An attempt to put Chicago's 1983 election of Harold Washington in
the "necessary historical context." Historian Kleppner's thesis is
that the single dramatic event - the election of Chicago's first
black mayor - must be seen as the climax of a long, slow process.
Kleppner goes back to 1870 to demonstrate how the city's ethnic
diversity played a key role in its politics. He quickly returns to
the era of Richard Daley and examines, with solid statistical
tables and telling examples, just how shabbily blacks were treated
in Daley's long reign and the ones that followed.
Federally-mandated integration of public housing projects and
school districts were all but ignored or litigated endlessly.
Daley's mayoral successors, Michael Bilandic and Jane Byme, are
shown to be almost more insensitive than the Boss himself; Bryne
brags about giving hams and chickens to blacks while denying them
any real power in her government. When the mobilization of black
voters finally occurs, it seems long overdue. We see, quite
clearly, how the Chicago Democratic Machine went after white votes
at the expense of blacks, who were increasing in numbers. The
machine's mistreatment of its black constituency all but created
the candidacy of Washington. The last chapters, which deal with
Washington's Democratic primary battle and his election campaign
against Republican Bernard Epton, form the dramatic conclusion and
make the most interesting reading. Earlier chapters are slowed by
too heavy scholarship for the reader who wants to know what
happened in Chicago during this racially charged election. (Kirkus
Reviews)
In April 1983, Harold Washington became the first black mayor of
Chicago. His victory came at the end of a rancorous campaign that
attracted national media coverage and left Chicago "a city divided
against itself." Chicago Divided sensitively reconstructs the
developments that led to Chicago's 1983 political season.
Investigating the election and its background, Kleppner taps a
formidable array of sources-including newspapers, court cases,
public opinion polls, and voting returns-to analyze the causes and
consequences of Chicago's electoral revolution.
General
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