Racial Change and Community Crisis: St. Augustine, Florida, 1877-1980 - Paperback

by David R. Colburn (Author)

In 1964, racial reform and racial extremism clashed in St. Augustine, Florida, the city the Southern Christian Leadership Conference targeted for the activities of its nonviolent army. Under the leadership of Martin Luther King, Jr., the SCLC staged demonstrations in St. Augustine that they hoped would pressure the U.S. Congress into passing civil rights legislation. Extremists, led by Ku Klux Klan and John Birch Society members, saw in St. Augustine a last opportunity to halt the forces of racial change. What resulted--beatings, shootings, bombings, and mass arrests--was some of the ugliest racial violence the nation has witnessed.

Author Biography

David R. Colburn (1942-2019) served in many roles at the University of Florida, including as provost and senior vice president, professor of history, and director of the Bob Graham Center for Public Service. He is the author of Florida's Megatrends: Critical Issues in Florida and From Yellow Dog Democrats to Red State Republicans: Florida and Its Politics since 1940.