Prejudice & policy: racial discrimination in the Union Army disability pension system, 1865-1906.
The Union Army disability pension was an early experiment in colorblind social policy. However, it shortchanged Blacks in 2 ways. First, the law was unable to account for the challenges Blacks faced in proving their eligibility because of the legacy of slavery and discrimination against Black troops during the Civil War. Second, the increasing leniency accorded White soldiers by the Pension Bureau was not extended in the same measure to Blacks. Active discrimination against Blacks resulted in part from local discretion, evidenced by the significantly lower approval rates for both White and Black veterans in the South. Furthermore, when Whites and Blacks claimed disabilities that were easily verifiable, outcomes were similar, but when verification required a degree of trust, Blacks fared considerably worse than Whites.
Public Policy Graduate Program, Brigham Young University, 830 SWKT, Provo, Utah 84602, USA. sven@byu.edu
Sven E
SE
Wilson
D001741:Black or African American; D047831:American Civil War; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000266:history / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D008889:Military Personnel; D010415:Pensions / Q000266:history*; D011287:Prejudice; D014728:Veterans