Morris, Aldon, Origins of the Civil Rights Movement. Free Press, 1986.

Summary
Morris’ book looks at the origins of the movement during what he sees as the crucial first decade, 1953-1963. He focuses on this decade to provide an in-depth analysis, but contrary to the more recent long-civil rights movement thesis, he sees the movement beginning in 1950 and lasting to 1970. Morris does write: “The modern civil rights movement rest solidly into this rich tradition of protest,” such as the slave revolts, the Garvey movement, and the March on Washington Movement. However, he argues that the modern civil rights movement was distinct because it was the “first time large masses of blacks directly confronted and effectively disrupted the normal function of groups and institutions” and secondly blacks adopted “nonviolent tactics as a mass technique for bringing about social change.” (xi) In the case of the modern civil rights movement, Morris contends that the indigenous base was “the basic funding patterns, social resources, and organized masses are concentrated and activated for protest.” (xii) Black community members thus used accessible resources to accomplish political ends. The internal organization of the community was the “critical factor that enabled the movement to gather momentum and endure in the face of state power and widespread repression.” (xii) The communication networks between different organizations (SCLC, Highlander, SCEF, FOR, and SNCC) enabled community members to spread such tactics as the sit-in. The movement provided the black community with concrete organization and tactical models to use against racial suppression. It also served as a training ground for many activists that would play key roles in the women movement and the student movement. Thus, it was the indigenous leadership, grassroots organizing of churches and organizations that made the CRM successful.