Promises to keep : African-Americans and the constitutional order, 1776 to the present /

Nieman's book is a brief survey of the evolving legal history of the Constitution, specifically as it relates to African Americans. The author believes that "African-Americans have been at the center of the struggle . . . in transforming the Constitution" and as a result have prodded the nation "closer to its self-proclaimed equalitarian ideals." Nieman examines conventional and traditional sources, and synthesizes numerous monographs on civil rights issues in addition to reviewing nearly all of the seminal court cases that have shaped US civil rights history. Although the author admits that such a broad sweep in a small volume is a "cursory treatment" and mostly skirts the all-important social and intellectual milieu out of which the laws and Constitution have evolved, he nevertheless effectively summarizes the essentials of the major issues. A wide-ranging bibliographic essay and table of cases add to the usefulness of this summary. Highly recommended for undergraduate, graduate, and law libraries. -K. Edgerton, University of Montana