A magisterial review of the role of racism in the history of American politics

"Goldfield's sweeping account recasts the familiar turning points in our past to show the singular and destructive impact of racism, and its crippling consequences for the development of class-based politics. This bold book will take its place as one of the truly important statements about American political history." —Frances Fox Piven, co-author of Regulating the Poor and The Breaking of the American Social Compact

There is no better way to understand the roots of racial oppression in America and the periodic mass struggles against it than to read Michael Goldfield's classic The Color of Politics: Race and the Mainsprings of American Politics.

How has race determined the course of American history? From the Revolution to the New Deal, from the Civil War to World War II, race has been at the center of virtually every national turning point. In this brilliant book, Goldfield doggedly documents the persistence of racism in the American nation and the heroic massive struggles against it from colonial times to the present, offering a penetrating guide to how we can achieve a more just society.