In Glory's Shadow: The Citadel, Shannon Faulkner, and a Changing America

Synopsis

In Glory's Shadow explores the history of The Citadel, an institution set on preserving tradition in the face of profound change. Established as protection against slave insurrections feared by the white minority of Charleston, South Carolina, a generation later The Citadel was a school of privilege for young white men. Through two world wars it grew in size and reputation, proudly providing the United States with (male) military leaders, paying little heed to what was happening in the country around it.In 1993, when the school rescinded Shannon Faulkner's admission because of her gender, a landmark legal battle ensued. Faulkner won, and although she faced vicious harassment and left after a week, The Citadel was forced to reform: nearly 30 women have graduated since her brief time at The Citadel. In Glory's Shadow is an engrossing and illuminating look at this pivotal event in military history and the history of women.From the Trade Paperback edition.nmark Vesey slave revolt, called for a citadel and hastily organized a private militia. Twenty years later that small home guard was remade into a school where white youths might gain access to a world of elegance, wealth and power. We see the school grow in size and reputation through two world wars until the last few decades, when, as America wrestled with chaotic calls to power from blacks, women, immigrants and homosexuals, The Citadel took the path the country as a whole was rejecting and proudly marched in place. The cadets clung to antique hierarchies born of slavery and war, employing careful courtesies in public while practicing archaic and often brutal rituals within their barracks.This is the world Shannon challenged. When she arrived at The Citadel's gates and was turned away because of her sex, the stage was set for conflict. We watch her struggle to a triumph that was short-lived: She won her case but left The Citadel after a single week -- three years at the center of the storm, and fear for her family's safety, finally wore her down. Manegold illuminates the course -- historical, judicial and psychological -- of Shannon's fight and uncovers a striking American drama, a clash between those who would preserve the rigid structures of the past and those trying to chart a new course in a nation remaking itself.From the Hardcover edition.

Copyright:

1999

Book Details

Book Quality:

Publisher Quality

ISBN-13:

9780307486219

Related ISBNs:

9780679767145

Publisher:

Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

Date of Addition:

05/13/21

Copyrighted By:

Catherine S. Manegold

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

Nonfiction, Social Studies

Submitted By:

Bookshare Staff

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.