This study surveys recent editions of circulating introductory texts
for teaching American government/politics courses. Most of the major
textbooks used for these courses utilize the traditional
institutional and behavioral approaches to the study of American
government, which have historically treated the African American
political experience as separate from mainstream American politics;
thus, relegating its discussions to a separate chapter on “civil
rights” or “equal rights.” Modeling our textbook reviews after the
APSA Standing Committee on the Status of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals,
and Transgendered in the Profession (Novkov and Gossett 2007) and the non-published 2006 report to
the APSA Standing Committee on the Status of Blacks in the
Profession, we analyze 27 circulating introductory American
government/politics textbooks to examine to what extent African
Americans are integrated into the study of American politics.This report was commissioned and
supported by the American Political Science Association's
Standing Committee on the Status of Blacks in the Profession.
The Committee reviewed earlier drafts and accepted the final
report for publication and distribution. The Committee members
include James Jennings, co-chair (Tufts University); Angela K.
Lewis, co-chair (University of Alabama, Birmingham); Kerry L.
Haynie (Duke University); Alice Jackson (Morgan State
University); Mark Q. Sawyer (University of California, Berkley);
Rogers M. Smith (University of Pennsylvania); Robert Starks
(Northeastern Illinois University); and Toni-Michelle Travis
(George Mason University).