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Paper Abstract: This paper examines the black vote in its evolution from slave days and identifies its power today on the American political scene. The phenomenon of black bloc voting is described. Paper Introduction: The Black Vote African Americans as an Interest Group Abstract The black vote has been a powerful force on the American politicalscene changing the face of American politics and empowering AfricanAmericans as a political interest group The evolution of the black votefrom being powerless to extremely powerful is traced and the phenomenon ofblack bloc voting is examined identifying how the black vote has swayedpoliticians and changed the American political scene Introduction The early political influence of African Americans in our nation wasminimal Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Affirmative action "has always been unpopular withthe majority of Americans" anyway, but the point is that "Blacks also needto start rethinking many of the policies that they have inherited from thecivil-rights era" (United States: Black Power). This was due to the African American perspective that Democratswere more sympathetic to their needs and concerns than Republicans were.Now, however, the tide is changing. These lawsmitigated against black voters having the opportunity to vote, becauseblacks are less likely to have access to a vehicle and also less likely tohave a driver's license. This can be polarizing and stigmatizing withinthe political arena. 5 ). 5). 5 ). African Americans as a political interestgroup have considerable clout, and politicians carefully court the blackvote. The American Political Science Association. Their"political homogeneity" suggests either that they vote for the interests oftheir group as a whole rather than for their individual interests or thatthey merely climb on the bandwagon created by members of their race withoutexamining whether it truly applies to them or not (Dawson, 1994, p. Furthermore, "black bloc voting is the only factorthat keeps the legitimate demands of African Americans alive and visible inthe nation's political discourse" (Dixon, 2 3). Since blacks constitute approximately 2 % of thevoters in Democratic primaries across the nation and over 4 % of theDemocrats in most Southern states, the black voting bloc is exceptionallypowerful in states that have a high proportion of black voters (Francis,2 4). Therefore, the black votelegitimizes African American interests for the voting public. In the past, black votersconsistently voted a Democratic ticket, rejecting Republican candidates enmasse. The flaw in the1957 Civil Rights Act was that it only allowed racial discrimination suitsto be filed on a "case-by-case basis," a restriction that excluded themajority of blacks from filing a lawsuit, since they were not financiallyable to pay for one (Perry & Parent, 1995, p. The 1964 Civil Rights Act was distinctivelydifferent from those of 1957 and 196 in that it "accorded blacks asubstantial measure of rights to public accomodations [sic], highereducation, public and private employment, and voting" (Perry & Parent,1995, p. Thepublication states, "The paradox is that black Americans will be better offif they act less like a racial pressure group" (United States: BlackPower). 699). The black community perceivesits race in a particular way that draws it together and creates a pervasive"one for all and all for one" mentality that carries over into the blackvote. Changes in black voter demographics have made the black voting blocphenomenon a force to be reckoned with. For example, the states of Indiana andGeorgia both passed voting laws in 2 5 requiring voters to present a validstate driver's license at the polls in order to cast a vote. For Mr. Cosby, thesolution is to hold people accountable for what they do, regardless oftheir race (United States: Black Power). Approximately one-third of the children in the blackunderclass are being raised in poverty, as opposed to only one-seventh ofwhite children brought up in poverty (United States: Black Power, 2 7, p.5 ). The Act additionally "furthered black voting in the South byprohibiting the use of literacy tests to determine qualification and byestablishing a sixth-grade education as proof of literacy" (Perry & Parent,1995, p. Fulani continued, "As many as 35 percent of younger Blackvoters now identify as independent, rather than Democrat" (Carter, 2 7).Moreover, "Forty-seven percent of African-Americans deserted the Democraticnominee in the 2 5 New York City mayoral race to reelect the IndependentRepublican Mike Bloomberg (Carter, 2 7). Southern states had other means of preventingblacks from voting, however, so it was not until 1944 that the