American Politics and the African American Quest for Universal Freedom
Hanes Walton Jr author Robert C Smith author Sherri L Wallace author
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd
Publishing:12th Aug '25
£215.00
This title is due to be published on 12th August, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
This hardback is available in another edition too:
- Paperback£74.99(9781032793511)

American Politics and the African American Quest for Universal Freedom is known for its lucid style, student-oriented approach, and wide-ranging perspective. Designed to allow flexibility in teaching approaches, this tenth edition retains all the features that made previous editions so popular. All chapters have been updated with new content and the latest data available, including:
• Inclusive and affirming language throughout.
• Enhanced discussion on “Elements of Black Culture” and the political significance of African American music and the African American Church.
• Black American public opinion and the various strands of African American ideology.
• The CROWN Act, the politics of black hair, and the African American celebrity impact on politics.
• Political significance of the increasing ethnic diversity of Black communities due to immigration from Africa and the Caribbean and the latest on “Black Lives Matter” discussion.
• Discussion on the first Black sorority political action committee established in the U.S. and advocacy organizations serving the Black LGBTQI+ community.
• Characteristics of eligible and registered Black voters, the coverage of the 2024 presidential and congressional elections, and the results of the congressional elections with respect to partisan control of Congress and the size of the Black congressional delegation.
• Demographic characteristics of the members of the 118th Congress now includes sexual orientation and generational data for comparison.
• Race policies of former President Biden, reclassifying him as “antiracist.” An alternative method of ranking presidents that brings the views of Black experts to the conversation and includes a discussion of the record number of Black political appointments and policies implemented under Biden.
• Confirmation hearing of the first Black woman, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, appointed the Supreme Court. New material on the Voting Rights Act, Affirmative Action, and the Pigford cases testing institutional racism.
• “Tennessee Three,” highlighting racism in the rare expulsion of two Black members of the Tennessee House of Representatives, and how Republican state-controlled legislatures are stunting the quest for universal freedom.
• Revisions using the Urban League’s State of Black America “Equality Index,” as a measure of material well-being in the African American community, to examine historic and systemic patterns in structural inequities as manifested in economics, health, education, social justice and civic engagement.
• Updated Textbook Media Integration Guide featuring lecture power points, chapter summaries, critical thinking questions, the profiles and “Faces...
"Characterizing it as an undergraduate textbook undersells what American Politics and the African American Quest for Universal Freedom truly is. The authors demonstrate in painstaking detail that U.S. politics doesn’t make sense without explicitly considering race. Appreciating freedom means coming to grips with the reality that so many were initially denied it and died fighting for it. The nation progresses—often begrudgingly—towards its ideal of Democracy because of these Freedom Struggles. Such efforts, while central to Black politics, have improved the conditions of every American."
Ray Block, Jr.,Associate Professor, Department of African American Studies, The Pennsylvania State University
"American Politics and the African American Quest for Universal Freedom is the most comprehensive book on African American politics in the political science discipline. It situates White supremacy and institutional racism as central to American exceptionalism and illustrates how African Americans have contested the boundaries of the U.S. constitutional process and political institutions. The book further provides a layered portrait—from the perspective of African American lawmakers, leaders, activists, policymakers, and opinion leaders—of the U.S. political culture, federalism, media and politics, and foreign policy."
Sekou Franklin,Associate Professor,Middle Tennessee State University
ISBN: 9781041019688
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
520 pages
10th edition