John Hervey Wheeler, Black Banking, and the Economic Struggle for Civil Rights

by Brandon K. Winford

Overview

Straddling the line between confrontation and negotiation, Wheeler pushed for increased economic opportunity for African Americans while reminding the white South that its future was linked to the plight of black southerners.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813178257
Publisher:	University Press of Kentucky
Publication date:	12/09/2019
Series:	Civil Rights and the Struggle for Black Equality in the Twentieth Century
Pages:	354
Sales rank:	729,894
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Brandon K. Winford is associate professor of history at the University of Tennessee. He is a historian of the late-nineteenth and twentieth-century United States and African American history with areas of specialization in civil rights and Black business history.

Table of Contents

Introduction
From Slavery to Middle-Class Respectability
Black Business Activism in the Great Depression
The Battle for Educationl Equality in the Postwar New South
Direct Action and the Search for 'Freedom of Movement'
Equal Employment, Voting Rights, and Public Policy at the National Level
Urban Renewal and the Prospects of a Free and Open Society
Conclusion

What People are Saying About This

Charles W. McKinney Jr.

"This informative work chronicles the life of one of the unsung titans of the civil rights period and casts new light on the dynamic role this banker, activist, and humanitarian played in the middle of the twentieth century. A much-needed and insightful contribution to the historiography of the black freedom struggle, both in North Carolina and the region, this volume illuminates the still-underanalyzed relationship between black economic institutions, larger mainstream economic structures, and the evolution of black freedom in the nation."

Vernon E. Jordan Jr.

"This is a great book about a great man who, through mentoring and sponsoring me early in my career, is largely responsible for whatever success I have in my life. And I am one of many, black and white, who were instructed and inspired by John Hervey Wheeler's extraordinary life of leadership and service."

Jerry Gershenhorn

"Brandon K. Winford's impressive biography brilliantly places banker and attorney John Hervey Wheeler at the center of the long black freedom struggle in North Carolina. Meticulously researched, this outstanding work of scholarship makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of the history of black business and the civil rights movement and should be required reading for students of both subjects."

From the Publisher

"This informative work chronicles the life of one of the unsung titans of the civil rights period and casts new light on the dynamic role this banker, activist, and humanitarian played in the middle of the twentieth century. A much-needed and insightful contribution to the historiography of the black freedom struggle, both in North Carolina and the region, this volume illuminates the still-underanalyzed relationship between black economic institutions, larger mainstream economic structures, and the evolution of black freedom in the nation." — Charles W. McKinney Jr., co-editor of An Unseen Light: Black Struggles for Freedom in Memphis, Tennessee

"Brandon K. Winford's impressive biography brilliantly places banker and attorney John Hervey Wheeler at the center of the long black freedom struggle in North Carolina. Meticulously researched, this outstanding work of scholarship makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of the history of black business and the civil rights movement and should be required reading for students of both subjects." — Jerry Gershenhorn, author of Louis Austin and the Carolina Times : A Life in the Long Black Freedom Struggle

Editorial Reviews

Winford's magnificently researched book covers several fields of inquiry, including Black business history, African American history, and North Carolina history. Wheeler's legacy as both Black banker and civil rights leader is very important and more likely to remain a fixture of the contemporary dialogue due to this work. Models like Wheeler's become especially important, valued, and worthy of study—and possibly even imitation—in our current milieu.

The Journal of African American History

A clearly written and well-researched study.... Winford has written an important book that recovers the fascinating story of John Hervey Wheeler. It provides a fair and balanced assessment of his legacy and expands historical knowledge of the Black freedom struggle in the Tar Heel State.

Journal of Southern History

This is a great book about a great man who, through mentoring and sponsoring me early in my career, is largely responsible for whatever success I have in my life. And I am one of many, black and white, who were instructed and inspired by John Hervey Wheeler's extraordinary life of leadership and service.

Vernon E. Jordan Jr.

"A clearly written and well-researched study.... Winford has written an important book that recovers the fascinating story of John Hervey Wheeler. It provides a fair and balanced assessment of his legacy and expands historical knowledge of the Black freedom struggle in the Tar Heel State." — Journal of Southern History

From the Publisher

This informative work chronicles the life of one of the unsung titans of the civil rights period and casts new light on the dynamic role this banker, activist, and humanitarian played in the middle of the twentieth century. A much-needed and insightful contribution to the historiography of the black freedom struggle, both in North Carolina and the region, this volume illuminates the still-underanalyzed relationship between black economic institutions, larger mainstream economic structures, and the evolution of black freedom in the nation.

Charles W. McKinney Jr.

Brandon K. Winford's impressive biography brilliantly places banker and attorney John Hervey Wheeler at the center of the long black freedom struggle in North Carolina. Meticulously researched, this outstanding work of scholarship makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of the history of black business and the civil rights movement and should be required reading for students of both subjects.

Jerry Gershenhorn