Reconstruction is one of the most complex, overlooked, and misunderstood periods of American history. The thirteen essays in this volume address the multiple struggles to make good on President Abraham Lincoln’s promise of a “new birth of freedom” in the years following the Civil War, as well as the counter-efforts including historiographical ones—to undermine those struggles. The forms these struggles took varied enormously, extended geographically beyond the former Confederacy, influence...

The Cotton Kings relates a colorful economic drama with striking parallels to contemporary American economic debates. At the turn of the twentieth century, dishonest cotton brokers used bad information to lower prices on the futures market, impoverishing millions of farmers. To fight this corruption, a small group of brokers sought to control the price of cotton on unregulated exchanges in New York and New Orleans. They triumphed, cornering the world market in cotton and raising i...

Essential Skills for Historians helps undergraduate students make the transition from general university study to a more in-depth study of history, and to gain the skills and techniques they need to conduct an independent research project or embark on a career as a professional historian.The book begins with an examination of the historical discipline and its relevance to contemporary culture. It then guides readers through the steps of developing a research project, using...

An expert examination of district-level segregation and wealth gaps shapes an original, ambitious policy agenda to end K–12 funding inequity and create a truly fair public school systemMore than seventy years after Brown v. Board of Education promised equal educational opportunities for students of color, US public schools remain stubbornly segregated, with large gaps persisting in the adequacy of K–12 funding by race and income. In Segregation and Sch...

In Educational Inequality and School Finance, Bruce D. Baker offers a comprehensive examination of how US public schools receive and spend money. Drawing on extensive longitudinal data and numerous studies of states and districts, he provides a vivid and dismaying portrait of the stagnation of state investment in public education and the continuing challenges of achieving equity and adequacy in school funding.Baker explores school finance, the school and c...

Policing is undergoing rapid change in Africa as a result of democratization, the commercialization of security, conflicts that disrupt policing services, and peace negotiations among former adversaries. These factors combined with the inability of Africa‘s state police to provide adequate protection have resulted in the continuing popularity of va

Over much of Africa, crime and insurgency are a serious problem and one in which the distinction between the two is being eroded. Left without state protection people have sought to preserve their lives and property through vigilante groups and militias that pay scant attention to the law or human rights. Likewise, the state security forces, under pressure to cut crime and rebel activity, readily discard lawful procedures. Torture provides them with vital information, whilst extra-judic...

Receiving a diagnosis of a terminal illness causes many people to go into a tailspin of despair and depression. This is rarely considered a gift, but that is exactly what Baker conveys using his own experience and the truths of the Bible. With gentleness and candor, he explores the universal questions of why me, why now, and why this.Baker explains that it’s a gift for two very important reasons: first, it leaves you no choice but to face the inevitable; and second, you’ve been giv...

For the first time, a book exists that compiles all the information candidates need to apply for their first Publicists job, or to apply for a better job.What you'll find especially helpful are the worksheets. It is so much easier to write about a work experience using these outlines. It ensures that the narrative will follow a logical structure and reminds you not to leave out the most important points. With this book, you'll be able to revise your application into a much stronger...

Sign & Breath is a new critical anthology that takes a different approach to exploring these questions: What is poetry? What defines voice? Featuring a range of contemporary artists, many of whom work across different mediums and genres, Sign & Breath introduces the reader to one page that sings in any genre – prose, fiction, poetry, spoken word, hybrid forms, and song – across diverse traditions. Rather than define poetry as a genre with conventions, traditions, codes, a...

The #1 New York Times bestselling suspense thriller from Stephen King—a novel about the fascination deadly things have for us and about our insistence on answers when there are none…Since 1979, the state police of Troop D in rural Pennsylvania have kept a secret in the shed out behind the barracks. Ennis Rafferty and Curtis Wilcox had answered a strange call just down the road and came back with an abandoned 1953 Buick Roadmaster. Curt Wilcox knew old cars...

This is a collection of short stories, poems, musings and jokes.Discover the man who liked to sit in dark rooms with strangers and stare at the wall.The Infinite Library has up-to-the-second books of everyone.Learn to fly in a Lesson from an Angel.Go to the Federal Supermax Prison and meet Blanket Bob, Jimmy the Grinder and the Crunch Monster.Travel to Time, Arizona that has day on one side of town and night on the other. Sheriff Daily runs the town....