American Politics and the African American Quest for Universal Freedom

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 materialenriches 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 componentgives 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 featuresthroughout 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 graphsthroughout the text illustrate discussions and make concepts concrete with real-world data and examples. Chapter summariesbring 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 Struggleboxed 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-accesssite 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’seffect 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 voterswhen 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 immigrationas the basis of a larger minority coalition for universal freedom. Discussion on the renewal of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.Walton, Hanes is the author of 'American Politics and the African American Quest for Universal Freedom ', published 2007 under ISBN 9780205536399 and ISBN 0205536395.