SupremeCourt's ruling in Smith v. If virtually all AfricanAmericans in the nation vote for the same candidate, that candidate has asubstantial competitive edge in a political race. Therelative power of an interest group is predicated at least in part by foursignificant factors(the group's "size, wealth, issue relevance, and grouprepresentation" (Roberts, 2 4). Vdare.com. 695). As one writer pointsout, "Race is more relevant in the voting booth in direct proportion to theracial diversity of the electorate," so "blacks have far more politicalpower in Mississippi than in Vermont," for example (Sailer, 2 6). The Black Vote: African Americans as an Interest Group Abstract The black vote has been a powerful force on the American politicalscene, changing the face of American politics and empowering AfricanAmericans as a political interest group. While this is very likely an accurate perception, it is importantto distinguish between they way the black community acts and what it is;even if it decelerates its black pressure tactics, it should not lose sightof the fact that it is a powerful interest group. Blacks, Not Whites, Key to Democratic Presidential Nomination. The black comedian BillCosby recently made a bold statement in which he denounced the black streetculture that epitomizes a dysfunctional society and "helps to perpetuatewhat it celebrates" (United States: Black Power). New York Amsterdam News, 98(12), 16. The Economist notes that "The era of affirmative action, orpreferential treatment for blacks, seems to be drawing to a close" (UnitedStates: Black Power). It's Also...Bloc Voting. The impact of this tendency differs from onelocale to the next depending upon how much power blacks have in theparticular district in which they are voting en bloc. 4). Not only has a previously nonexistent black middle class formed, buta new "comfortable black establishment" has arisen, in which approximately1.1 million blacks have salaries over $1 , per year (United States:Black Power, 2 7, p. (2 4). In 1957, President Dwight D. ReferencesA Voting Rights Chronology: 187 to the Present. The 196 CivilRights Act was intended to alleviate this problem by allowing the U.S.attorney general to "file suit on behalf of blacks that had been unfairlydenied the right to vote" (Perry & Parent, 1995, p. As one article puts it, "the old policies have had a perverseeffect: the huge gains that blacks have experienced since the Civil RightsAct have been unevenly distributed" (United States: Black Power, 2 7, p.5 ). 5). Civil Rights Commission to investigate cases ofdenial of civil rights" (A Voting Rights Chronology: 187 to the Present,n.d.). (2 7). This phenomenon, while it persists, offers politicians of any racean opportunity to capture the votes of an entire race whenever it cancapture the votes of a few who influence the others. Moreover, it may beindicative of a healthier black community if is not. (n.d.). Racial bloc voting is asignificant factor in the black vote, because blacks as a culture do tendto vote in blocs in America. The black vote is now fervently sought after by politicians on bothsides of the political arena. These new class distinctions within the black community threaten tosplinter black voting power due to the vastly different concerns andinterests of the black constituency. Questia. The evolution of the black votefrom being powerless to extremely powerful is traced, and the phenomenon ofblack bloc voting is examined, identifying how the black vote has swayedpoliticians and changed the American political scene.Introduction The early political influence of African Americans in our nation wasminimal. The reason for this is that the powerof the black voting bloc is substantial. The 1964 Civil Rights Act was "a pathbreaking piece of legislation"that soon yielded even further breakthroughs for African American votingrights, in the 1965 Voting Rights Act (Perry & Parent, 1995, p. As such, the black vote haschanged the American political scene, interjecting black interests into thecampaigns of white politicians and ensuring that African Americans'concerns are at least addressed in the political arena, even if they arenot always solved. If healthcare becomespart of the mechanism that garners the black vote, then healthcare becomesa "black" political issue. Special voting-related laws that restrict voting accesson the basis of certain qualifications can be used to bar voters fromvoting in a racially biased manner. He may or may not be personally invested in winning healthcarereforms, but because he wants the black vote he will make campaign promisesand become involved in relevant committees to ensure that some healthcarereform comes about. (2 4). Boardof Education of Topeka "was a monumental victory for