Debating
the Moynihan Report, 50 Years Later
By Patrick Horan
A half-century ago, Assistant Labor
Secretary Daniel Patrick Moynihan presented "The Negro Family: The Case For National
Action." The document, which become known as
simply the "Moynihan Report," argued that the decline of the
two-parent family had exacerbated poverty, unemployment, and other social ills
in black communities. Moynihan advocated a new national goal: family stability
for African-Americans.
Much has happened since 1965. On
Tuesday in Washington, D.C., the Manhattan Institute will host a symposium,
"Prospects for Black America," to discuss the issues of the report as
they stand today. The event is open to the public (see more details and
register here),
and among the participants will be political leaders, distinguished
journalists, and policy experts from across the political spectrum.
A sociologist by training, Moynihan
cited statistics demonstrating higher rates of illegitimacy and welfare
dependency and declining rates of marriage within black communities. Building
upon an argument advanced by black sociologist E. Franklin Frazier, Moynihan
posited that the lack of father figures in black communities could be traced
back to slavery, and that urbanization had increased this problem, as urban
environments were more conducive to family dysfunction, crime, and other
problems.
According to Moynihan, the breakdown
of the black family had created a vicious cycle. An increase in illegitimacy
makes it more difficult for parents to finish their education. Low education,
in turn, leads to low incomes and fewer opportunities for children. The cycle
repeats.
Presented a little over a year after
President Lyndon Johnson's declaration of the War on Poverty, the Moynihan
Report is popularly cited by many on the right as a critique of welfare policy,
but Moynihan was no welfare opponent. The sociologist was a Democrat who
believed that government should play an active role in addressing economic
inequalities, but he also believed in the importance of the traditional family.
Many on the left, meanwhile, have taken a critical view of the document, accusing
it of everything from victim-blaming to cultural bias to sexism (given its
emphasis on the importance of fathers).
In other words, the Moynihan Report
remains controversial 50 years after its release. The event Tuesday will be an
opportunity to continue the debate.
Patrick Horan is a research
associate at RealClearPolitics and a contributor at RealClearHistory.
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