This is a story that needed to be told, but until now has only existed in snippets in dozens of southern and civil rights history books. The legislative history of the modern civil rights era is all here. The study is significant because it details how southern U.S. Senators obstructed the struggle for racial equality for more than a generation. Along the way, Finley demonstrates that even 'moderates' whom some historians have labeled 'reluctant racists' , participated wholeheartedly in beating back Senate efforts to attack white supremacy. By taking the story back to the 1930s, Finley clearly shows an evolving southern strategy in the Senate that forestalled civil rights legislation and built coalitions with conservatives elsewhere. The author's judgments are always measured and his treatment is balanced, though he's not afraid to call the Senators to task when their hypocrisy and contradictions require it. Political junkies will especially love Finley's careful treatment of the nuances of Senate rules and regulations.Click Here to see more reviews about: Delaying the Dream: Southern Senators and the Fight Against Civil Rights, 1938-1965 (Making the Modern South) (Hardcover)
