This book engages the formative influence on composition studies of the landmark 1974 ""Students' Right"" to Their Own Language resolution. Combining elements of documentary history and a collection of original scholarship, The Hope and the Legacy enables current professional hopes for the teaching of writing to be invigorated and informed by the lessons available within the legacy of debate over issues raised by ""Students' Right."" These include issues of racial identity and language diversity, social justice and literacy education, language policies and teacher attitudes, and classroom practices and the purposes of schooling in a pluralistic democracy. As a collection it provides a resource for historically contextualized and theoretically informed engagements with the central tensions facing teachers students, and scholars in the field. The essays are grouped into four sections: The Context of Students Right contains five previously published essays that characterize the research climate that generated the resolution. The Immediate Response contains four essays that highlight the range of responses to the statement. The Second Wave of Reflection and Engagement demonstrates major developments within composition research and theory that were framed as extensions of ""Students' Right"" and the issues it raised. The Lasting Legacy contains essays that address contemporary issues in composition studies through the lens of the ""Students' Right"" statement. Taken together, the essays track the impact of the ""Students' Right"" resolution through the past and into the future, enriching discussions of how research and practice in composition studies can best address issues of racial identity, writing instruction, and the purposes of schooling.