Voting Rights--and Wrongs: The Elusive Quest for Racially Fair Elections Book PDF, ePub eBook

Join our eBook service for unlimited books & audiobooks. Get a free 7 day subscription! ↓↓↓↓↓


Book Descriptions:
The 1965 Voting Rights Act is the crown jewel of American civil rights legislation. Its passage marked the death knell of the Jim Crow South. But that was the beginning, not the end, of an important debate on race and representation in American democracy. When is the distribution of political power racially fair? Who counts as a representative of black and Hispanic interests? How we answer such questions shapes our politics and public policy in profound but often unrecognized ways.

The act's original aim was simple: Give African Americans the same political opportunity enjoyed by other citizens―the chance to vote, form political coalitions, and elect the candidates of their choice. But in the racist South, it soon became clear that access to the ballot would not, by itself, provide the political opportunity the statute promised. Most southern whites were unwilling to vote for black candidates, and southern states were ready to alter electoral systems to maintain white supremacy.

In this provocative book, Abigail Thernstrom argues that southern resistance to black political power began a process by which the act was radically revised both for good and ill. Congress, the courts, and the Justice Department altered the statute to ensure the election of blacks and Hispanics to legislative bodies ranging from school boards and county councils to the U.S. Congress. Proportional racial representation―equality of results rather than mere equal opportunity―became the revised aim of the act. Blacks came to be treated as politically different―entitled to inequality in the form of a unique political privilege.

Majority-minority districts that reserved seats for blacks and Hispanics succeeded in integrating southern politics. By now, however, those districts may perversely limit the potential power of black officeholders. “Max-black” districts typically elect candidates to the left of most voters; those officeholders rarely win in majority-white settings. Such race-conscious districting discourages the development o

Voting Rights--and Wrongs: The Elusive Quest for Racially Fair Elections by Abigail Thernstrom

From reader reviews:

Doris Williams:

What do you with regards to book? It is not important along? Or just adding material when you require something to explain what you problem? How about your spare time? Or are you busy person? If you don't have spare time to perform others business, it is make you feel bored faster. And you have free time? What did you do? Everybody has many questions above. They need to answer that question because just their can do which. It said that about book. Book is familiar in each person. Yes, it is correct. Because start from on pre-school until university need this specific Voting Rights--and Wrongs: The Elusive Quest for Racially Fair Elections to read.

Matthew Coleman:

This book untitled Voting Rights--and Wrongs: The Elusive Quest for Racially Fair Elections to be one of several books in which best seller in this year, here is because when you read this e-book you can get a lot of benefit onto it. You will easily to buy this kind of book in the book retail store or you can order it by using online. The publisher in this book sells the e-book too. It makes you easier to read this book, because you can read this book in your Touch screen phone. So there is no reason to you to past this reserve from your list.

German Montoya:

You may spend your free time to see this book this publication. This Voting Rights--and Wrongs: The Elusive Quest for Racially Fair Elections is simple to create you can read it in the park your car, in the beach, train as well as soon. If you did not possess much space to bring typically the printed book, you can buy often the e-book. It is make you much easier to read it. You can save often the book in your smart phone. Therefore there are a lot of benefits that you will get when you buy this book.

Perry Payne:

Book is one of source of expertise. We can add our knowledge from it. Not only for students but in addition native or citizen need book to know the change information of year to be able to year. As we know those ebooks have many advantages. Beside we all add our knowledge, could also bring us to around the world. By book Voting Rights--and Wrongs: The Elusive Quest for Racially Fair Elections we can have more advantage. Don't someone to be creative people? To get creative person must choose to read a book. Only choose the best book that appropriate with your aim. Don't become doubt to change your life by this book Voting Rights--and Wrongs: The Elusive Quest for Racially Fair Elections. You can more pleasing than now.