Which statement best describes the reason Roosevelt did not pursue broader civil rights reforms for Black Americans?

Which statement best describes the reason Roosevelt did not pursue broader civil rights reforms for Black Americans?

• A. He feared disturbing the South by upsetting the balance of power between Black and white landowners.
• B. He was too focused on other programs and reforms.
• C. He did not care about civil rights and African Americans' welfare.
• D. He lacked the constitutional authority to challenge Southern Democrats.

Answer: (A)

The key idea is political strategy within a fragile governing coalition. FDR needed the support of Southern Democrats in Congress to pass his New Deal relief and reform programs during the Great Depression. Pushing broad civil rights reforms for Black Americans risked alienating those Southern lawmakers and white voters, which could block or weaken the legislation he was trying to enact. So he chose to limit civil rights actions to avoid breaking apart the coalition that made his economic programs possible. He did take some incremental steps and appointed a few African American advisors, but he avoided sweeping reforms to protect the overall program. The other options miss the central point: Roosevelt wasn’t opposed to civil rights in principle, and he did have authority to act, but he judged the political costs of a broader push to be too high given the need to pass New Deal reforms.

The key idea is political strategy within a fragile governing coalition. FDR needed the support of Southern Democrats in Congress to pass his New Deal relief and reform programs during the Great Depression. Pushing broad civil rights reforms for Black Americans risked alienating those Southern lawmakers and white voters, which could block or weaken the legislation he was trying to enact. So he chose to limit civil rights actions to avoid breaking apart the coalition that made his economic programs possible. He did take some incremental steps and appointed a few African American advisors, but he avoided sweeping reforms to protect the overall program.

The other options miss the central point: Roosevelt wasn’t opposed to civil rights in principle, and he did have authority to act, but he judged the political costs of a broader push to be too high given the need to pass New Deal reforms.