American Public Policy: Federal Domestic Policy Achievements and Failures, 1901 to 2022

by Dennis W. Johnson

Overview

This is a sweeping narrative of American domestic public policy—its triumphs, struggles, and failures over the past 120 years. In a larger sense, it is a reflection on how the United States has grown and matured, faced challenges and opportunities, and how its federal leaders and policymakers have responded or failed to confront pressing problems. Moreover, American Public Policy addresses the hurdles and challenges that still lie ahead.

Four critical questions are posed and answered. First, what were the most significant adversities endured by the American people? Second, what were the landmark domestic policies crafted by the president, enacted by Congress, or issued in Supreme Court decisions? Third, what did they fail to do? Finally, how well have federal policymakers met the key challenges facing America: income inequality, racism, financial crises, terrorist attacks, climate change, gun violence, and other pressures? And what do we still need to do?

This book reaches out to students of public policy, American government, US history, and contemporary affairs, as well as to citizens, journalists, and policy practitioners.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781032276137
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	09/15/2022
Pages:	538
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Dennis W. Johnson is Professor Emeritus, Graduate School of Political Management, George Washington University. He has written six books (with several second and third editions) and edited four others. Most relevant to this current book is The Laws That Shaped America (Routledge, 2009), which focused on fifteen laws—from the Northwest Ordinance (1789) to the Voting Rights Act (1965) and the National Environmental Policy Act (1970)—which were foundational in the shaping of American life.

Over the course of thirty-five years of teaching, writing, and research, Johnson has focused on American government and domestic public policy. He has been the Director of the Masters in Legislative Affairs program and Associate Dean of the Graduate School of Political Management at GWU.

Throughout the years, he has taught both graduate and undergraduate courses on public policy, executive–legislative relations, federal budget-making policy, energy and environmental policy, the presidency, and American national government.

Table of Contents

About the Author xi

Photos xii

Acknowledgments xiv

Introduction 1

Part I The Early Years of the Twentieth Century 9

1 The Progressive Era Begins: 1901-1912 11

2 Success and Backlash of Progressive Policy: 1913-1920 39

3 The Return to "Normalcy" and the Onset of the Depression: 1921-1932 68

4 The New Deal: 1933-1941 99

Part II The War Years, Post-War and Modern America 139

5 War, Recovery, and Readjustment: 1941-1952 141

6 America at Midcentury: 1953-1960 178

7 The New Frontier and Great Society: 1961-1968 209

8 Watergate, Distrust, and Malaise: 1969-1980 252

Part III Polarization, Growing Inequality, and Difficult Choices 285

9 Conservative Dominance: 1981-1992 287

10 Coming Into the Twenty-first Century: 1993-2000 320

11 Vulnerable America: 2001-2008 349

12 Polarized America: 2009-2016 388

13 Democracy Challenged: 2017-2022 424

14 The Arduous Road Ahead 465

Appendix A Stresses on Society 492

Appendix B Key Policies, 1900-2021 497

Appendix C Policies Delayed or Denied 506

Index 510

Editorial Reviews

Praise for American Public Policy

"Dennis Johnson has written a brilliant policy history that will withstand the test of time: sweeping in scope, honest in its findings, and an essential primer for marking gains and losses as new policies arrive and old policies seek renewal. It will be the key reference work for decades to come."

—Paul C. Light, New York University

"Professor Dennis Johnson has written an outstanding historical analysis of over ninety national landmark domestic policies crafted by the president and enacted by Congress and over sixty Supreme Court decisions from the beginning of the twentieth century through Biden’s first year in office. It provides a unique and definitive overview of the most significant domestic policies, how they were formulated and implemented, and whether they were successful or not. This should be required reading for anyone studying American public policy."

—James A. Thurber, American University

"American Public Policy is essential for political scientists, historians, and policy wonks. It has everything a student of public policy is looking for – broad coverage yet incredible detail, historical context with modern relevance, and much more. This book represents one of the most comprehensive accounts of public policy there is. It tracks policy development – including the societal circumstances that bring about policy change – as well as what the policies meant. While attention to what went right with public policy is important, the attention to policy failures sets this book apart; it fits the adage that we learn more from our failures than our successes. In short, Dennis Johnson has delivered another outstanding volume."

—David Dulio, Oakland University

"Dennis Johnson’s American Public Policy is a sweeping retelling of the high points – and low points – of our country’s efforts to make policies that embody the American dream. This is an engaging book that should be read by those with no familiarity with policy history and for those who thought they knew it all. Johnson reminds us that our government has often stood in its own way of achieving justice for all – the long road to real child labor laws, states denying funds to public schools trying to integrate – making the case that the American story is as messy now as it has always been."

—Robin Kolodny, Temple University

Praise for American Public Policy

"Dennis Johnson has written a brilliant policy history that will withstand the test of time: sweeping in scope, honest in its findings, and an essential primer for marking gains and losses as new policies arrive and old policies seek renewal. It will be the key reference work for decades to come."
Paul C. Light, New York University

"Professor Dennis Johnson has written an outstanding historical analysis of over ninety national landmark domestic policies crafted by the president and enacted by Congress and over sixty Supreme Court decisions from the beginning of the twentieth century through Biden’s first year in office. It provides a unique and definitive overview of the most significant domestic policies, how they were formulated and implemented, and whether they were successful or not. This should be required reading for anyone studying American public policy."
James A. Thurber, American University

"American Public Policy is essential for political scientists, historians, and policy wonks. It has everything a student of public policy is looking for – broad coverage yet incredible detail, historical context with modern relevance, and much more. This book represents one of the most comprehensive accounts of public policy there is. It tracks policy development – including the societal circumstances that bring about policy change – as well as what the policies meant. While attention to what went right with public policy is important, the attention to policy failures sets this book apart; it fits the adage that we learn more from our failures than our successes. In short, Dennis Johnson has delivered another outstanding volume."
David Dulio, Oakland University

"Dennis Johnson’s American Public Policy is a sweeping retelling of the high points – and low points – of our country’s efforts to make policies that embody the American dream. This is an engaging book that should be read by those with no familiarity with policy history and for those who thought they knew it all. Johnson reminds us that our government has often stood in its own way of achieving justice for all – the long road to real child labor laws, states denying funds to public schools trying to integrate – making the case that the American story is as messy now as it has always been."
Robin Kolodny, Temple University

From the Publisher