Ideology, Government, and the American Dilemma
Margo, Robert A.
:
2004-05
Abstract
This essay, written in honor of the economic historian Robert Higgs, surveys the economic history of African Americans from the end of slavery to the present day. This history, I argue, was largely one of convergence. However, convergence was not continuous but, rather, was punctuated by discontinuous changes in relative black status. Both ideology B prevailing views about race B and government played key roles in making change discontinuous.