Blackwhite America: A Fresh Look at Whites and Blacks Living Fitfully Together for 393 Years

Bringing history to life, Blackwhite America chronicles the racial struggle since America’s origins. Told in the first-person, present-tense voice of Thomas Jefferson, it is a story of stories, each one reliving a time of important change and decision-making. Orr takes an open-minded, well-researched, fresh look at how American whites and blacks lived fitfully together under common governments, from arrival of the first blacks to reelection of Barack Obama—1619-2012. Orr seeks insights to questions he poses at the outset: If the purpose of the Civil War was to free the slaves, why did it take more than a century and a half for blacks to get as close as we are now to equal rights? How far have we all come, really? When, if ever, will we get there? Where is “there?” Blackwhite America details the evolution of America’s growth toward emancipation, the progress of civil rights, and the hope of racial equality.