Conservatism And Racism, And Why In America They Are The Same (suny Series In African American Studies)

In this provocative, wide-ranging study, Robert C. Smith contends that ideological conservatism and racism are and always have been equivalent in the United States. In this carefully constructed and thoroughly documented philosophical, historical, and empirical inquiry, Smith analyzes conservative ideas from John Locke to William F. Buckley, Jr., as well as the parallels between the rise and decline of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1970s and the ascendancy of the conservative movement to national power in 1980. Using archival material from the Reagan library, the book includes detailed analysis of the Reagan presidency and race, focusing on affirmative action, the Voting Rights act, the Grove City case, welfare reform, South Africa policy, and the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. Conservatism and Racism, and Why in America They are the Same goes beyond a focus on the right wing, concluding with an analysis of the enduring impact of the conservative movement and the Reagan presidency on liberalism, race, and the Democratic Party. Front Cover 1 Title Page 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 List of Tables 10 Acknowledgments 12 Introduction 14 1. Defining the Terms of Discourse 20 2. Lockean “Liberalism” as the Conservative Ideology in America 28 3. The Special Place of the South in American Conservatism 46 4. The Rise of the Liberal Remnant 54 5. African American Thought and the Conservative Remnant 76 6. Racism and the Conservative Intellectual Movement, 1945–1970 90 7. Racism and Neoconservatism, 1968–1980 104 8. The Ascendancy of Ronald Reagan and the Parts Played by Ideology and Race 120 9. The Reagan Presidency and Race 156 10. Conclusion 198 Notes 208 Chapter 1 208 Chapter 2 211 Chapter 3 217 Chapter 4 220 Chapter 5 227 Chapter 6 230 Chapter 7 235 Chapter 8 243 Chapter 9 256 Chapter 10 269 About the Author 274 Index 276 Back Cover 287 143843233X,9781438432335,1438432321,9781438432328 SUNY Press Argues that conservatism has been hostile towards the aspirations of African Americans, tracing the roots of the ideology, the role of black conservatives, and the development of conservatism from the 1950s until the present day