| Map | 8 |
| Preface: A Different Angle on the Civil Rights Movement | 13 |
| Introduction: Stirrings, 1865-1954 | 25 |
1 | Montgomery, 1955-1956: Besieging a City | 37 |
2 | Nashville, 1960: Developing a Nonviolent Cadre | 78 |
3 | The Freedom Rides, 1961: A Raid Behind Enemy Lines | 126 |
4 | The Albany Movement, 1961-1962: Stymied by an Adaptive Adversary | 190 |
5 | Ole Miss, 1962: A Racial Confrontation That Lacked Movement Input | 206 |
6 | Early Birmingham, Spring 1963: Putting Children on the Front Lines | 229 |
7 | The March on Washington, Mid-1963: Taking the National Stage | 288 |
8 | Later Birmingham, Fall 1963: Counter-Escalation Against Children | 313 |
9 | Oxford, Ohio, June 1964: SNCC Prepares to Assault a State | 335 |
10 | The Battle of Mississippi, July and August 1964: Freedom Summer | 362 |
11 | Selma, 1965: Victory - and Factionalization | 405 |
12 | Chicago, 1966: A Bridge Too Far | 458 |
13 | Memphis, 1968: The Costs of It All | 491 |
| Epilogue: The Good War Today | 523 |
| Notes | 543 |
| Acknowledgments | 703 |