A groundbreaking work that exposes the twisted origins of affirmative action. In this “penetrating new analysis” (New York Times Book Review) Ira Katznelson fundamentally recasts our understanding of twentieth-century American history and demonstrates that all the key programs passed during the New Deal and Fair Deal era of the 1930s and 1940s were created in
A groundbreaking work that exposes the twisted origins of affirmative action.
In this “penetrating new analysis” (New York Times Book Review) Ira Katznelson fundamentally recasts our understanding of twentieth-century American history and demonstrates that all the key programs passed during the New Deal and Fair Deal era of the 1930s and 1940s were created in a deeply discriminatory manner. Through mechanisms designed by Southern Democrats that specifically excluded maids and farm workers, the gap between blacks and whites actually widened despite postwar prosperity. In the words of noted historian Eric Foner, “Katznelson’s incisive book should change the terms of debate about affirmative action, and about the last seventy years of American history.”
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Required reading for Americans Incredibly eye-opening. People talk about black history and institutional racism, but all you hear about is the most blatant racism and slavery. This book describes the stuff that’s truly important today: how blacks were systematically denied a decent livelihood and.progress from generation to generation. Not just in blatant ways, but in countless little ways. The end result is the poor black nation living within an otherwise wealthy nation. This material should be in every high school…
If Injustice Angers You, Read in Small Doses. Spells out the history of how the welfare and housing laws of the 1930’s-1950’s were skewed to exclude minorities. Uses historical records to back up how the original benefits of welfare and home ownership were denied to minorities, under the cloak of legality. Also has some interesting history around the Southern Democratic party, and when the stalwart members of that party switched to the Republican party when the Democratic party as a whole started to embrace the minority voter. If you…
Before It Was Called Affirmative Action Americans especially white Americans benefitted from two federal sponsored programs designed to help them move into the middle class these programs were the Social Security Act of 1935 and The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 nicknamed The G I Bill of Rights the amazing thing about the Social Security Act is that it intentionally excluded domestic workers and farm workers as stated on page 43 “Unfortunately, the great majority of blacks were left out. Most African Americans, we have seen,…