How the War on Drugs Fueled Mass Incarceration

CrashCourse

This installment of Crash Course Black American History provides an in-depth analysis of the "War on Drugs," examining its origins, implementation, and devastating impact on Black communities in the United States. Hosted by Clint Smith, the video traces the evolution of drug policy from the "War on Crime" in the 1960s under LBJ, through the official declaration by Richard Nixon, to the escalation under Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. It highlights how policies that were ostensibly about public safety evolved into mechanisms of mass incarceration that disproportionately targeted Black and Brown Americans.