American Dilemma, An: The Negro Problem and Modern Democracy (Volume I)

(Volume 1) a 1944 study of race relations authored by Swedish economist Gunnar Myrdal and funded by The Carnegie Foundation. Myrdal's volume painstakingly detailed what he saw as obstacles to full participation in American society that African-Americans faced as of the 1940s. It was enormously influential in how racial issues were viewed in the United States, and it was cited in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case "in general." The book was generally positive in its outlook on the future of race relations in America, taking the view that democracy would triumph over racism. In many ways it laid the groundwork for future policies of racial integration and affirmative action.