Books by David Howard-Pitney

Examines the speeches and writings of Frederick Douglass, Booker T Washington, Ida B Wells, W E B Du Bois, Mary McLeod Bethune, Martin Luther King, Jr, and Jesse Jackson to show how black leaders have employed American jeremiad to create a variant that is specifically Afro-American.

Begun by Puritans, the American jeremiad, a rhetoric that expresses indignation and urges social change, has produced passionate essays and speeches throughout the nation's history. This edition shows that the African American jeremiad is a vibrant tradition, serving as a barometer of faith in America's perfectibility and hope for social justice.