Boston Against Busing - 2nd Edition by Ronald P Formisano (Paperback)

About the Book

Boston Against Busing: Race, Class, and Ethnicity in the 1960s and 1970s

Book Synopsis

Perhaps the most spectacular reaction to court-ordered busing in the 1970s occurred in Boston, where there was intense and protracted protest. Ron Formisano explores the sources of white opposition to school desegregation. Racism was a key factor, Formisano argues, but racial prejudice alone cannot explain the movement. Class resentment, ethnic rivalries, and the defense of neighborhood turf all played powerful roles in the protest.

In a new epilogue, Formisano brings the story up to the present day, describing the end of desegregation orders in Boston and other cities. He also examines the nationwide trend toward the resegregation of schools, which he explains is the result of Supreme Court decisions, attacks on affirmative action, white flight, and other factors. He closes with a brief look at the few school districts that have attempted to base school assignment policies on class or economic status.

Review Quotes

Formisano's analysis of race relations in Boston is extended into the present day in this revised edition. Formisano explores the sources of working and middle-class white opposition to school desegregation, which contained elements of racism, class resentment, ethnic rivalries, and the defense of neighborhood turf.

About the Author

Ronald P. Formisano is William T. Bryan Chair of American History at the University of Kentucky and author of The Transformation of Political Culture: Massachusetts Parties, 1780s-1840s.