Rivalry and Reform

Presidents, Social Movements, and the Transformation of American Politics

Sidney M. Milkis, Daniel J. Tichenor

• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9780226569390, 9780226569253
• eBook ISBN: 9780226569420
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: Politics & International Relations

Few relationships have proved more pivotal in changing the course of American politics than those between presidents and social movements. For all their differences, both presidents and social movements are driven by a desire to recast the political system, often pursuing rival agendas that set them on a collision course. Even when their interests converge, these two actors often compete to control the timing and conditions of political change. During rare historical moments, however, presidents and social movements forged partnerships that profoundly recast American politics.

Rivalry and Reform explores the relationship between presidents and social movements throughout history and into the present day, revealing the patterns that emerge from the epic battles and uneasy partnerships that have profoundly shaped reform. Through a series of case studies, including Abraham Lincoln and abolitionism, Lyndon Johnson and the civil rights movement, and Ronald Reagan and the religious right, Sidney M. Milkis and Daniel J. Tichenor argue persuasively that major political change usually reflects neither a top-down nor bottom-up strategy but a crucial interplay between the two. Savvy leaders, the authors show, use social movements to support their policy goals. At the same time, the most successful social movements target the president as either a source of powerful support or the center of opposition. The book concludes with a consideration of Barack Obama's approach to contemporary social movements such as Black Lives Matter, United We Dream, and Marriage Equality.
 

Index

abolition movement, 2, 9, 18, 23, 34, 41–45, 49–52, 56, 58–59, 61–62, 64–65, 67–71, 74–75, 77–78, 81, 95, 102, 188, 276, 280–83, 291, 315–16, 327n14; rivalry within, 46, 66, 72; women, important role in, 47–48

abortion, 231–32, 238, 240–41, 256–63, 267; abortion clinics, blocking of, 214; evangelical anti-abortion movement, 208–9; Hyde amendments, 209; opposition to, 201–2; as “Silent Holocaust,” 202

Addams, Jane, 92–96, 105, 108–9, 122, 187

Ad Hoc Committee for the Defense of Life, 258

affirmative action, 158, 181, 230

Affordable Care Act (ACA), 39, 300, 310–11, 366n82. See also Obamacare

African Americans, 73–74, 76, 80, 84–85, 89, 99, 101, 103, 105, 143, 152, 170, 179, 185, 187, 205, 225, 281–82, 292, 303–4, 315, 334–35n64; alienation among, 164–65; Amenia conferences, 106–7, 116; armed forces, desegregation of, 139; black soldiers, during Civil War, 62–63, 67, 316; black soldiers, during World War I, 109, 160; black vote, expansion of, 146, 156; discrimination against, 2, 31, 90, 102, 130–33, 135, 137, 140–41, 151, 154, 164–65, 172–73, 178, 206, 246–47, 249–53, 295; federal civil patronage, 87; law enforcement officers, struggles between, 290; militancy of, 163, 165–66, 168–69; mob violence against, 119, 126, 129, 140; “Negro question,” 81, 93–94, 96, 112; New Deal, effect on, 116–17, 122–23; northern migration of, 137; party allegiance, switching of, 97; radical insurgents, rise of, 159; rage of, 162; urban roots, 107–8; white Christi...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• one  /  Presidents, Social Movements, and Contentious Change: Some Theoretical Foundations
• two  /  The Crucible: Lincoln and the Abolitionist Movement
• three  /  The Wayward Path: Presidents and Civil Rights, 1901–1945
• four  /  “Joining the Revolution”: Lyndon Johnson and the Civil Rights Movement
• five  /  Protestant Rearguard: Presidents, Christian Conservatives, and the Modern State
• six  /  Building a Movement Party: Ronald Reagan and the New Christian Right
• seven  /  Executive Power, Social Movements, and American Democracy in a Polarized Age
• Notes
• Index