Lincoln's Lost Legacy

During the 1930s and 1940s, many African Americans left the Republican Party and joined ranks with the Democrats. Before this time, the few blacks actually able to exercise their franchise automatically voted for the party of Lincoln and emancipation. The resulting political realignment has had numerous and far-reaching impacts, including the 1948 election of Harry Truman. InLincoln's Lost Legacy,Simon Topping examines how the Republican Party lost black voters, what they did to try to win them back, retain them, and why they failed. His work helps put current Republican problems with African American voters into a longer historical framework. This finely detailed look at the making of politics and policy investigates the evolving relationships between African Americans and political parties, ultimately revealing how political leaders' decisions or indifference can carry enormous repercussions for the rest of society.

Simon Topping is lecturer of American studies at the University of Plymouth.