The political freedom of African-Americans: a contextual analysis of racial attitudes, political tolerance, and individual liberty

Abstract

The general hypothesis of this research is that community values are connected to individual perceptions of their political freedom. Focusing on a survey of African-Americans, the ways in which majorities coerce and constrain minorities are analyzed. In particular, it is hypothesized that where communities are more racist, and more tolerant of racists, Blacks will perceive less freedom. The analysis takes advantage of a decade of surveys conducted by the General Social Surveys in developing measures of the degree of tolerance and racism in local communities, and then relates those measures to individual-level perceptions of freedom. A variety of contextual hypotheses is tested. The data indicate that anti-Black sentiment in the community does limit the freedom of African-Americans. What is more important, political tolerance in the community, even if it is tolerance of racists, contributes to both Black and White political freedom. Environments in which all ideas, even those that are repugnant and pernicious, can be expressed openly seem to create the conditions for individuals to express their political preferences.