Term of Award
Spring 2025
Degree Name
Master of Arts in History (M.A.)
Document Type and Release Option
Thesis (open access)
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Department
Department of History
Committee Chair
Julie de Chantal
Committee Member 1
Lisa Denmark
Committee Member 2
Cathy Skidmore-Hess
Committee Member 3
Alan Downs
Abstract
This thesis explores the early life and career of Aaron Levy Buchsbaum, a Jewish lawyer from Savannah, Georgia. Buchsbaum's Jewish family upbringing, Southern childhood, and legal education all combined to mold him into an individual who used the profession to support those facing unjust treatment by the Savannah-Chatham County court system. By focusing on three of Buchsbaum's legal cases involving the Civil Rights Movement and his partnership with humanitarian organizations, this thesis contextualizes local conflicts in Savannah in the 1960s. Rather than safeguard the civil rights of all citizens, these cases demonstrate that the authorities, including judges, district attorneys, and police officers, sought to uphold white supremacy and conservative community standards that discriminated against African Americans and white liberals. This thesis seeks to contribute to the broad, interdisciplinary study of justice and legal liberalism by demonstrating how Buchsbaum pushed for social and structural change.
Recommended Citation
Kelly, Sydney Jolene, "Advocacy Across Divides: Attorney Aaron L. Buchsbaum in Savannah, Georgia, 1963-1969" (2025). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2986.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/2986
Research Data and Supplementary Material
No