blacks," showing thatracist Southern legal practices "could be successfully challenged" andincreasing the momentum of an escalating black civil rights movement (Perry& Parent, 1995, p. 5). Black Commentator. Lawsuits werestill constrained by the case-by-case rule, however, and as a result therewere still extremely few blacks in the South who succeeded in becomingregistered to vote under either the 1957 or 196 Civil Rights Acts (Perry &Parent, 1995, p. Behind the Mule. Retrieved on May 15, 2 7 from: http://www.vdare.com/Sailer/ 6121 _diversity.htmTokaji, D.P. Commissionon Civil Rights found that "'blacks were far more likely than non-blacks tohave their ballots rejected' by Florida's voting equipment" (Tokaji, 2 6,p. Then in 196 , Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act of 196 (AVoting Rights Chronology: 187 to the Present, n.d.). An injunction in Georgia failed to stop therequirement, and in Indiana, even the injunction was not passed (Tokaji,2 6, p. 694). The advantage of the black voting block isthen obvious, which is why the bloc poses a threat to political leaders ofa party not in favor among the black populace.How the Black Vote Changes the American Political Scene In the simplest terms, the black vote interjects black interests intothe voting arena. The"black vote" is a uniquely black phenomenon that reflects the blackpopulation's "tendency to vote more or less as a community" (Dixon, 2 3).The import of the black vote is profound in American politics because ofthis tendency; it implies that attracting the votes of black voters is anentrйe into obtaining the votes of most of them. Retrieved on May 15, 2 7 from: http://www.questia.com/read/89 61749Roberts, S. It is noteworthy that although there is a "black bloc votephenomenon" referred to as "the Black Consensus," in which AfricanAmericans vote in support of candidates that they believe hold views thatare closest to their "commonly held views" on issues of import to AfricanAmericans, there is no such bloc of Caucasian voters (Dixon, 2 3). In addition, Florida's "'overzealous' purge of its registrationlists resulted in the disproportionate exclusion of African Americanvoters" (Tokaji, 2 6, p. The New Vote Denial: Where Election Reform Meets the Voting Rights Act. The impact of thischange can be evidenced by the fact that less than half of the voting agepopulation was registered to vote in those areas in the 1964 presidentialelection, but following the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act,"approximately four million new black voters were registered there between1965 and 1975 (Perry & Parent, 1995, p. The situation began to change markedly, however during 1964 and 1965,"the watershed period in federal advancement of voting rights in the South"(Perry & Parent, 1995, p. Interest groups(also known as "pressure groups, lobbies, specialinterests, and organized interests"(were "embedded in the lexicon ofpolitical science in the early 195 s and 196 s through the works of DavidTruman and Robert Dahl;" they have come through the years to represent"undue influence of certain groups and their new tactic of directinvolvement in campaigns, or electioneering" (Roberts, 2 4). Retrieved on May 15, 2 7 from: http://www.commondreams.org/views 3/ 612- 8.htmFrancis, S. At the same time, however, a "black underclass"has emerged, in which are found "people who are trapped in poverty byfailed schools, broken families and endemic crime" (United States: BlackPower, 2 7, p. As a huge voting bloc, the AfricanAmerican contingent is the 4 -pound gorilla that everyone needs on theirteam if they want to succeed politically. There may in the future be atrend toward blacks voting on an individual basis rather than as part ofthe black community, but it remains to be seen whether blacks will everdisengage themselves from the attitudes that served them in the civilrights era. Whereas black interests had previously beenneglected by politicians, when blacks began to show themselves as apolitical force to be reckoned with, politicians began pandering to theblack voters, recognizing that the black vote had the power to determineswing votes and get candidates elected. Therefore, as black politicaltrends change and evolve, the American political scene by necessity adaptsalso. The leverage of African Americans as an interest group is largelybased on the their right to vote and the influence that their vote has onthe American political agenda. The authors point out that "The first four-and-a-half decades of the twentieth century were characterized by quietlegal efforts by southern blacks and their supporters to overcome theobstacles to their participation in the political process" (Perry & Parent,1995, p. (1994). 