Focusing on the making of African American society from the 1896 "separate but equal" ruling of Plessy v. Ferguson up to the contemporary period, this encyclopedia traces the transition from the Reconstruction Era to the age of Jim Crow, the Harlem Renaissance, the Great Migration, the Brown ruling that overturned Plessy, the Civil Rights Movement, and the ascendant influence of African American culture on the American cultural landscape. Covering African American history in all areas of U.S. history and culture from 1896 to the present, the Encyclopedia contains approximately 1,200 fully cross-referenced entries that are all signed by leading scholars and experts, making this five-volume set the most reliable and extensive treatment to be found on African American history in the twentieth century. The set also contains 500 images and roughly 640 biographies, as well as an entry on each of the fifty states. In addition to its comprehensive coverage of African Americans, the Encyclopedia also contains entries about key figures who affected the lives of African Americans in particular and Americans in general. Unrivalled in breadth and scope, this is the preeminent source of information on this topic and is destined to become a trusted reference source for years to come. "No similar encyclopedia rivals the wealth and confirmation of African American history found here...it belongs in all large public libraries and all academic libraries."-- Library Journal (Starred Review) " . . . the combined eight volumes of the two parts of the Encyclopedia of African American History represent the most in-depth coverage of African American history from the arrival of the first slaves to the present day. "-- Booklist (Starred Review) "This set, with coverage starting in 1896, truly provides a comprehensive examination from the "Age of Segregation" through the 2008 presidential election . . . Highly recommended."-- CHOICE "No similar encyclopedia rivals the wealth and confirmation of African American history found here...it belongs in all large public libraries and all academic libraries."-- Library Journal (Starred Review) Editors: Paul Finkelman, Editor in Chief, Albany Law School L. Diane Barnes, Youngstown State University Graham Russell Hodges, Colgate University Gerald Horne, University of Houston Cary D. Wintz, Texas Southern University