First published in 1967; Class Conflict; Slavery; and the United States Constitution was among the first studies to identify the importance of slavery to the founding of the American Republic. Provocative and powerful; this book offers explanations for the movements and motivations that underpinned the Revolution and the Early Republic. First; Staughton Lynd analyzes what motivated farm tenants and artisans during the period of the American Revolution. Second; he argues that slavery; and a willingness to compromise with slavery; were at the center of all political arrangements by the patriot leadership; including the United States Constitution. Third; he maintains that the historiography of the United States has adopted the mistaken perspective of Thomas Jefferson; who held that southern plantation owners were merely victimized agrarians. This new edition reproduces the original Preface by Edward P. Thompson and includes a new essay by Robin Einhorn that examines Lynd's arguments in the context of forty years of subsequent scholarship.
#126609 in Books University Press Group Ltd 2016-03-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .80 x 6.00l; .0 #File Name: 0520284259304 pagesUniversity Press Group Ltd
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. not much difference between de jure and de facto.By James V. HoltonThe author makes several compelling points as to the backlash against busing; arguably an effective tool to ensure integration.Delmont argues that northern states blunted integration by specifying that only overt legal discrimination needed to be addressed. As a result; the "de facto" segregation patterns were overlooked; and Delmont argues that these de facto patterns were as discriminatory and effective as the "de jure" patterns common in the South. The Nixon administration's sympathy with white parents who didn't want their children to be "forced" to bus (though that was ok for black students) enabled white parents to frame busing as a civil rights issue; thus blunting the desegregation movement. White parents used the civil rights language to claim to speak for the interests of black parents as well; which is an interesting part of this book and one that's often overlooked or not nuanced.1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A great contribution; but what we all really need is charismatic leadership again. Where is another Lyndon when we all need him?By James HallAside from the comments of the editorial reviews listed; I believe this book is more properly seen as an indictment of the majority of Americans who are still believers in good talk but little action. I was fairly active in the Palo Alto area during the run-up to a court ordered busing applying to much of what is now known as Silicon Valley. Talk about kicking ad screaming. Most people I encountered then; as now; see a need for more successful integration to finally drag the whole misleading and mythical concept of "race" into the bright light of reason. While the average (and perhaps well-educated) person; at least in Silicon Valley; professes the need for "progress" in dealing with the detritus of a failing educational system; they certainly don't want to affect their child's shot at Harvard; Yale; or Stanford; So in sum; instead of putting the onus on the "media"; geographic concerns; and our weak political leadership; why not concentrate on Joe the Plumber; Bill the highly paid and egocentric engineer; on Delores the steady climber to higher places in the world of work; and Helen the no longer average housewife. I do agree that "busing" is just code for "race". The author makes good use of the statistics on the number of students bussed anyway. Not a fan of Bill Clinton since he and the successive Presidents in our country; failed miserably to even chat about these issues; but he got one thing correctly when he coined the simple phrase for another issue "It's the RIGHT thing to do". Maybe the few who actually buy this book can engage the youth of this country to this worthy cause and forget; for the moment; about the best way to make a lot of money and retire early. We dinosaurs are all a bit tired of this battle.0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Best historical study of busingBy Peter B. LevyWhy Busing Failed is the best study of the history of busing by far. Challenging traditional treatments of the subject; Delmont demonstrates that by focusing on busing and pockets of white resistance to it; the media and politicians obscured the policies and practices that produced segregated schools; especially in the North and suggested that blacks; rather than long-standing white resistance to equality was the problem. Very well researched and written.
