Between the 1880s and 1910s, thousands of African Americans passed civil service exams and became employed in the executive offices of the federal government. However, by 1920, promotions to well-paying federal jobs had nearly vanished for black workers. Eric S. Yellin argues that the Wilson administration's successful 1913 drive to segregate the federal government was a pivotal episode in the age of progressive politics. Yellin investigates how the enactment of this policy, based on Progressives' demands for whiteness in government, imposed a color line on American opportunity and implicated Washington in the economic limitation of African Americans for decades to come.Using vivid accounts of the struggles and protests of African American government employees, Yellin reveals the racism at the heart of the era's reform politics. He illuminates the nineteenth-century world of black professional labor and social mobility in Washington, D.C., and uncovers the Wilson administration's progressive justifications for unraveling that world. From the hopeful days following emancipation to the white-supremacist "normalcy" of the 1920s, Yellin traces the competing political ideas, politicians, and ordinary government workers who created "federal segregation."
Between the 1880s and 1910s, thousands of African Americans passed civil service exams and became employed in the executive offices of the federal government. However, by 1920, promotions to well-paying federal jobs had nearly vanished for black workers. Eric S. Yellin argues that the Wilson administration's successful 1913 drive to segregate the federal government was a pivotal episode in the age of progressive politics. Yellin investigates how the enactment of this policy, based on Progressives' demands for whiteness in government, imposed a color line on American opportunity and implicated Washington in the economic limitation of African Americans for decades to come.Using vivid accounts of the struggles and protests of African American government employees, Yellin reveals the racism at the heart of the era's reform politics. He illuminates the nineteenth-century world of black professional labor and social mobility in Washington, D.C., and uncovers the Wilson administration's progressive justifications for unraveling that world. From the hopeful days following emancipation to the white-supremacist "normalcy" of the 1920s, Yellin traces the competing political ideas, politicians, and ordinary government workers who created "federal segregation."
Carefully researched and well-written. . . . [Yellin's] book
deserves a wide reading among scholars and students of labor and
race in the twentieth century.--"Labor"
Yellin's scholarship fills an important gap in our understanding of
what Wilsonian progressivism was all about . . . but also explores
less well understood connections between racism, progressive
politics, and the state.--"American Historical Review"
Carefully researched and well-written. . . .[Yellin's] book
deserves a wide reading among scholars and students of labor and
race in the twentieth century.--"Labor"
"Yellin's scholarship fills an important gap in our understanding
of what Wilsonian progressivism was all about...but also explores
less well understood connections between racism, progressive
politics, and the state.--"American Historical Review"
[A] thoroughly researched and artfully crafted book.--"Register of
the Kentucky Historical Society"
A very compelling read.--"History: Reviews of New Books"
Excellent new book.--"Journal of Southern History"
His nuanced and sober book carefully chronicles the rationales and
practices of racial subordination in the realm of federal
employment and the personal and collective consequences that this
unfolding tragedy had on the lives of black
Washingtonians.--"Journal of Southern History"
This is an excellent, well-researched, and well-written study.
Yellin's diverse sources are impressive as is his ability to weave
them into a tight analysis.--" Journal of American History"
Yellin makes an important contribution to our understanding of
'white supremacy.'--"Journal of Interdisciplinary History"
Yellin's well-written treatise reminds readers how far the U.S. has
come in its quest for racial equality. Recommended. Most
levels/libraries.--"Choice"
Yellin's work is lucid and illuminating. He provides a thorough,
readable, and well-rounded narrative filled with vivid examples and
sharp analysis.--"Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive
Era"
"Yellin makes an important contribution to our understanding of
'white supremacy.'"--"Journal of Interdisciplinary History"
"Yellin's well-written treatise reminds readers how far the U.S.
has come in its quest for racial equality. Recommended. Most
levels/libraries."--"Choice"
"Emphasizing the complexity and devastating impact of institutional
racism, Yellin's pathbreaking study sheds new light on Wilsonian
progressivism, public sector employment, and
early-twentieth-century civil rights activism. Deeply researched,
dazzlingly well written, and persuasively argued, "Racism in the
Nation's Service" is an important book that deserves a wide
audience."--Kate Masur, author of "An Example for All the Land:
Emancipation and the Struggle over Equality in Washington,
D.C."
"The best book yet written on the segregationist racial politics of
Woodrow Wilson's presidency and their devastating effects on
Washington's accomplished and proud black community. A powerful and
tragic story, exquisitely crafted and movingly told."--Gary
Gerstle, author of "American Crucible: Race and Nation in the
Twentieth Century"
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