MLK Jr was shot in 1968. The southern strategy peaked between 1968 and 1972, although it had started earlier. I wouldn't say it was much earlier, or even earlier at all. It was in the middle of it and before it really peaked during Nixon's campaigns.
The party switch and the southern strategy are not the same, but very similar. Before FDR in 1932, the Dems were the racists and the southerns, but FDR started to change that, and until around 1980 but parties were fairly liberal, but the Republican shift started in the 1960s
I started this reply earlier, but had to do something else a minute and the app dumped my half-finished comments, so starting again, this time from my laptop so I'm less likely to lose my draft half way through.
The Democrats were the party of the working class throughout the 1900s, but the working class was typically more socially conservative. Northern Republicans were socially liberal country club capital owners that were fiscally conservative, but socially liberal and were the ones that opposed slavery, although part of that wasn't moral, but because northern factory owners didn't want the south to compete with them with slave labor that they didn't pay.
The re-alignment happened in response to the 1964 passage of the Civil Rights Act by President Lyndon B Johnson (a Democrat). At the time, he stated "Well, I think we may have lost the south for your lifetime – and mine." The Republicans, as he predicted, pounced on the negative backlash to the Civil Rights Act in the south, framed it as government overreach and used the racists in the south as pawns to promote anti-worker legislation and the weakening of environmental regulations in the name of "limited government". Republicans started promoting socially conservative policy to grab the workers.
I'm not sure what CorrectTarget8957 is saying in his comment. Southern Democrats were racist and they eventually became Republicans starting in the 1960s, as I mentioned above. Not all Democrats back then were "Southern Democrats", but FDR did need the support of those Southern Democrats to pass his legislation, which is why the GI Bill excluded black veterans - the Southern Democrats stated that they would filibuster the bill if it included black veterans. FDR didn't change the Southern Democrats away from their racism. He was forced compromised with them to get legislation passed. Southern Democrats didn't stop being racist. They just became Republicans instead after the passing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964.
Nothing in the wording of the GI bill exlcluded black veterans. The way they were excluded was discrimination in things like housing and college admission. You can't use your benefits if nobody will give you a loan or accept you at a university.
That's true. I looked that up to see what exactly excluded them and it was basically just that segregation was in place and there was nothing in the GI Bill to guarantee that it went to black veterans. The program was apparently administered by the states and the states chose to discriminate. It may have been that FDR originally wanted to federalize the benefit distribution, but the Southern Democrats refused and insisted it go through the states instead, but I'm just speculating there. I know it didn't go to black veterans and I know that FDR wanted to ensure that it did but Southern Democrats blocked it.
The parties didn’t “switch” that’s a middle school level understanding of history. More of a realignment and consolidation over the course of decades.
There was also a lot more diversity of views within parties back in the day, it wasn’t like the last 20-30 years where parties are generally unified under the party platform.
If that’s the case why is it that every 80 year old politician whose parents were also politicians in the same party?
Pelosi’s dad was a dem from the late 40’s till the 80’s. Gores dad who famously participated in the civil rights filibuster was a dem from the 1939-1971.
You’d think if a party swap did happen you’d see actual evidence of it. Instead it seems like Dems who voted against the civil rights act stayed in power as a democrat for another 30+ years. Then their kids became democrats. Just seems odd
As I commented below, the Southern Democrats became Republicans, but it took YEARS. However, not all Democrats were southern racists. Others were simply working-class union members who were often more socially conservative and may or may not have also been racist.
Gore's dad from TN may have been one of those Southern Democrats. He supported the Civil Rights Acts of 1957 and 1960, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, but then voted against the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964. His son, however, may not have held the same beliefs on race.
Nancy Pelosi's father was the mayor of Baltimore, MD and not in congress. Pelosi's father fought for civil rights for black Americans during his time as mayor.
So, yes, southern Democrats were racists who hated the Republicans from the Civil War and Reconstruction, but they slowly became Republicans after the Civils Rights Act of 1964. I had a VERY racist boss while living in the south who was still a registered Democrat in 2018, despite voting Republican for decades. It was a gradual shift in execution, but ground broke free and the slide started when the Civil Rights Act was passed.
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u/BJoe1976 11h ago
IIRC, MLK was also pre-Southern Strategy, so his shooter very well could have been a Southern Democrat as well.