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Title: Civil Rights on Labor's Terms: Parties and Voting Rules in Cincinnati, 1924-57

Citation Type: Miscellaneous

Publication Year: 2016

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Abstract: Recent work in American Political Development argues left-leaning unions liberalized the Democratic Party on race. Yet practice did not always match principle in local politics. Drawing on secondary and archival sources, I reconstruct the Democratic Partys successful attack on proportional representation (PR) in Cincinnati. A process-tracing approach uncovers the pivotal role of organized labor. At the prod from national officials, local arms of the Congress of Industrial Organizations secured PRs repeal. This was to stop cooperation between African-American Democrats and liberal Republicans in city government. That cooperation targeted job, housing, and other forms of discrimination. Mounting evidence of labors local behavior means we should reconsider its role as an agent of racial liberalism. Party mattered more than policy commitments. That raises questions about the value of coalition choices made at midcentury.

Url: http://www.jacksantucci.com/docs/papers/cincy_labor_santucci_apr2016.pdf

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Authors: Santucci, Jack M

Publisher: Georgetown University

Data Collections: IPUMS NHGIS

Topics: Labor Force and Occupational Structure, Race and Ethnicity

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