Tom Carhart has released the new book, Barricades: The First African-American West Point Cadets and Their Fight for Survival available on Amazon. The prominent role of African Americans in the nation's public life now includes many graduates of West Point, but it was not until well into the twentieth century that West Point became fully integrated, and the backstory of how this came about is the subject of this compelling work. It is a story that is both shameful and praiseworthy, a tale of young African Americans finding themselves up against often insurmountable barricades. Events most Americans were all too ready to ignore, but several of these pioneers persisted against all odds, and it is their stories that make this both a sobering yet inspiring book.
“Tom Carhart vividly portrays the travails of the first black cadets at West Point during the post-Civil War generation who broke through the barricades of racism to begin a long and difficult journey toward the U.S. Army's ultimate success as the most racially integrated institution in American society. An important contribution to black history and to military history.” - James McPherson
Twice-wounded Vietnam veteran, Tom Carhart holds a law degree from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. in history from Princeton University. The author of nine previous military history books (website: tomcarhart.net), Tom and his family live in Massachusetts.