Black conservatism in the United States
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Black conservatism in the United States is a political and social movement rooted in African-American communities that aligns largely with the American conservative movement and is part of black conservatism around the world. It is often associated with the Christian right (per 2007 data). Black conservatism emphasizes social conservatism, traditionalism, patriotism, capitalism, and free markets.
During the Reconstruction era, many black voters supported the Republican Party, at that time a radical rather than conservative party. Booker T. Washington had a more conservative approach to politics in the United States while W. E. B. DuBois called for more radical change. Some African Americans supported Democrat Woodrow Wilson's first presidential campaign and felt betrayed by his policies once in office. Under Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration, during his first two terms, civil rights legislation was not passed; however, New Deal programs led to the black vote becoming more split. In 1960, the Kennedy-Johnson campaign promoted civil rights as a central issue and during their administration, they passed anti-discrimination legislation, gaining the black vote. Since then, the Democratic Party has held a majority of the black votes in America. Pew Research Center polling has found that the majority of African-Americans who identify as Democratic declined in the 2010s, from 75% during Barack Obama's presidency to 67% in 2020. A 2017 sample size of 10,245 voters concluded that just 8% of African-Americans identify as Republican.
Influential black Republicans in the early 21st century who have held public office include U.S. Senator Tim Scott, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears, and Cabinet secretaries Ben Carson, Condoleezza Rice, and Colin Powell. Political commentators Candace Owens, Thomas Sowell, Shelby Steele, Armstrong Williams, Larry Elder, Walter Williams, and Jason L. Riley are influential figures in black conservatism.