Phyllis talked with Dr. Jonathan Bean on the October 10 program about his book, called Race and Liberty in America: The Essential Reader. Dr. Bean is a professor of history at Southern Illinois University Carbondale who received his Ph.D. from Ohio State University.

Dr. Bean explained that conservatives, as a whole, have not explored race issues. However, the Democratic party does not have any sort of monopoly fighting for civil rights: "In fact, nothing could be farther from the truth."

Some examples Dr. Bean gave included a document showing that Herbert Hoover did quite a bit to desegregate the federal government.

Many desegregation efforts weren't even government-mandated, such as when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball.

One of Dr. Bean's main points is that many of the abolitionists were motivated by their Christian faith. He also insists that the word "liberal" once described people who supported individual liberty as defined by the Constitution, which would be identified as a more conservative ideology today.

A caller asked why groups that have been discriminated against, such as minorities and women, shouldn't have special treatment now. Dr. Bean explained that if we do that, we're ignoring all the people in the past who have fought for civil rights. He also explained that some of the measures aimed to help blacks have actually helped immigrants more, such as Mexicans and Asians.

To find out more about Dr. Bean's book, visit www.independent.org or your local bookstore.

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