American Politics and the African American Quest for Universal Freedom

Robert C. Smith † (1947–2023), Professor of Political Science Emeritus, San Francisco State University, was a (co-)author of multiple books, edited volumes, and articles such as: We Have No Leaders: African Americans in the Post-Civil Rights Era; Racism in the Post-Civil-Rights Era: Now You See It, Now You Don’t; and his memoir, From the Bayou to the Bay: The Autobiography of a Black Liberation Scholar.Sherri L. Wallace, Professor of Political Science and Associate Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Louisville, has received numerous awards for excellence in teaching and instructional design and serves in a variety of teaching and learning capacities on professional associations' task forces, curriculum assessments, and textbook evaluations.Hanes Walton, Jr. † (1941–2013), Professor of Political Science, University of Michigan, was an architect of the modern study of African American politics. Over four decades of prodigious research (including 25 books), teaching, mentoring, and conceptual refinement, he helped to make the subfield of Black politics an important area of study in political science.

"Characterizing it as an undergraduate textbook undersells what American Politics and the African American Quest for Universal Freedom truly is. The authors demonstrate in painstaking detail that U.S. politics doesn’t make sense without explicitly considering race. Appreciating freedom means coming to grips with the reality that so many were initially denied it and died fighting for it. The nation progresses—often begrudgingly—towards its ideal of Democracy because of these Freedom Struggles. Such efforts, while central to Black politics, have improved the conditions of every American."Ray Block, Jr., Associate Professor, Department of African American Studies, The Pennsylvania State University"American Politics and the African American Quest for Universal Freedom is the most comprehensive book on African American politics in the political science discipline. It situates White supremacy and institutional racism as central to American exceptionalism and illustrates how African Americans have contested the boundaries of the U.S. constitutional process and political institutions. The book further provides a layered portrait—from the perspective of African American lawmakers, leaders, activists, policymakers, and opinion leaders—of the U.S. political culture, federalism, media and politics, and foreign policy."Sekou Franklin, Associate Professor, Middle Tennessee State University

• PART I FOUNDATIONS 1. Universal Freedom Declared, Universal Freedom Denied: Racism, Slavery, and the Ideology of White Supremacy in the Founding of the Republic 2. Federalism and the Limits of Universal Freedom PART II POLITICAL BEHAVIORISM 3. Political Culture and Socialization 4. Public Opinion 5. The Media PART III COALITIONS, MOVEMENTS, INTEREST GROUPS, PARTIES, AND ELECTIONS 6. Social Movements and a Theory of African American Coalition Politics 7. Interest Groups 8. Political Parties 9. Voting Behavior and Elections PART IV INSTITUTIONS 10. The Congress and the African American Quest for Universal Freedom 11. The Presidency, Bureaucracy, and the African American Quest for Universal Freedom 12. The Supreme Court and the African American Quest for Universal Freedom 13. State and Local Politics and the African American Quest for Universal Freedom PART V PUBLIC POLICY 14. Domestic Policy and the African American Quest for Social and Economic Justice 15. The African American Quest for Universal Freedom and U.S. Foreign Policy