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Prejudice & policy racial discrimination in the Union Army disability pension system, 1865-1906

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  • Wilson, S.E.

Abstract

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Wilson, S.E., 2010. "Prejudice & policy racial discrimination in the Union Army disability pension system, 1865-1906," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 100(S1), pages 56-65.
    • Handle: RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2009.172759_0
    DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2009.172759
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    Cited by:

    1. Dora L. Costa & Heather DeSomer & Eric Hanss & Christopher Roudiez & Sven E. Wilson & Noelle Yetter, 2017. "Union Army veterans, all grown up," Historical Methods: A Journal of Quantitative and Interdisciplinary History, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(2), pages 79-95, April.
    2. Wilson, Sven E., 2019. "Does adult height predict later mortality?: Comparative evidence from the Early Indicators samples in the United States," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 274-285.

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