Not surprisingly, African Americans have faced considerable obstacles in pursuing careers in engineering in the United States. Wharton has constructed the first history of black efforts to advance in this field from Emancipation to the present. Utilizing contemporary correspondence and documents, Wharton shows the range of responses from educators and politicians on both sides of the controversy and examines in detail institutions and individuals responsible for the racial and educational climate surrounding this issue.

The struggle for the opportunity and acceptance of African-American participants in the technological arena is a struggle worthy of note. The struggle and the examination of this topic is important because, despite the significance of the topic, it has been minimally explored. A pioneering effort, the book will be of concern to all students of American race relations, higher education, and the history of engineering education.