Promotional Information

Examining race, class, and society in Brooklyn over three centuries from the colonial period to the present, A Covenant with Color maps out the genesis, transformation, and dissemination of racial beliefs-observing them in action "on the ground."

Table of Contents

Prologue: The Trial of Race 1. Race and Social Power: Slavery and the Evolution of an Idea, 1636-1827 2. Little Masters: Slavery and the Evolution of a City, 1636-1827 3. "Rugged Industries": The Commercial Revolution in Kings County, 1797-1876 4. Irish over Black: The Advent of Bourgeois Democracy in Kings County, 1800-1865 5. Hope, Hate, and the Class Struggle: The End of Slavery's Dominion in the City of Churches, 1827-1865 6. The Legacy of Mastery: The Rise and Prestige of Jim Crow in Brooklyn, 1865-1930 7. Fruit of the Class Struggle: Labor Segmentation and Exclusion in Brooklyn, 1865-1950 8. The Covenant of Color: Race, Gender, and Defense Work in Brooklyn, 1930-1945 9. Vulnerable People, Undesirable Places: The New Deal and the Making of the Brooklyn Ghetto, 1920-1990 10. "A Society suc as our Own": Education and Labor in the Brooklyn Ghetto, 1950-1990 Epilogue. A Fair Interpretation Notes Bibliography Index Photo Insert

About the Author

Craig Steven Wilder is assistant professor of history and chair of African American Studies at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. He was born and raised in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, where he continues to reside during part of the year.

Reviews

Fills a real gap in the social history of American cities... Appealing for its deft interweaving of personal with broadly demographic data and for Wilder's unusually compelling narrative style. Journal of Social History A major contribution to the history of race... Wilder's stylish and inventive book stands out. American Historical Review Powerfully demonstrates the persistence and pervasiveness of race. -- Sundiata Keita Cha-Jua Journal of American History Readers, casual students and scholars alike will surely benefit from his compilation of sources and his well-articulated interpretation of the power of race in shaping social and economic conditions in Brooklyn over three centuries. Choice