American Politics and the African American Quest for Universal Freedom - Softcover

Walton Jr., Hanes; Smith, Robert

4.12

25 ratings by Goodreads

9780321070388: American Politics and the African American Quest for Universal Freedom

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0321070380 ISBN 13: 9780321070388

Publisher: Pearson, 1999

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This dynamic new text from two nationally renowned scholars is the first one to comprehensively examine the African American experience in American politics. Taking the standard topics that appear in any American government text and addressing them from the African American perspective, this text goes one step further than similar books by showing students the profound influence African Americans have had on American government and politics. This influence is demonstrated through the use of two interrelated themes: the idea of universal freedom and the concept of minority-majority coalitions. In the quest for their own freedom in the United States, African Americans have universalized, or expanded, the freedoms for all Americans in numerous coalitions with whites-minority inspired majority coalitions. An accessible text for all students, African American Politics includes high-interest boxed features that will further engage students in the text material.

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Review:

“Walton and Smith continue to provide excellent analysis of the politics and political attitudes and behaviors of African Americans. This sixth edition expands on their analysis of the election of President Obama and what his administration might mean for Black America. As with the other editions, this is an exceptional work and a welcomed new edition.” ― Paula McClain, Duke University

From the Back Cover:

Features:

Two interrelated themes ― the idea of universal freedom and the concept of minority-majority coalitions ― show students the profound influence African Americans have had on American government and politics.
Abundant, relevant historical material enriches the story of the African American political experience and gives students the background they need to understand the evolution of race and democracy in America.
Often missing from similar texts, the strong behavioral component gives students a sense of the diversity of African American attitudes and behavior and introduces students to how modern political science survey research is conducted.
High-interest boxed features throughout the text present case studies and vignettes about important historical events, influential personalities, and contemporary issues to further engage students in the text material.
An abundance of tables, charts, and graphs throughout the text illustrate discussions and make concepts concrete with real-world data and examples.
Chapter summaries bring together for students the major themes of each chapter.
Includes sections on multicultural coalitions, and the growing influence of Latin and Asian American populations on American “race” politics, African American women and the quest for universal freedom, and African Americans and HIV-AIDS.

New to this Edition:

NEW FEATURE!

Faces and Voices of the Struggle boxed feature appearing in most chapters highlights Americans - black and white, famous and obscure - who affected the foundations of our nation and helped to universalize the quest for freedom. Examples include Eleanor Roosevelt, Harry Belafonte, John Mercer Langston, and Barack Obama.

NEW! COMPANION WEBSITE

This open-access site contains a variety of tools to help students become engaged in the ongoing quest for universal freedom. It includes links to primary sources, African American elected officials, media, think tanks, scholarly associations and interest groups. The “In The News” section is updated regularly with ongoing issues that relate to topics in the book.

www.ablongman.com/walton

Full coverage and discussion of Hurricane Katrina’s effect on Americans and American politics, including the racial divide in opinion, the stereotypical media portrayal, and the responses of Congress and President Bush. Also uses the events surrounding Katrina as a case study in bureaucratic failure.

Examination of the behavior of black voters when a black Republican runs for Senate or Congress, in light of the relatively large number of blacks who ran for statewide office in 2006.

Expanded discussion of the prospects for rainbow coalition politics, relying on data from a recent University of Michigan survey.

Examination of the emerging ideological divisions and the decline of solidarity in the Congressional Black Caucus.

New detail on the problems and prospects of immigration as the basis of a larger minority coalition for universal freedom.

Discussion on the renewal of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

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