Mixing aspects of social, political, and institutional history, authors Athan and Jeanne Theoharis survey the quest for equal rights and social justice in the last half-century. This text shows how individuals have sought to affect civil rights and liberties at the grassroots level, and how government has reacted to these individuals' attempts to affect change. In particular, the authors discuss the problematic status of civil liberties, civil rights, and civil dissent during the Cold War era--providing a vital, critical insight into post-1945 politics. This volume is part of the AMERICA SINCE 1945 series--a collection of brief texts that seek to define the ways in which the United States has changed in the last 50 years.