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Fear of an Open Beach: Public Rights and Private Interests in 1970s Coastal Connecticut.

The article details competing efforts by both private citizens and public governments in Connecticut to maintain or establish public rights and access to beaches in the 1970s. Prior to the period, homeowner associations and groups had erected fences and walls to keep areas of the beach private and d...

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Published in:Journal of American History Vol. 102; no. 2; pp. 433 - 463
Main Author: Kahrl, Andrew W.
Format: Article
Published: Oxford University Press / USA Sep2015
Subjects:
Beaches
Beach laws
Property rights
Beach access (Law)
Coastal ecology
Nineteen seventies
Connecticut state history
Connecticut state politics & government, 1951-
Twentieth century
History
History of civil rights
Connecticut
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
Summary:The article details competing efforts by both private citizens and public governments in Connecticut to maintain or establish public rights and access to beaches in the 1970s. Prior to the period, homeowner associations and groups had erected fences and walls to keep areas of the beach private and deny access to minorities and other social classes. Competing issues included environmental aspects arising from barriers erected on beaches, social justice, civil rights, and real estate values.