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Racial Stratification, Intellectual History, and Presidential Action in the Civil Rights Domain
Author(s) -
Brown Ronald E.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
policy studies journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.773
H-Index - 69
eISSN - 1541-0072
pISSN - 0190-292X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1541-0072.1993.tb01808.x
Subject(s) - presidency , civil rights , political science , presidential system , argument (complex analysis) , politics , law , affirmative action , context (archaeology) , public administration , law and economics , sociology , history , biochemistry , chemistry , archaeology
Using an historical approach, this paper assesses the role of the American presidency in the pursuit of civil rights policy. The basic argument is that the drivingforces in the passage of civil rights policies since Reconstruction have been external pressures on the presidency. Rather than being protagonists in the progression of civil rights, presidents are portrayed as political actors primarily interested in maintaining social order and attracting African‐American votes. Rarely have presidents pushed for civil rights progress outside of that context.