Introduces special issue (with same title) designed to demonstrate how Blacks and whites, as allies, used 'tongue, pen, and participation' (social, political, religious, economic, judicial) to protest conditions such as discrimination, inequality, and segregation. Also gives broad overview of Black involvement in the antislavery movement. (CMG)

Demonstrates how the concept of "affirmative action" evolved from a vague reference to remedial actions to specific programs involving numerical hiring and seniority arrangements. Focuses on the legal/governmental definition of affirmative action and indicates some of the reasons for the changing definitions. (PS)

Analyzes data from "Who's Who Among Black Americans" of 1978 to identify changes in the characteristics of the black elite since the 1930s (as reported in an earlier study). Examines proportion of women among the elite; place of birth; migration and regions of residence; education; occupations; political orientation; and involvement in…

A historical tendency to exclude Blacks and other ethnic groups such as the Cajuns from the study of Southern history is changing, but some historians warn against distorting the past and its distinction between cultures. (MSE)

Discusses historical and recent writings dealing with miscegenation and the social role and significance of mulattoes (individuals with both Black and White ancestors) in American society. (GC)

Investigates White Americans' responses toward Joe Louis, the Black champion. Focuses on the Louis-Schmeling heavyweight title fight of 1938 as exemplifying Louis' role as a key functionary for the American system. Argues that Louis's achieved status as the American representative fighting against Nazism did not negate Whites' negative perception…

Compares the occupational and entrepreneurial opportunities after emancipation of Blacks in the West Indies and those in the US. Holds that the post-Civil War Black Codes and exclusionary policies of labor unions precluded US Blacks from developing human capital and competing economically with Whites. (GC)

Describes the philosophical and political underpinnings of the Freedmen's Bureau, a Federal agency created after the Civil War to assist and protect freed Southern slaves. Argues that, despite some positive results, it exemplified the nation's ambivalence toward a free black community and only contributed to the further entrenchment of racial…

Examines the attempts of the New York Manumission Society, a white anti-slavery group, to monitor and influence the behavior of free blacks in the decades following the Revolution. Identifies chief characteristics of the Society's relationship to New York's black community. Argues that the Society's wealthy white leadership probably imposed its…

This paper argues that the ideology of equal opportunity is simultaneously a message of hope and despair, that equal opportunity is a double-edged sword both empirically and normatively. The essay is organized in three sections. The first outlines the growing role played by equal opportunity in American history, thought, and practice, and…

Explores use and performance of music in the Black church through examination of (1) the events that led to the conversion of Blacks to Christianity; (2) the formation of independent Black religious groups; and (3) the social and cultural milieu that fostered the development of a unique Black religious music. (Author/ML)

When the American Civil War ended, the southern aristocracy turned to sharecropping as a means for continuing its existence and for keeping former slaves in the fields. Tenant families during the economic depression of 1929 were forced to live in squalid conditions, and the natural antagonism between whites and blacks was exacerbated by the…

Summarizes and discusses the following: (1) historical background of integration in the United States Army; (2) preparations for integration; (3) how the policy was carried out; (4) factors leading to success of the integration policy; and (5) current objectives regarding racial equality in the Army. (PS)

The U. S. Constitution's treatment of women and blacks is generating heated controversy among historians, with some scholars charging that its framers ignored those groups and that subsequent reformers have gained too little for them, too late. (MSE)

Discusses changes that took place in the South during the 1970s and early 1980s. Explores the distribution of benefits and negative side effects associated with rapid economic development, industrial expansion, and business growth. However, a sizeable share of the black community was untouched by the region's growth and prosperity. (PS)