The Significance of Affirmative Action for the Souls of White Folk: Further Implications of a Helping Model

Thomas Jefferson's Deepest Fear

So who was Thomas Jefferson? Thomas Jefferson was an American much like other White Americans who have a wolf by the ears. Just because Jefferson's words in the Declaration of Independence so elegantly state half of the equation of the American dilemma does not necessarily mean that he resolved that dilemma in his own life. His wildly variable behavior on the issue of race foreshadows the behavior of many of his countrymen and -women when it comes to the issue of race.

However, when all is said and done about the person of Thomas Jefferson, one fact is clear. Thomas Jefferson, despite all of the twists and turns of his soul, knew in the depths of that soul that slavery and the continued support of racial inequality by a nation was wrong. When confronted with the fact that his young nation would continue to support slavery, Thomas Jefferson voiced his deepest fear:

Indeed, I tremble for my county when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever. The Almighty has no attribute which can take side with us in such a contest. (Jefferson, 1782/1944, pp. 278-279).

A nation stands witness to the prophecy of Thomas Jefferson, a nation that has suffered through race riots, lynchings, apartheid conditions, and a civil war until today it remains a country with a soul divided. Jefferson clearly understood the risks involved to his soul and the souls of his fellow citizens when it becomes an accepted truism that only some citizens are created equal and only some citizens are endowed with the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

ANTHONY R. PRATKANIS was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, and was among the first generation of White Americans to benefit from school desegregation. He is the coauthor of Age of Propaganda: The Everyday Use and Abuse of Persuasion and coeditor of Attitude Structure and Function and of Social Psychology (Vols. 1-3).

MARLENE E. TURNER is Professor of Organization and Management at San Jose State University. A prolific researcher in the areas of diversity in organizations, threat, and small groups, her most recent book is entitled Groups at Work. Together, Turner and Pratkanis have coedited a special issue of Basic and Applied Social Psychology entitled Social Psychological Perspectives on Affirmative Action. Their research on affirmative action has been presented in numerous public forums, including the U.S. Capitol, the state Capitol of California, and the Baseball Hall of Fame, as well as to various civil rights organizations.

(*.) We thank Thomas F. Pettigrew for his guidance and comments.

Correspondence concerning this article should be sent to either Anthony R. Pratkanis, Department of Psychology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, or Marlene E. Turner, Department of Organization and Management, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA 95192.

References

Aboud, F. E. (1988). Children and prejudice. New York: Basil Blackwell.

Allport, G. W. (1954). The nature of prejudice. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.