The last place on earth young Charles Johnson wanted to go was Mississippi during the heat of the civil rights movement. As the key African American witness to take the stand in the trial famously dubbed the "Mississippi Burning" case by the FBI; Dr. Charles Johnson; a young preacher fresh out of Bible College; became a voice for justice and equality in the segregated south. Unwittingly thrust into the heart of a national tragedy - the murder of three civil rights activists - Dr. Johnson overcame fear and adversity to become a leader in the civil rights movement. He played a vital role for the Federal Justice Department; offering clarity to the event that led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. And; in a shocking turn of events; Johnson offered a path of reconciliation for one of the convicted killers. A story of love; conviction; adversity; and redemption; Called to the Fire is a riveting account of a life in pursuit of the call of God and the fight for justice and equality.
#2703394 in Books Smalley Andrea L 2017-05-16Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 1.10 x 6.00l; #File Name: 1421422352352 pagesWild by Nature North American Animals Confront Colonization
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Clearly shows the importance and complexity of exploiting animal resources in our history. Beaver; deer; fish; bison; predators.By lyndonbrechtSmalley seeks to establish animals as participants in American history; if I understand her approach. This is an interesting idea; but I don't think the book really supports that; what it does do is show that animals are an important factor in historical human interactions; such as mill owners wanting dams on streams and others wanting no impediment to migrating fish; or trading guns to Native peoples for beaver pelts and others wanting the Indians disarmed.Smalley concentrates on the mid-South; from the Chesapeake through the Southern plains buffalo herd; and from the start of British North America to the later 1800s when the bison herds were destroyed. The first chapter gives an overview of English practices regarding fish and wildlife; the commons and ownership limiting rights of access; and how North American wildlife and colonial conditions changed that. Chapter 2 looks at the Chesapeake beaver trade. Chapter 3 covers predators such as wolves but also how nearly-feral domesticated stock could be unpredictable--in England; stock was fenced in and in Virginia; crops had to be fenced to keep livestock out (the hogs in particular were let lose to feed themselves in the woods). Chapter 4 looks at migratory fish; which includes fishing rights versus property rights. Chapter 5 examines the trade in deer hides (largely Virginia to South Carolina; and quite large for its time). Chapter 6 discusses bison; from the eastern bison the huge herds on the Plains.Each chapter is a sort of case study in the complexity of the relationship between various groups and the animal resources. In the section on beavers for example; the book explores the traders; connected to government officials; and who traded guns to Indians; and how that caused problems with backcountry settlers who had no investment in the beaver trade and every investment in keeping Indians from being a danger--one result was Bacon's Rebellion. There was a collision of interest between hunters and trappers with high mobility and the assumption that animals were a commons; and private property especially in the form of large areas claimed by rich and often powerful entrepreneurs (who sought profit by selling homesteads to settlers; after buying lands from Indians for cheap).For me; the most interesting chapters were those on the trade in deerskins (early to mid 1700s); migratory fish; and the bison. I don't think Smally is very convincing in giving animals what is often called "agency;" but she does clearly show the complexity of exploiting resources in fish and animals; and on how that exploitation changed over time; particularly the legal framework. The book is solid in its environmental aspects and illustrates how important exploitation of wildlife was to American history. Another aspect is how attitudes; practices and laws changed from their English origin to reflect the much different conditions in America.
