The 1960s were an era of the movement for installing freedom and eradicating prejudice in the American Society, which unified people of all cultural and racial backgrounds around championing the cause of social justice. The political leaders and organizations such as Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference are evidence of how powerful that united front was. The struggle of these people yielded significant results for the advancement of African Americans and laid the foundation for further expansion of the rights of black people. Yet, in the 1970s, the political climate began to change and drift towards the conservative side, which ultimately resulted in the presidency of Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush in the following decades. The conservatives’ disregard of the African Americans’ needs made Black politicians of the period assume the role of the only defenders of their community.
As it was mentioned earlier, the civil rights movement was a success and, as a consequence, led to the adoption of major laws which guaranteed freedom and equality to all black people. Moreover, the government and individual states initiated a variety of programs targeted at improving the social and economic conditions of African Americans, namely in the form of affirmative action and welfare support. Yet, over the years of their active existence, these policies were not well-received by the conservative segment of the population, among whom there were not only whites. Famous black economist Thomas Sowell was the most notable voice of the libertarian approach and a relentless critic of government programs, which, according to him, created a culture of poverty (“Chapter Twenty,” slide 4). Such claims further promoted the shift towards the conservative paradigm, which had to be opposed by African American politicians of the period.
Among the most noteworthy examples of such political leaders was Jesse Jackson, who participated in both the 1984 and 1988 presidential races and managed to accumulate many supporters of different backgrounds. During his first attempt, he attracted a lot of attention for his proposals to increase funding for social programs, limit the budget of the Department of Defense, and pay reparations. One of his policies’ main points of focus was an education on which, he claimed, depended on the future of the country (“1984 Democratic Presidential Debate”). Another important part of his campaign concerned the issue of apartheid in South Africa, which, with the help of the Free South Africa Movement, was eventually addressed by the government. Jesse Jackson’s career as a prominent politician ended when he was accused of expressing an anti-Semitic stance (“Chapter Twenty,” slide 9). Thus, the conservative period did not produce black leaders who could seriously challenge the establishment, and the ones who attempted to do this were soon banned from the public.
The 1980s and 1990s were the years when conservatives dominated the political and social areas, and the policies proposed by black leaders and politicians presented an alternative to the mainstream views. The civil rights movement brought many changes to American society, and various social programs for black people were among them. This sparked opposition from many people to active government funding of welfare and affirmative action initiatives. Conservative beliefs gained wider popularity and were criticized only by a small group of politicians, including Jesse Jackson, who acted as one of the main voices of the African American community. His support for government spending on social programs and education and decreased military budgets differed from the establishment’s positions. This made him a candidate of the poor, disenfranchised, and those left behind by the conservatives and their policies.
Works Cited
“1984 Democratic Presidential Debate.” YouTube, uploaded by Teenvote, 2017.
“Chapter Twenty: The Search for New Directions During A Conservative Era, 1979-1991.” Microsoft PowerPoint presentation.