Backlash Presidents
eBook - ePub

Backlash Presidents

From Transformative to Reactionary Leaders in American History

  1. English
  2. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

Backlash Presidents

From Transformative to Reactionary Leaders in American History

About this book

How most presidents avoid upsetting the racial status quo—and why those who do pave the way for lawless, norm-violating successors

When Barack Obama won the White House in 2008, becoming the nation’s first Black president, the stage was set for Donald Trump’s eventual rise to power. Backlash Presidents shows how, throughout American history, administrations that challenge the country’s racial status quo are followed by presidents who deal in racially charged politics and presidential lawlessness, culminating in impeachment crises.

In this incisive book, Julia Azari traces the connections between racially transformative presidents and their successors, examining the presidencies of Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson, Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon, and Obama and Trump. When he signed long-awaited civil rights legislation in 1964, Lyndon Johnson unleashed a perfect political storm that swept Nixon into the White House. Azari demonstrates how Nixon’s rhetoric, relationship to Congress, and attitudes about executive power exhibit striking parallels with Andrew Johnson and Trump. She discusses how their actions are linked to race and racialized institutions—the Department of War during Reconstruction, the FBI during the Nixon years, and elections today—and looks at what happens after impeachment, describing how the rush to establish a new order perpetuates many of the same problems as the old.

Challenging the conventional wisdom about the role of norms in American democracy, Backlash Presidents reveals how normal presidential politics upholds unsustainable racial hierarchy that in turn gives rise to intense periods of instability.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings on the Perlego website. Your subscription will stay active until the end of your current billing period. Learn how to cancel your subscription.
No, books cannot be downloaded as external files, such as PDFs, for use outside of Perlego. However, you can download books within the Perlego app for offline reading on mobile or tablet. Learn more here.
Perlego offers two plans: Essential and Complete
  • Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
  • Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Both plans are available with monthly, semester, or annual billing cycles.
We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1 million books across 1000+ topics, we’ve got you covered! Learn more here.
Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more here.
Yes! You can use the Perlego app on both iOS or Android devices to read anytime, anywhere — even offline. Perfect for commutes or when you’re on the go.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access Backlash Presidents by Julia R. Azari in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Politics & International Relations & American Government. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. Series Page
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright Page
  5. Contents
  6. Acknowledgments
  7. 1. Introduction: Race and Presidential Impeachment
  8. 2. A New Birth of Freedom: George Washington to Abraham Lincoln
  9. 3. ā€œThe Constitution as It Isā€: Andrew Johnson’s Impeachment
  10. 4. ā€œPatience and Moderationā€: Theodore Roosevelt to Lyndon Johnson
  11. 5. Law and Order: Nixon and Watergate
  12. 6. ā€œThe Content of Their Characterā€: Ronald Reagan to Barack Obama
  13. 7. ā€œHostile Takeoverā€: The Two Impeachments of Donald Trump
  14. 8. Conclusion: The Choices We Face: Rethinking Presidential Impeachment
  15. Afterword: We Are Going Back
  16. Notes
  17. Index
  18. Series List