The Unsteady March: The Rise and Decline of Racial Equality in America

by Philip A. Klinkner, Rogers M. Smith

American life is filled with talk of progress and equality, especially when the issue is that of race. But has the history of race in America really been the continuous march toward equality we'd like to imagine it has? This sweeping history of race in America argues quite the that progress toward equality has been sporadic, isolated, and surrounded by long periods of stagnation and retrenchment.

"[An] unflinching portrait of the leviathan of American race relations. . . . This important book should be read by all who aspire to create a more perfect union."— Publishers Weekly , starred review

"Could it be that our unswerving belief in the power of our core values to produce racial equality is nothing but a comforting myth? That is the main argument put forth by Philip Klinkner and Rogers Smith . . . The Unsteady March is disturbing because it calls into question our cherished national belief and does so convincingly. . . . [It] is beautifully written, and the social history it provides is illuminating and penetrating."—Aldon Morris, American Journal of Sociology

Winner of the Horace Mann Bond Award of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for Afro-American Research at Harvard University.

Genres: Race, History, Nonfiction, American History, School, Political Science

426 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1999

Reviews

[Bill]

An important book about race relations in America and how civil rights have progressed in fits and starts and only at politically expedient times (namely wars, both hot and cold). The depressing thing is the book was written in 1999 and it has proven to be 100% prescient in its warnings that America is headed for major racial divisions if things don't change. Look at the news...3.89 Martinie glasses

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Klinkner, Philip A., and Rogers M. Smith. The Unsteady March: the Rise and Decline of Racial Equality in America. University of Chicago Press, 2002.
It is refreshing to read a study written before Obama and Trump, and this one is a jewel. The book is a superb and detailed review of American racial history. Their thesis is that, historically, all racial progress has hinged on three factors: a pending large-scale war, supportive government rhetoric and strong domestic political organizations or advocacy groups.” These conditions are rare, and “the normal experience of the typical black person in U.S. history has been to live in a time of stagnation and decline in progress toward racial equality”.

[Henry Jacobs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never read a book on race in America. I'm glad this was the first. The main thesis of the book is crystal clear and thoroughly researched. I don't want to steal the thunder of the author by stating it here in my own words.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of how civil rights only move forward when it is politically expedient. It is a march that has moved in fits and starts.

[Angely Valle · Rating 3 out of 5]

[Rating as far as history books are concerned] This is a good book to read if you’re interested in the history of black civil rights in America. Some of the chapters are very catalog styled, which I don’t love, but with a highlighter you can pin point specific time frames.