When Affirmative Action Was White: An Untold History of Racial Inequality in Twentieth-Century America Reprint Edition

by Ira Katznelson (Author)

91 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0393328516

ISBN-10: 0393328511

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A groundbreaking work that exposes the twisted origins of affirmative action.

In this "penetrating new analysis" (New York Times Book Review) Ira Katznelson fundamentally recasts our understanding of twentieth-century American history and demonstrates that all the key programs passed during the New Deal and Fair Deal era of the 1930s and 1940s were created in a deeply discriminatory manner. Through mechanisms designed by Southern Democrats that specifically excluded maids and farm workers, the gap between blacks and whites actually widened despite postwar prosperity. In the words of noted historian Eric Foner, "Katznelson's incisive book should change the terms of debate about affirmative action, and about the last seventy years of American history."

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“A fresh, highly readable, first-rate history.”
- Sanford D Horowitt, San Francisco Chronicle

“A penetrating new analysis.”
- Nick Kotz, New York Times Book Review

“Stories materialize as if from dreams… He dealt in myths and universals, not daily reality…. Purdy’s characters never question the fallen state of the world in which they find themselves or the terrible things done to or by otherwise unexceptional individuals. The author makes no claims that they deserve better, or that problems are there to be solved. Even in the more naturalistic stories, violence and sexual compulsion, gay and straight, are part of the background music. Maliciousness is just another word for manners.”
- George M. Frederickson, New York Review of Books

“A gem of a book.”
- David Oshinsky, The Nation

“Purdy’s short stories are often brief and propelled by dialogue rich with the quirks and profanities of the American vernacular…. They also tend to convey a pervasive sense of moral compromise or emotional damage in the lives of their characters…. The thick volume gathers all of Purdy’s stories―fifty-six in all, including seven previously unpublished ones―for the first time.”
- Henry Louis Gates Jr.

About the Author

Ira Katznelson is Columbia University's Ruggles Professor of Political Science and History. Having served as president of the American Political Science Association, he is a member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. He is also the author of Fear Itself and When Affirmative Action Was White.

Product details

Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; Reprint edition (August 17, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0393328511
ISBN-13: 978-0393328516
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 91 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,414 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #42 in Books > History > Africa
- #63 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > History > United States
- #133 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Sociology > Race Relations > Discrimination & Racism

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Required reading for Americans

November 26, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Incredibly eye-opening. People talk about black history and institutional racism, but all you hear about is the most blatant racism and slavery. This book describes the stuff that's truly important today: how blacks were systematically denied a decent livelihood and.progress from generation to generation. Not just in blatant ways, but in countless little ways. The end result is the poor black nation living within an otherwise wealthy nation. This material should be in every high school course in American history.

18 people found this helpful

If Injustice Angers You, Read in Small Doses.

January 1, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Spells out the history of how the welfare and housing laws of the 1930's-1950's were skewed to exclude minorities. Uses historical records to back up how the original benefits of welfare and home ownership were denied to minorities, under the cloak of legality. Also has some interesting history around the Southern Democratic party, and when the stalwart members of that party switched to the Republican party when the Democratic party as a whole started to embrace the minority voter. If you are easily angered by injustice, you'll want to read this in small doses. I found it very instructional, particularly in light of the current political climate. A good reminder that early affirmative action denied minorities much of the American Dream.

25 people found this helpful

Before It Was Called Affirmative Action

July 6, 2014

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Americans especially white Americans benefitted from two federal sponsored programs designed to help them move into the middle class these programs were the Social Security Act of 1935 and The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 nicknamed The G I Bill of Rights the amazing thing about the Social Security Act is that it intentionally excluded domestic workers and farm workers as stated on page 43 "Unfortunately, the great majority of blacks were left out. Most African Americans, we have seen, were farm workers or domestics, and people in these categories did not qualify." "Not until 1954, when Republicans controlled the White House, the Senate, and the House of Representatives, and the southern Democrats finally lost their ability to mold legislation, were the occupational exclusions that had kept the large majority of blacks out of the Social Security system eliminated." As for The G I Bill even though this was a federal program the administrative duties and distribution of funds was handled and left up to the individual states on page 114 "To be sure, the G I Bill did create a more middle-class society, but almost exclusively for whites.Written under southern auspices, the law was deliberately designed to accommodate Jim Crow. Its administration widened the country's racial gap. The prevailing experience for blacks was starkly differential treatment." An individual example of this differential treatment can be found on page 139 read "The case of Reuben Thompson of Rome, Georgia," And on page 140 "these impediments were not confined to the South. In New York and northern New Jersey suburbs, fewer than 100 of the 67,000 mortgages insured by the G I Bill supported home purchases by non-whites". This is a perfect example of how white people were able to advance into middle-class status, the material in this book is a major part of American history.

35 people found this helpful

How to Make a Case for Affirmative Action Today

June 26, 2018

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

In his admittedly “polemical” book, Katznelson historicizes affirmative action in order to make a compelling case for its continued existence and application to the marginalized position of black people in America. He re-periodizes the discussion of affirmative action. While most commentators look to the 1960s and 1970s for the origins of affirmative action as applied to black people, Katznelson shows that the history goes back to the 1930s and 1940s when lawmakers—compelled by Southern Democrats but with Northern politics complicit—deliberately crafted policies to exclude or differentially treat black people to the advantage of whites. Katznelson also brings Jim Crow and its impact into discussions on affirmative action to show that from its origins, affirmative action was indeed white.

June 1, 2018

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

A compelling piece on the affirmative action programs of the 1930s and 1940s designed to benefit white america and the contributing instrument for the significant wealth gap between
whites and African Americans.

One person found this helpful

September 11, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I loved this book. Now I know how important language is and how deep seeded racism is against descendants of slaves in our country.

4 people found this helpful

Great information

December 3, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I used to think history was boring. In high school I had the impression that history consisted of a relentless series of dates that had little bearing upon my life. As we know history is amazing, and helps us make sense of our current world. This book describes how US policies and programs benefited only some of our citizens while leaving others out, and goes a long way to helping me understand how the distribution of wealth has come to be where it is in contemporary US society. I wish we'd read things like this in high school!

9 people found this helpful

November 21, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Excellent book. I wish everyone was aware of the information it covers.

3 people found this helpful

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Most recent customer reviews

Wonderful history lesson

Absolutely well written. Wonderful history lesson.

Published 19 days ago

Published 1 month ago

Michael C. Chisick

Makes some good arguments but not as well written as I was expecting.

Published 2 months ago

Very informative book

The forgotten history of affirmative action
This isn't taught in history class.
How African Americans were left out of the first policies of affirmative action

Published 2 months ago

Stephen R. Colbert

What a great book. If you are a history buff

What a great book. If you are a history buff, this is the type of book you need to read.

Published 4 months ago

Kindle Customer

Policy after policy coupled with racial attitudes have lead to the reality of African American descendants of slaves lives.Read more

Published 5 months ago

Short, sweet and to the point! If you're interested in furthering your understanding about the New Deal and how it was administered I would recommend reading this book.

Published 5 months ago

Herbernia Graves

Published 6 months ago

Amazon Customer

Must-read for all Americans

Published 6 months ago

Alright book, for my class

Cheap book i ordered for my political science class.. a bit boring but still informative

Published 7 months ago

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