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Reviewed by:
  • Race and Liberty in America: The Essential Reader
  • LaTasha R. Jones (bio)
Bean, Jonathan . Race and Liberty in America: The Essential Reader. Kentucky: Kentucky UP, 2009.

Within Race and Liberty you will find a collective meeting place for the "forgotten voices of racial freedom" who fought for racial parity in the United States (10). They operated on the relatively elusive classical liberal tradition. Jonathan Bean, a professor of History at Southern Illinois University who has written two other books on the federal government and small business, devotes the introductory pages of this 2009 volume to spelling out the five pillars of classical liberalism: individual freedom, Christianity/Judaism, the Constitution, colorblindness, and capitalism. "Classical liberals fought slavery, lynching, segregation, imperialism, and racial distinctions in the law. As immigration advocates, they defended the 'natural right' of migration to America," Bean states early on (1). They were akin to Zora Neale Hurston who did not think it necessary to unite around Race Pride. Classical liberals thought like Clarence Thomas, advocating against positive discrimination. Today they fight affirmative action, but are vocal dissenters when it comes to diversity imperatives and earmarks, racial distinctions and classifications, and anti-immigration legislation.

The current American political system is one that thrives on a hyper-polar dichotomy. The system operates on a "Them versus Us" way of thinking; it operates on the assumption that everyone is either/or. This "choose the left or choose the right" system is certainly inaccurate to the classical liberal, as Bean explains throughout the text. Race and Liberty proves to be a solid platform for denouncing the notion that Left and Right, Conservative and Democrat are the sole voices of the American political and ideological arenas. He set out to give a voice to historical figures that are omitted from history texts and many classrooms. Bean has indeed succeeded in establishing a precedent. Along with creating a distinctive anthology, the Southern Illinois University professor reaches out to help readers understand what they are consuming and to put it all in context. As he says in the introductory pages, Race and Liberty is ideal for a classroom setting. From political science, history, and sociology, to nearly all of the social sciences and humanities—the collection would prove useful in almost all discussions.

This collection is divided into eight chapters and each focuses on a specific era or movement in American history. Bean starts with Antislavery (1776-1853), moves through the Republican Era (1854-1876); Colorblindness in a Color-Conscious Era (1877-1920); Republicans and Race (1921-1932); on to the Roosevelt Years (1933-1945); Classical Liberals in the Civil Rights Era (1946-1964); Individualists in an Age of Group Discrimination (1946-1964); and ends, finally, with the present day conversations on race, individualism, immigration, and liberty. The result is well over one hundred documents that span 233 years and range from the Declaration of Independence and the (American) Indian Emancipation Act, to call-for-action speeches and commentaries on court rulings. The selection [End Page 830] is quite exhaustive and detailed. You can imagine, then, the texts are as varied as they are surprising. One might not expect to see texts from Booker T. Washington, nor would a reader expect to see him categorized as a classical liberal.

Race and Liberty has been reviewed quite heavily and has received accolades from many different camps1. The book is quite timely, if we consider the present debates on post-racialism, immigration, diversity, and multiculturalism. Irrespective of personal, political, or ideological affiliation, readers will be drawn into the conversations this book presents. With the popularized notion of colorblindness being among the current hot topics, Bean has provided a source to draw on, refer to, and cite, as many scholars, academics, and even pundits are inclined to do. While the entire collection has present day relevance, it is verily in chapter 3 and in the conclusion that some of the more attention-grabbing content appears.

When we think of colorblindness today, we think of the sort that Eduardo Bonilla-Silva dissects in Racism Without Racists (2010). We think of the "soft racism" that maintains white privilege and which is marked by heavy blame shifting by...

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