The Unfinished Revolution

Peter Bartling attended racially-diverse Central High in Omaha, Nebraska, during the 1950s, long before integration became the norm in education in America's heartland. When he decided to analyze the civil rights movement in the United States from 1955 to 1965 for his thesis published in January 1966, he had no idea of the enormous progress that would eventually be made with respect to race relations in America. While demonstrating the relationship between the political system and a social movement some forty years ago, Bartling offers a rare glimpse into the initial internal workings of a civil rights group in Los Angeles, relies on many concepts and research works from the field of sociology, and utilizes many sources to prove his theories.

Today, the goal of racial harmony remains a work in progress. Bartling sheds light on the evolution of the civil rights movement, its growth and maturation with the hope that our nation's journey continues toward the final destination of a fully integrated society.