The book's starting point is a photograph by Charles Moore of seven sheriffs assembled in Oxford, Mississippi.

[1] It was published in Life magazine in 1962 and headlined "Local Lawmen, Getting Ready to Block the Law".

[citation needed] However, to Hendrickson, they represent an important cross-section of the forces of segregation.

[1] Hendrickson spent seven years researching the book, with fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation.

[1] The Moore photograph depicts seven sheriffs, who in the photo, are situated from left to right as follows:[3] The Moore photograph also shows the back of a state trooper's head, close to the camera on the left, and it appears blurry and large.