Standing Up for Civil Rights in St. Louis

The bustling river city of St. Louis occupies a special place in the long history of African American advocacy for civil rights and equal justice. The city was home to a small but thriving population of free blacks even before the Civil War. It was the location of the first large-scale Emancipation Proclamation—before Lincoln issued its more famous successor. And the city was the site of a number of early, successful civil rights lawsuits, which came to be known as freedom suits.
Standing Up for Civil Rights in St. Louis tells the stories of the many ordinary men and women who took extraordinary steps to fight for equal rights in St. Louis. Written for upper elementary school readers, the book presents the long arc of the struggle for civil rights, giving young readers a new perspective that goes beyond the iconic Southern scenes of the 1950s and ’60s. Amanda E. Doyle and Melanie A. Adams range across history to tell the whole story, moving from pre-Civil War St. Louis to the events in Ferguson in 2014. The book is packed with inspiring stories, excerpts from primary sources, historic photographs, and modern illustrations that, taken together, make civil rights history relevant to today’s readers.

Amanda E. Doyle is a long-time resident of St. Louis. She is the author of Finally! A Locally Produced Guidebook to St. Louis by and for St. Louisans, Neighborhood by Neighborhood; 100 Things to Do in St. Louis Before You Die; and To the Top! A Gateway Arch Story. Melanie A. Adams is senior director of guest experience and educational services at the Minnesota Historical Society. Formerly of the Missouri History Museum, she spent twenty years working on issues of education, racial equality, and engagement in St. Louis.