Race and Liberty in America: The Essential Reader

by Jonathan Bean (Editor)

Overview

Offering a wealth of primary sources, Race and Liberty in America examines the antiracist, classical liberal tradition of individual liberty and equality, including the fight for abolition and the allied struggles against Chinese exclusion, abuse of Native Americans, Jim Crow, and Japanese internment. Editor Jonathan Bean provides a new interpretation of race relations, moving beyond the liberal and conservative perspectives that often dominate the topic. He analyzes numerous documents, from the Declaration of Independence to the 2006 Open Letter on Immigration and beyond, exploring America's entire race history. Citing such influential Americans as Thomas Jefferson, Louis Marshall, and Frederick Douglass, as well as individuals missing from previous investigations, Bean demonstrates the major impact of classical liberal thought on race relations and analyzes how it has helped shape both law and culture.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781598134001
Publisher:	Independent Institute, The
Publication date:	02/04/2025
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	425

About the Author

Jonathan Bean is a Research Fellow at the Independent Institute and Professor of History at Southern Illinois University. He received his Ph.D. from the Ohio State University in 1994 and he has taught at Juniata College and St. Michael’s College. Professor Bean is the recipient of the Henry Adams Prize for Best Book of the Year from the Society for History in the Federal Government and Herman E. Krooss Prize from the Business History Conference. He is a member of the Academic Hall of Fame at St. Michael’s College.

Jonathan Bean is a Research Fellow at the Independent Institute and a Professor of History at Southern Illinois University. He received his Ph.D. in History from the Ohio State University in 1994. Bean is the author of Race and Liberty in America: The Essential Reader, which received praise from Choice (American Library Association) and Diverse Issues in Higher Education (f

Table of Contents

List of Documents xiii

Acknowledgments xxi

Introduction: Civil Rights and Classical Liberalism 1

1 Antislavery (1776-1853) 13

2 The Republican Era (1854-1876) 45

3 Colorblindness in a Color-Conscious Era (1877-1920) 77

4 Republicans and Race (1921-1932) 137

5 The Roosevelt Years (1933-1945) 163

6 Classical Liberals in the Civil Rights Era (1946-1964) 185

7 Individualists in an Age of Group Discrimination (1965-Present) 231

Conclusion: Past, Present, Future 307

Index 315

About the Editor 331

Editorial Reviews

If you are interested in the real history of the Civil Rights movement in America — the radical ideas that set it in motion no matter where they came from — then get ready for an intellectual thrill ride. There is no time for political posturing here. Race and Liberty in America is full of revelations and stunning in its honesty.

Juan Williams

The editor compels the reader to think about our society's evolution as he provides the materials necessary to consider its direction.

Salisbury Post

An enlightening read that will leave the reader feeling both inspired and optimistic about the future.

TheNewAmerican.com

"With its wide collection of writings on race and immigration, Race and Liberty neatly sidesteps left-right characterization and permits the pure ideas of those who endeavored to focus the debate on our common origins, dignity, and destiny to shine throughit provides an insight into the intellectual foundation of civil right s traditions firmly rooted in American principles: individual freedom, equality before the law and fidelity to the Constitution."

Freedoms Journal Magazine Blog - Cerere Kihoro

"A comprehensive and vital resource for scholars and students of civil liberties, Race and Liberty in America presents a wealth of primary sources that trace the evolution of civil rights throughout U.S. history.

BookBargainsandPreviews.com

He celebrates the end of slavery, anti-immigration laws, and race-based quotas, and rejects the legitimacy of racial pride, diversity, and affirmative action.

Choice

Bean balances readable and relatively short excerpts with intelligent commentary in the introductions. The big message of the book is that many of our great thinkers shared the vision that equality and progress will result from freedom, not the heavy and coercive hand of the State.

Freeman - Foundation for Economic Education

Focusing on pieces that exemplify aspects of classical liberalism, including independence from government and individual freedom, the editor provides a primary sourcebook for stories "of people and the difference they made in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds."

Rebecca Price

"If you are interested in the real history of the Civil Rights movement in America—the radical ideas that set it in motion no matter where they came from—get ready for an intellectual thrill ride. There is no time for political posturing here. Race and Liberty in America is full of revelations and stunning in its honesty."—Juan Williams, Senior Correspondent, National Public Radio; author, Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years, 1954-1965 and Thurgood Marshall: American Revolutionary

From the Publisher

Bean balances readable and relatively short excerpts with intelligent commentary in the introductions. The big message of the book is that many of our great thinkers shared the vision that equality and progress will result from freedom, not the heavy and coercive hand of the State.

Freeman Richard Iris Sean Larry Victoria Becky Martha Judith Charles