4). Allwright outlawed the white primary and"resulted in a significant increase in the small number of registered blackvoters in the South" (Perry & Parent, 1995, p. (2 6). Practices that injure the voting rights of minorities reveal thelatent power in the minority vote and suggest that the power of the votingbloc is far greater than minorities may realize. In the tradeoff between his political aspirations andthe black community's concern and desire for healthcare reforms, the latterwill end up better healthcare. Retrieved on May 15, 2 7 from: http://www.apsanet.org/content_52 4.cfmSailer, S. An individual affected by vote denial is prevented from casting avote. Moments in Black History. This paper will discuss the black vote in terms of the leverage ofAfrican Americans as a political interest group, tracing the evolution ofthe black vote, and evaluating the power of black bloc voting. Perry and Parent (1995) note that "Between 191 and the end ofWorld War II in 1945, black political activity in most of the South wasvirtually nonexistent" (p. Any politician who then advocates healthcare reformis likely to be identified as favoring blacks, whether this is true or not. This means that insituations where a minority group is fairly unified in supporting aparticular candidate, "dilution occurs when government mechanisms decreasethe effectiveness of the group's votes by preventing them from beingaggregated in a way that would successfully lead to the election of theminority-preferred candidate" (Chapter Two: Vote Injury(Denial andDilution, n.d.). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Dixon, B.A. 5). This is a perceptive approach, asit levels the playing field and ceases to make race an issue that eitherside can leverage.Conclusion The black vote, particularly in terms of black bloc voting, has becomea powerful form of lobby in the American political scene, making AfricanAmericans a strong political interest group. Black voters should look beyond Democrats and Republicans. 6).The Power of Black Bloc Voting Black bloc voting, known more generally as "racial bloc voting" or"racially polarized voting" is a factor in vote strength and signifies that"members of the same racial group tend to vote the same way" (Chapter Two:Vote Injury(Denial and Dilution, n.d.). Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida. The essence of the blackvote is solidarity. Vote dilution with respect to minorities involves voting practicesthat restrict or minimize the voting strength of the minority in question(Chapter Two: Vote Injury(Denial and Dilution, n.d.). Commondreams.org News Center. ThisAct remedied the flaws in the 1957 and 196 laws regarding black voting "byauthorizing federal marshals to summarily register blacks in states andcounties in the South" (Perry & Parent, 1995, p. Diversity is Strength! In each of these factors, black Americanshave become increasingly powerful. In 1954, Brown v. The way this changes the American political scene is to create apowerful undercurrent based on race. As African Americans have seen the long,slow evolution of their voting rights, making them an effective andpowerful political interest group, the black vote has resulted not only inmore blacks being elected to office but also in a shift in the politicalenvironment of the nation. Retrieved on May 15, 2 7 from: http://www.huarchivesnet.howard.edu/9911huarnet/moments.htmCarter, R. (2 3). Retrieved on May 15, 2 7 from: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=121 97241&sid=1&Fmt=3&clientId=26 6 &RQT=3 9&VName=PQD 4). Blacks and the American Political System. 5). 4). It willidentify how the clout that blacks have through the black vote swayspoliticians and changes the American political scene.Evolution of African American Voting Rights For African Americans, many of whom started out in America as slaves,the evolution of political influence was slow. While the black vote is ostensibly no different than any other votergroup that has enough members to wield some political clout, the differenceis that attracting the vote of some other special interest group, such asthe National Rifle Association, only involves a limited number of members.Attracting the black vote, however, involves an entire racial group.Furthermore, the black vote and the particular interests of black votersput a racial cast on any issue that they endorse. It started in 1915 withGuinn v. Retrieved on May 15, 2 7 from: http://www.vote.caltech.edu/events/2 6/VoterID/NewVoteDenial- Final.pdfUnited States: Black Power. (1995). (2 7). (n.d.). The most recent example of vote denial occurred in the 2 presidential election in Florida, where an analysis by the U.S. The same year, the states ratified the 24th Amendment, which"prohibited the use of poll taxes in elections," effectively