In his short essay, “The Preconditions for Racial Change,” author Harvard Sitkoff argues that economic, political and ideological considerations played a major role in bringing about racial equality for African-Americans in the United States during the middle of the 20th century. Sitkoff maintains that the introduction of televisions into American homes, a booming postwar economy, the decolonization of many African nations from white rule and the emergence of the United States as the leader of the Free World were the driving forces behind bringing racial equality to the forefront for many Americans, both black and white. The arguments offered by Sitkoff regarding this awakening in many Americans are both compelling and convincing. While his viewpoints are based on nothing more than perception and opinion, his logic is sound and his line of reasoning is very persuasive. Sitkoff begins his essay by discussing the opportunities afforded to blacks as a direct result of positive changes in the American economy. With the explosive growth of our Gross National Product (GNP) after the 1940’s, many blacks saw a sharp increase in their income, the availability of jobs in industries that had previously been off-limits to them and advancement opportunities that ranked them alongside their white counterparts. In the past, the fear of blacks taking jobs that could have gone to whites was a powerful incentive to suppress the advancement of black Americans in the workforce. However, with the rapidly expanding economy, a shortage of workers forced business leaders to look to another source to fill the many job openings that were rapidly becoming available. That source was black Americans. Sitkoff’s analysis of how
