Description: From the abolition of slavery to the civil rights movement, America's development as a nation has been characterized in part by the struggle for racial equality. Pivotal in this struggle has been the response of the White House: how the president addresses any social movement profoundly affects its chances for advancement. In this timely and innovative study of one hundred and thirty years of presidential history, Russell L. Riley presents a new viewpoint from which to examine presidential behavior in relation to African-American rights. Riley's findings about the fundamental character of the presidency illuminate why significant change has been so slow to take hold, even in a country that sees itself as one of the most democratic in the world.

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