Dick Gregory's Political Primer (eBook)

A unique and timeless guide to American government and its electoral processas relevant today as when it was first published in 1972from the voice of black consciousness, cultural icon Dick Gregory, the incomparable satirist, human rights and environmental activist, health advocate, social justice champion, and author of the NAACP Image Awardwinning Defining Moments in Black History: Reading Between the Lies and the classic bestseller Nigger: An Autobiography.For most of his life, Richard Claxton Dick Gregory worked to educate Americans about the issuesand the forces of powershaping their lives. A brilliant and informed student of the American experiment, he viewed and understood politics with an acuity few possess. Nearly fifty years ago, on the eve of Richard M. Nixons reelection, he wrote a classic guide to the American political system for ordinary folks. Today, when American democracy is threatened, his primer is more necessary than ever before.In Dick Gregorys Political Primer, Gregory presents a series of lessons accompanied by review questions to educate and empower every citizen. He provides amusing, concise, and clear information and commentary on the nature of political parties, the three branches of government and how they operate, how the campaign process works and the costs, and more. Gregory offers imaginative comparisons such as the HueysLong, the populist Louisiana governor and Newton, the cofounder of the Black Panthersand numerological parallels between Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. He also includes a trenchant glossary that offers insights into some of the major players, terms, and institutions integral to our democracy and government.An essential guide to American history unlike any other, Dick Gregorys Political Primer joins the ranks of classics such as Howard Zinns A Peoples History of the United States, and is essential reading for every American.