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Author King, Desmond S.

Title Still a house divided : race and politics in Obama's America / Desmond S. King and Rogers M. Smith
Published Princeton : Princeton University Press, ©2011

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Description 1 online resource (x, 377 pages) : illustrations
Series Princeton studies in American politics: historical, international, and comparative perspectives
Princeton studies in American politics.
Contents pt. 1. Obama's inheritance. "That they may all be one" : America as a house divided -- pt. 2. The making and unmaking of racial hierarchies. "That is the last speech he will ever make" : The antebellum racial alliances -- "We of the North were thoroughly wrong" : How racial alliances mobilized ideas and law -- pt. 3. The trajectory of racial alliances. "This backdrop of entrenched inequality" : Affirmative action in work -- To "affirmatively further fair housing" : Enduring racial inequalities in American homes and mortgages -- "To elect one of their own" : Racial alliances and majority-minority districts -- "Our goal is to have one classification: American" : Vouchers for schools and the multiracial census -- "We can take the people out of the slums, but we cannot take the slums out of the people" : How today's racial alliances shape laws on crime and immigration -- pt. 4. America's inheritance. Prospects of the house divided
Summary Why have American policies failed to reduce the racial inequalities still pervasive throughout the nation? Has President Barack Obama defined new political approaches to race that might spur unity and progress? This book examines the enduring divisions of American racial politics and how these conflicts have been shaped by distinct political alliances and their competing race policies. Combining historical knowledge with a detailed exploration of such issues as housing, employment, criminal justice, multiracial census categories, immigration, voting in majority-minority districts, and school vouchers, the authors assess the significance of President Obama's election to the White House and the prospects for achieving constructive racial policies for America's future. Offering a fresh perspective on the networks of governing institutions, political groups, and political actors that influence the structure of American racial politics, they identify three distinct periods of opposing racial policy coalitions in American history. The authors investigate how today's alliances pit color-blind and race-conscious approaches against one another, contributing to political polarization and distorted policymaking. Contending that President Obama has so far inadequately confronted partisan divisions over race, the authors call for all sides to recognize the need for a balance of policy measures if America is to ever cease being a nation divided. Presenting an account of American political alliances and their contending racial agendas, this book sheds light on a policy path vital to the country's future
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index
Notes Print version record
Subject African Americans -- Politics and government.
POLITICAL SCIENCE -- Political Freedom & Security -- Civil Rights.
POLITICAL SCIENCE -- Political Freedom & Security -- Human Rights.
POLITICAL SCIENCE -- Civil Rights.
African Americans -- Politics and government
Politics and government
Race relations -- Political aspects
SUBJECT United States -- Race relations -- Political aspects -- History
United States -- Politics and government -- 2001-2009. http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh2001002071
United States -- Politics and government -- 2009-2017
Subject United States
Genre/Form Electronic books
History
Form Electronic book
Author Smith, Rogers M., 1953-
ISBN 9781400839766
1400839769