| Description |
xii, 403 pages : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 341-388) and index. |
| Contents |
Introduction : the prehistory of "separate but equal" -- Degradation. Becoming good citizens ; A few bad men ; Correcting ill habits ; One nation only -- Amalgamation. To the middle ground ; We shall all be Americans ; The practical amalgamator -- Colonization. Of color and country ; The choice ; Opening the road ; In these deserts -- Epilogue : an enterprise for the young. |
| Summary |
"Why did the Founding Fathers fail to include blacks and Indians in their cherished proposition that "all men are created equal"? Racism is the usual answer. Yet Nicholas Guyatt argues in Bind Us Apart that white liberals from the founding to the Civil War were not confident racists, but tortured reformers conscious of the damage that racism would do to the nation. Many tried to build a multiracial America in the early nineteenth century, but ultimately adopted the belief that non-whites should create their own republics elsewhere: in an Indian state in the West, or a colony for free blacks in Liberia. Herein lie the origins of "separate but equal." Essential reading for anyone hoping to understand today's racial tensions, Bind Us Apart reveals why racial justice in the United States continues to be an elusive goal: despite our best efforts, we have never been able to imagine a fully inclusive, multiracial society." -- Provided by publisher. |
| Subject(S) |
Racism -- United States -- History.
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Indians of North America -- Colonization -- United States.
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African Americans -- Colonization -- Africa.
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United States -- History -- 19th century.
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United States -- Race relations -- History -- 18th century.
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United States -- Race relations -- History -- 19th century.
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| ISBN |
9780465018413 (hardback) |
|
0465018416 (hardback) |
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