eliminatingone of the greatest barriers to the black vote(poverty (Perry & Parent,1995, p. Retrieved on May 15, 2 7 from: http://www.vdare.com/francis/black_voting_bloc.htmPerry, H.L., Parent, W. A new concept in black politics is to hold "blacks to the samestandards as everybody else," a change that The Economist believes will bebeneficial to the black community (United States: Black Power). Retrieved on May 15, 2 7 from: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1243388761&sid=1&Fmt=4&clientId=26 6 &RQT=3 9&VName=PQDChapter Two: Vote Injury(Denial and Dilution. (2 6). As African Americans have now become valid members ofthe American citizenry, the black voting bloc may no longer be the optimumapproach for them to take, however, as there is now much greater diversitywithin their ranks economically and socially. In the decades since then, however, American politicalinterest groups have increased in number and "broadened their lobbyingtechniques to include contributing to campaigns, get out the voteactivities, and recruiting candidates" (Roberts, 2 4). According to Carter (2 7),"America's two-party political system is antiquated" and "it's time forBlack voters to look beyond Democrats and Republicans for candidates whohave our best interests at heart." The shift in black voter demographics has uncovered other issues, aswell. According to Dr. Lenora Fulani, anindependent activist, independent voter registration is increasing in suchAfrican-American-dense cities as Harlem, Oakland, and Newark, and "there isa new constituency in African American politics, the Black independent"(Carter, 2 7). Eisenhower signed intolaw the Civil Rights Act of 1957, which was intended "primarily to protectvoting rights by establishing a Civil Rights Division within the JusticeDepartment and a U.S. The 1957 and 196 Civil Rights Acts were "largely symbolic actions"but still had impact in that they were tokens of the new trend toward blackvoting rights in the South (Perry & Parent, 1995, p. 4). June 12. A candidate knows thatif he captures "the black vote" by persuading leaders in the AfricanAmerican community to vote for him, he is capturing the votes of nearly allof the blacks in the nation. 4). 5). In theAmerican South, the black voting bloc "votes uniformly Democratic (96-3 forGore over Bush in the 2 election), making race "the single biggestfactor determining who votes for whom, black or white, Republican orDemocrat" (Sailer, 2 6). 5). Since the black bloc voters in the South almost universally voteDemocratic, "breaking up the black bloc vote and thereby blunting theelectoral impact of the Black Consensus has long been the cherished goal ofthe bipartisan Right" (Dixon, 2 3). The Economist, 382(8514), 5 . 5). 6). Retrieved on May 15, 2 7 from: http://www.splcenter.org/pdf/static/draw_line_chpt2.pdfDawson, M.C. Although political candidates may not, at heart,necessarily value the things that black voters want, they know better thanto disregard them if they want the black vote. 5). There is a curiouslack of political diversity among blacks that persists even though theyhave become "economically polarized" (Dawson, 1994, p. 6).Dawson (1994) points out that "Black institutions and social networks" workto conserve that political homogeneity, and that prior to 196 it madesense for blacks to decide what was most beneficial for their race ratherthan for themselves as individuals, because their life opportunities werebased on race (Dawson, 1994, p., 56, 1 ). Section I: The Current Status of Redistricting. United States and the Supreme Court's decision to prohibit thegrandfather clause that had up until then prevented blacks from voting(Perry & Parent, 1995, p. Taking ahypothetical example, if a political candidate discovers that AfricanAmericans are concerned about healthcare provisions, he may make this amore prominent part of his campaign platform, specifically to attract theblack vote. What was once a unified black votingbloc may not continue to be so into the future. Not only does the bloc play arole in determining which candidates will be elected, it affects the votingstrength of blacks and can result in such types of "vote injury" as "votedenial" and "vote dilution" (Chapter Two: Vote Injury(Denial and Dilution,n.d.). South Carolina Law Review, 57(4), Summer. Vdare.com. Interest Groups in Campaign 2 4. Proquest. Moreover, the case-by-case approach was time consuming; the inordinate length of time needed toaddress voting injustices for blacks one at a time meant that littleprogress could be made for blacks as a whole, as they were gaining theright to vote a tiny bit at a time, person by person. Muzzling the African American Agenda With Black Help. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.