Son of Virginia
A Life in America's Political Arena
by L Douglas Wilder
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Buy on Amazon
Buy on BN.com
Buy on Bookshop.org
*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app
1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date Oct 01 2015 | Archive Date Oct 09 2015
Rowman & Littlefield | Globe Pequot/Lyons Press
Description
In
1981, the Commonwealth of Virginia, which had been dominated for
decades by “the Organization,” a political machine led by former
Governor and U.S. Senator Harry Byrd Sr., took its first baby steps to
becoming the vibrant state it is today. That year, Charles Robb rejected
the machine and began a new Democratic Party in his campaign for
governor. Instead of running against African Americans, Robb reached out
to Douglas Wilder, the state’s only African American State Senator and
other leaders in the African American Community to rally voters of color
to support the Democratic ticket. With the help of a heavy African
American turnout, Robb won and the Byrd machine was crushed.
In 1985, just four years later, Doug Wilder won the party’s nomination for Lieutenant Governor against the cries of “Virginia isn’t ready” and, later that year, defied the naysayers by being elected to that office. Within five years, he would be sworn in as the first elected African American governor in American history.
SON OF VIRGINIA by L. Douglas Wilder details the events of the author’s life to paint a portrait of the changing face of America. It will be a story of constant struggle and conflict, not only Wilder’s struggle, but also that of courageous people who stood up to decades of discrimination, corruption and greed. The book will stand as a road map for continued American progress in our elections and laws and a stark warning of what may happen if we relax our commitment to this program.
In 1981, the Commonwealth of Virginia, which had been dominated for decades by “the Organization,” a political machine led by former Governor and U.S. Senator Harry Byrd Sr., took its first baby steps to becoming the vibrant state it is today. That year, Charles Robb rejected the machine and began a new Democratic Party in his campaign for governor. Instead of running against African Americans, Robb reached out to Douglas Wilder, the state’s only African American State Senator and other leaders in the African American Community to rally voters of color to support the Democratic ticket. With the help of a heavy African American turnout, Robb won and the Byrd machine was crushed.
In 1985, just four years later, Doug Wilder won the party’s nomination for Lieutenant Governor against the cries of “Virginia isn’t ready” and, later that year, defied the naysayers by being elected to that office. Within five years, he would be sworn in as the first elected African American governor in American history.
SON OF VIRGINIA by L. Douglas Wilder details the events of the author’s life to paint a portrait of the changing face of America. It will be a story of constant struggle and conflict, not only Wilder’s struggle, but also that of courageous people who stood up to decades of discrimination, corruption and greed. The book will stand as a road map for continued American progress in our elections and laws and a stark warning of what may happen if we relax our commitment to this program.
In 1985, just four years later, Doug Wilder won the party’s nomination for Lieutenant Governor against the cries of “Virginia isn’t ready” and, later that year, defied the naysayers by being elected to that office. Within five years, he would be sworn in as the first elected African American governor in American history.
SON OF VIRGINIA by L. Douglas Wilder details the events of the author’s life to paint a portrait of the changing face of America. It will be a story of constant struggle and conflict, not only Wilder’s struggle, but also that of courageous people who stood up to decades of discrimination, corruption and greed. The book will stand as a road map for continued American progress in our elections and laws and a stark warning of what may happen if we relax our commitment to this program.
In 1981, the Commonwealth of Virginia, which had been dominated for decades by “the Organization,” a political machine led by former Governor and U.S. Senator Harry Byrd Sr., took its first baby steps to becoming the vibrant state it is today. That year, Charles Robb rejected the machine and began a new Democratic Party in his campaign for governor. Instead of running against African Americans, Robb reached out to Douglas Wilder, the state’s only African American State Senator and other leaders in the African American Community to rally voters of color to support the Democratic ticket. With the help of a heavy African American turnout, Robb won and the Byrd machine was crushed.
In 1985, just four years later, Doug Wilder won the party’s nomination for Lieutenant Governor against the cries of “Virginia isn’t ready” and, later that year, defied the naysayers by being elected to that office. Within five years, he would be sworn in as the first elected African American governor in American history.
SON OF VIRGINIA by L. Douglas Wilder details the events of the author’s life to paint a portrait of the changing face of America. It will be a story of constant struggle and conflict, not only Wilder’s struggle, but also that of courageous people who stood up to decades of discrimination, corruption and greed. The book will stand as a road map for continued American progress in our elections and laws and a stark warning of what may happen if we relax our commitment to this program.
A Note From the Publisher
This is a set of uncorrected page proofs. It is not a finished book and is not expected to look like one. Errors in spelling, page length, format and so forth will all be corrected by the time the book is published several months from now. Photos and diagrams, which may be included in the finished book, may not be included in this format. Uncorrected proofs are primarily useful so that you, the reader, might know months before actual publication what the author and publisher are offering. If you plan to quote the text in your review, you must check it with the publicist or against the final version. Please contact publicity@rowman.com with any questions. Thank you!
Advance Praise
“Long
before Barack Obama, there was Doug Wilder. The trail blazed by Wilder,
the first African-American elected Governor of any state, helped to make
President Obama possible. Now for the first time, this grandson of
slaves tells his remarkable story in his own inimitable fashion. Son of
Virginia is an instant classic that will inform and inspire for
generations to come.”--Prof. Larry J. Sabato, Director, University of Virginia Center for Politics
—
“Governor Wilder’s memoir is must-reading for anyone seeking to understand why Virginia, the place where America began, is once again a national bellwether. Retracing the key moments of his extraordinary career with characteristic candor and flair, America’s first elected African-American governor explains how he demolished the political orthodoxy of the day by taking his case directly to the people. In the process he opened opportunities for others and almost certainly changed the course of American history.”—Frank B. Atkinson, author of The Dynamic Dominion and Virginia in the Vanguard
—
“Son of Virginia is a vivid, detailed, remarkably candid memoir that shares with readers the thinking, impressions, and feelings of the first elected African American governor in the United States. A learned and impassioned exploration of recent American history, Son of Virginia is itself an important historical document.”-- Randall Kennedy, Michael R. Klein Professor of Law, Harvard University.
—
“Governor Wilder’s memoir is must-reading for anyone seeking to understand why Virginia, the place where America began, is once again a national bellwether. Retracing the key moments of his extraordinary career with characteristic candor and flair, America’s first elected African-American governor explains how he demolished the political orthodoxy of the day by taking his case directly to the people. In the process he opened opportunities for others and almost certainly changed the course of American history.”—Frank B. Atkinson, author of The Dynamic Dominion and Virginia in the Vanguard
—
“Son of Virginia is a vivid, detailed, remarkably candid memoir that shares with readers the thinking, impressions, and feelings of the first elected African American governor in the United States. A learned and impassioned exploration of recent American history, Son of Virginia is itself an important historical document.”-- Randall Kennedy, Michael R. Klein Professor of Law, Harvard University.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9781493010837 |
| PRICE | $26.95 (USD) |
