This book examines the remarkable increase of blacks at all levels of political life and makes the first systematic comparison of black and white elected officials. While observers have disagreed as to whether black politicians act differently from their white counterparts, little empirical work has been done because until recently there were few blacks in office. Leonard A. Cole's analysis of elected officials in New Jersey has an important bearing on the controversy.Originally published in 1976.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.