Bending Toward Justice

In this vivid and timely book, Gary May provides a detailed history of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. He tells the story of those activists who fought to ensure that all Americans would have the right to vote and outlines the political battles in Washington prior to the law's passage.

Prologue: The Most Powerful Instrument ix

Preface to the Paperback Edition xxiii

1. Planting the Seed 1

2. An Ideal Place 25

3. "Give Us the Ballot!" 53

4. Nothing Can Stop Us 85

5. To the Promised Land 125

6. The Die is Cast 149

7. Breaking Down Injustice 171

8. Where the Votes Are 203

9. The Struggle of a Lifetime 237

Acknowledgments 255

Notes 257

Index 303