With the election of former California governor Ronald Reagan to the presidency, the country was entering a decade of change that was soon to become known as the Reagan revolution. During the period between 1981 and 1989 President Reagan and his administration had a profound influence on the way Americans thought about themselves and the world at large. While the so-called Reagan revolution promised great things, and delivered many of them, it also had a downside. Not more than a year and a half into his presidency, Reagan was being criticized by civil rights leaders for his lack of motivation in ensuring that the rights of minorities continued to be diligently protected. Early in his administration he replaced the well-regarded head of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission with another person who was thought by many leaders of the civil rights movement as something of an "Uncle Tom,".....
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