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Impact Of The Civil Rights Act Of 1968 On Democratic Representation In Tennessee

911 Words4 Pages

Amber Sherman
Dr.Baxter
POSC 312
29 November 2014
The Impact of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 on Democratic Representation in Tennessee
After signing the Civil Rights Act of 1968, President Lynden Johnson told his aide "We just gave the south to the republicans for the next forty years" This statement is at the root of a major argument that begs the question, Did the Civil Rights Act of 1968 effect the Democratic representation in Tennessee. The Civil Rights Act was arguably the most important of the many civil rights bills passed in the middle of the 20th century. The act itself outlawed many types of racial and sexual discrimination, including access to hotels, restaurants, and theaters. In the words of Vice President Biden, it was …show more content…

This is mostly attributed to the "Southern Strategy" or "The Solid South" and the New Deal Coalition. In the aftermath of the American Civil War the former Confederate states maintained a cohesive voting pattern for nearly a century. It became known as "The Solid South" and voted overwhelmingly for Democratic candidates for years. But as times, and party platforms, changed southern politics did too (PBS "Solid South"). One must realize that the Democratic views held in the 1950s until 1968 became the republican views there soon after. The southerners voting democrat at that time all had the same views, assuring black voters could not have a voice and continuing to oppress them. Another form of oppression used by white democrats at that time to suppress voter turnout were poll taxes, enforcing the grandfather clauses and simple …show more content…

The 1930s New Deal realignment reshaped the party system in many ways because it's known as the longest lasting coalition, aligning with multiple interest groups, races, political parties, and the south itself. The New Deal coalition put Franklin D. Roosevelt in the White House and the Democratic Party in control of Congress by combining support from the working class, various ethnic, and minority groups with already existing strength in the South. The ground for Democratic plea to blue-collar workers, low-income individuals, and recent immigrant groups, such as Catholics and Jews, was the party's liberalism in economic matters. President Roosevelt and the Democratic party heavily favored federal government activity to contest the Depression and proposed programs to benefit disadvantaged

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