David A. Nichols

Author Event: David A. Nichols
A Matter of Justice: Eisenhower and the Beginning of the Civil Rights Revolution
September 25, 2007

On September 25, 2007, the Eisenhower Institute, along with former Secretary of Transportation William Coleman, hosted critically-acclaimed writer David A. Nichols at its Washington, DC offices to discuss his recently released book, A Matter of Justice: Eisenhower and the Beginning of the Civil Rights Revolution. The event coincided with the 50th anniversary of Eisenhower's deployment of federal troops to enforce court order desegregation of Little Rock schools in September 1957.

A Matter of Justice offers a powerful reassessment of Eisenhower's civil rights record. According to Nichols, the book attempts to look over Eisenhower's shoulder as the administration dealt with civil rights issues, particularly the integration of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. In September of 1957, Eisenhower sent troops from the U.S. Army's 101^st Airborne Division to Little Rock to enforce the court-ordered desegregation of Central High School. It was the first time since the Civil War that Federal troops were deployed to a former confederate state. According to Nichols, Eisenhower's actions in Little Rock were evidence of his commitment to civil rights.

Nichols with Sec. Coleman

Writer Daun van Ee, editor of The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, said, "Boldly, David Nichols goes where no historian has gone before...His book will set new standards in the field."  "A fascinating and important book," writes Fred I. Greenstein, author and dean of Eisenhower scholars.  On September 12, 2007, The New York Times published an op-ed piece about by Nichols on this subject entitled "Ike Liked Civil Rights." Nichols intrigued the standing-room only crowd with his vivid narrative of the events leading up the integration of Central High School, which culminated with the arrival of troops from the 101^st Airborne on September 25, 1957 to enforce the law.

Several special guests attended the event including former FBI and CIA director William Webster and Margaret Sloane, whose grandfather, Herbert Brownell, Jr., served as Eisenhower's Attorney General. Also in attendance was Sheila Weidenfeld, daughter of Eisenhower's cabinet secretary Maxwell M. Rabb, and Karen Hastie Williams, daughter of William H. Hastie, the first African American judge to serve on a Federal court.

Margaret Sloane with Nichols

The presentation was followed by a question-and-answer session with the audience and a book signing.

Nichols retired from academia in 2003, formerly serving as the vice president of academic affairs and dean of the faculty at Southwestern College from 1992 until his retirement. He was a professor of economics and management division at Southwestern College and later vice president for development from 1985-1992.  He received his PhD in history from the College of William and Mary in 1975.  Nichols wrote Lincoln and the Indians: Civil War and Politics in 1978; the book still remains the authority on Indian policy during the Civil War.