History is one of the disciplines concerned with understanding how
social processes operate. On this point, the study of Afro-American
history raises a particular question about the means of social change.
There have been those who sought to achieve it through appeals to
conscience and idealism, others have turned to the use of physical
force, and there have also been those who worked for it through
mobilizing economic and political power.
The black experience in the United States leaves one either
disillusioned or cynical concerning the value of conscience and
idealism in erasing American racism. These factors, however, have not
been totally irrelevant. The American democratic creed has prevented
the nation from building a permanent legal caste system based on
color. As a legal structure, Jim Crow lasted less than a century and
was limited to the Deep South. Idealism has made it impossible for
America to rest comfortably while pursuing its racist policies.
Violence is a tempting technique for the frustrated and angry. In
fact, it often has accompanied rapid social change, but it is usually
a by-product of shifting power relationships in society rather than
the cause of change itself.
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