Plainfield burning: Black rebellion in the suburban north

Through an examination of the riot in Plainfield, New Jersey, in July 1967, this article explores the history of race relations, violence, and conflict in the suburban north. Nearly half of the uprisings during the "long hot summer" of 1967 occurred in small towns and suburbs, though their history is virtually unknown. This article argues that the civil disorders of the 1960s were the consequence of a long, unresolved history of racial tension in the suburbs, the failure of local government to address the grievances of African Americans, and the growing currency of a militant rhetoric of self-determination and rebellion among black suburban youth.