William S. Cohen and Janet Langhart Cohen, CNN
- In 1835, Alexis DeTocqueville, in his seminal work, “Democracy in America,” prophesied that the abolition of slavery would not eliminate racial prejudice, which he declared was “immovable.”
Sen. Barack Obama, in running for the presidency of the United States, is challenging DeTocqueville’s bleak assessment of the human heart. It remains unclear whether the Illinois senator is on a hopeless mission, or whether the American people will decide to make history by breaking with it.
Any discussion of race or racism inevitably stirs uncomfortable reactions. America is, indeed, a nation of immigrants. Most of our ancestors came here in search of a better life.
