ABSTRACT
Unlike the overwhelming majority of social scientists, Daniel Patrick Moynihan lived in the public arena no less than the professional world. Moynihan's sociology was to be scientifically grounded based on fact, and policy oriented based on human need. The hardest theoretical challenge Moynihan faced was trying to figure out why the "experience" of European immigrants did not work at all times for all peoples. There were many criticisms of Moynihan's methodology and the databases he used, allegedly resulting in an exaggeration of both the weakness of the men and the strengths of the women in black families. Historians rushed to prove that family solidarity was somehow maintained throughout the slave epoch. But despite all of the criticisms, the result was a commonsense acceptance of the policy recommendations of Pat Moynihan. Despite his increasing involvement and fame in the political arena, Pat remained very committed to academic and scholarly pursuits.
