinn at 607-431-4883.
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Hartwick College is a private liberal arts and sciences college of 1,480 students, located in Oneonta, NY in the northern foothills of the Catskill Mountains. Hartwick's expansive curriculum emphasizes connecting the classroom to the world. Through personalized teaching, collaborative research, a unique January Term, a wide range of internships, and limitless study-abroad opportunities, Hartwick ensures that students are prepared for the world ahead. Strong financial aid and scholarship programs keep a Hartwick education affordable.
Contact: Christopher Lott
E-mail: lottc@hartwick.edu
Phone: 607-431-4030
