America in the King Years facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954–63

Author	Taylor Branch
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	America in the King Years
Subject	Martin Luther King Jr., Civil Rights Movement
Genre	Biography
Publisher	Simon & Schuster
Publication date	1988 (1988)
Media type	Print
Pages	1,088
ISBN	0-671-46097-8
OCLC	18383661

America in the King Years is a series of three history books. They are about the life of Martin Luther King Jr. and the important Civil Rights Movement. Taylor Branch wrote these books between 1982 and 2006.

The books have won many awards. One of them is the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1989.

The names of the three books are Parting the Waters, Pillar of Fire, and At Canaan's Edge. These titles come from stories in the Old Testament's Book of Exodus.

• Parting the Waters refers to the Crossing of the Red Sea.
• Pillar of Fire is about a bright light that helped the Israelites travel at night.
• At Canaan's Edge means the Promised Land. Moses saw this land but did not live to enter it.

In 2013, a shorter version of the whole series was published.

Why These Books Were Written

In the early 1980s, Taylor Branch planned to write about the Civil Rights era. He wanted to focus on Martin Luther King Jr.. What he thought would be a three-year project turned into 24 years of work!

Branch wanted to tell the story of this time. He felt that other books were too much about analysis. He wanted to show what happened to people on a personal level. He believed this was the best way to understand the challenges of race.

He decided to follow the stories wherever they led him. He found many unexpected connections. For example, he wrote about King's friendship with Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel.

Parting the Waters: The First Book

Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954–63 was the first book. It came out in 1988. This book covers many key events.

Some of these events include:

• The Montgomery Bus Boycott, where people refused to ride buses to protest unfair rules.
• The 1961 Freedom Rides, where people rode buses into the South to challenge segregation.
• The 1963 Birmingham campaign and Children's Crusade. Young people marched for civil rights in Birmingham.
• The 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. This is where Dr. King gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.

This book won the 1989 Pulitzer Prize for History. It also won the 1988 National Book Critics Circle Award for General Nonfiction. It was a finalist for the National Book Award in 1989.

The cover of the book uses a famous photo. It shows the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery. The photo was taken by James Karales.

Pillar of Fire: The Second Book

The second book is Pillar of Fire: America in the King Years, 1963–65. It was published in 1998. This book covers important events from those years.

Topics in this book include:

• The death of President John F. Kennedy.
• The Mississippi Freedom Summer, a project to help African Americans register to vote.
• Dr. King receiving the Nobel Peace Prize.

At Canaan's Edge: The Final Book

The last book in the series is At Canaan's Edge: America in the King Years, 1965–1968. It was released in 2006. This book covers the final years of Dr. King's life.

Some of the events covered are:

• The Selma to Montgomery marches for voting rights.
• The 1966 Chicago Open Housing Movement. This was about fair housing for all people.
• Dr. King's involvement in the movement against the Vietnam War.
• The Watts Riots, a major civil disturbance.
• The events leading up to Dr. King's death in 1968.

This book won the Chicago Tribune's Heartland Prize for Non-Fiction in 2006.

The King Years: Historic Moments

A shorter version of Taylor Branch's three books was published in 2013. Its title is The King Years: Historic Moments in the Civil Rights Movement. It gives a summary of the main events.

HBO Miniseries

In 2010, Oprah Winfrey's company, Harpo, announced a plan. They would work with HBO to make a TV miniseries. This series would be based on Taylor Branch's books. Robert Schenkkan was chosen to write it.

See Also

• Martin Luther King Jr.
• Civil Rights Movement