Tuesday, January 14, 2020

The Dixiecrats

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Dixiecrats, also called States’ Rights Democrats, were members of a right-wing Democratic splinter group in the 1948 U.S. presidential election organized by Southerners who objected to the civil rights program of the Democratic Party. They consisted mainly of conservative white Southern Democrats. Some famous Dixiecrats included former governor Frank Dixon, Democratic Party chairman Gessner T. Mccorvey, textile magnate Donald Comer, and many more. 

The roots of the creation of the Dixiecrats lay in opposition to federal regulations they considered to interfere with states’ rights. They were concerned because they held so little power within the Democratic Party as a whole. However, Truman's stance on civil rights further provoked them to become and independent party. Because most of the Southern Democrats supported segregation, tension was increased when Truman decided to enact his civil rights legislation.

After being unable to prevent Harry Truman from recieving the nomination at the 1948 Democratic National Convention, around 6,000 people held their one and only convention. It was at Birmingham, Alabama, and mainly consisted of Democrats from South Carolina, Alabama, and Mississippi.

On July 17, 1948, they nominated Gov. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina for president and Gov. Fielding L. Wright of Mississippi for vice president. The Dixiecrats carried South Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama, to receive 39 electoral votes. Their popular vote totalled over 1,000,000. Despite their efforts, the Dixiecrat party was ultimately unsustainable. In 1950, the states' rights forces in Alabama lost control of the party to the national party loyalists.

Even though the Dixiecrats seemed like a failed party, its existence shifted many white southerners away from the Democratic Party. Although the Dixiecrats as a political party did not survive past 1948, many maintained the intellectual position provided by the Party to create new political institutions and alliances in a desperate attempt to prevent racial equality and maintain power.


Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Dixiecrat

1 comment:

  1. This is quite shocking and demonstrates to us how widespread racism was in American society back in the day. The fact that they created their own part just because Truman advocated for civil rights is, in my opinion, disgusting. While the Dixiecrats lasted for only a few months their impact on the South cannot be understated. If you take a look at some of the recent elections the South has remained largely Republican. its unfortunate the racism continues to exist today in America and is present in our everyday lives

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