Publisher's Synopsis
Ronald Reagan is hailed as a transformative president and an American icon, but within his twentieth century politics lies a racial legacy that is rarely discussed. Both political parties point to Reagan as the "right"kind of conservative but fail to acknowledge his political attacks on people of color. Reconsidering Reagan corrects that narrative, revealing how his views, policies, and actions were devastating and continue to resonate today. Using research from previously untapped resources, Daniel S. Lucks traces Reagan's gradual embrace of conservatism, opposition to civil rights legislation, coziness with segregationists, and skill in tapping into white anxiety about race, riding a wave of "white backlash" all the way to the Presidency. Linking the past to the present, Lucks expertly examines how Reagan set the blueprint for President Trump and proves that he is in fact the logical successor to continue the legacy of the racially tumultuous America that Reagan conceptualized.
