“Berg convincingly argues that the NAACP had an acute sense of political realism, and that its pursuit of political influence through the ballot paid off handsomely. Rebutting many of the common criticisms of the organization, he places the NAACP where it belongs—at the center of the struggle for black equality.”—Adam Fairclough, University of East Anglia
 
“This is a first-rate contribution to the study of civil rights in the United States. It is a thorough, clearly written, and meticulously researched analysis of the NAACP’s political activities from its inception through the civil rights movement.”—David Goldfield, University of North Carolina, Charlotte University Press of Florida
 
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is the United States’ largest and oldest civil rights organization. After many years of neglect and faultfinding by contemporary activists, historians, and the media, Manfred Berg restores the NAACP to its rightful place at the heart of the civil rights movement.  Berg reveals the group’s eminently political character as he assesses both its historical achievements and its failures. He suggests that while the NAACP did make significant gains in furthering the progress of America’s black citizens at the grassroots level, its national agenda should not be discounted. Berg challenges criticisms of recent years that the NAACP’s goals and methods were half-hearted, ineffective, and irrelevant and reveals a resourceful, dynamic, and politically astute organization that has done much to open up the electoral process to greater black participation.
 
Manfred Berg is executive director of the Center for U.S. Studies at the Leucorea Foundation of the Martin Luther University in Halle-Wittenberg, Germany. 

Sample Chapter(s):

Introduction

Table of Contents

"A bold approach." "Berg details the growth of the NAACP, its successes and failures, and the major figures who helped advance the NAACP, including W. E. B. Dubois, Thurgood Marshall, Moorfield Storey, Walter White, and Oswald Garrison Villard."
--Booklist

"An outstanding study of the association's efforts" "The Ticket To Freedom is great history and simply a great story."
--Flavour: Black Florida Life and Style

"Outstanding" "Great history and a great story."
--St. Petersburg Times

"Berg's narrative style is fluid and compelling, revealing a resourceful and dynamic organization which has done much to open up the electoral process to greater black participation."
--AfroAmericanHeritage.com

…a clear and thought-provoking assessment of the organization's accomplishments during its first sixty years.
--Louisiana History

…this important study provides a history of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and particularly its campaign for the right to vote.
--American Studies

…an outstanding analysis of both the NAACP and the ongoing struggle for the right to vote.
--American Historical Review

…gracefully written and lucidly argued…It stands as an important accomplishment…and is one of the most important new books on the history of the civil rights movement to emerge in recent years.
--Journal of Southern History