The History of the Dixiecrats

In 1948, Southern Democrats, angered by what they saw as their political party's capitulation to broad Civil Rights reforms, formed a splinter group called the States' Rights Democratic Party, also known as the "Dixiecrats."

History

At the 1948 Democratic National Convention, liberal Democrats led by Senator Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota pushed for strong Civil Rights reforms, including a repeal of the Jim Crow laws that had been a Southern tradition since 1876. After the measures had been adopted, 35 Southern Democrats left the party in protest and formed the Dixiecrats.

Platform

The Dixiecrats met in July of 1948 in Birmingham, Alabama, and selected a ticket of Strom Thurmond for president and Fielding L. Wright for vice president. The Dixiecrats' primary goal was to prevent both Democrats and Republicans from winning a majority in the electoral college, thus sending the decision to the House of Representatives.

Demise

In the 1948 presidential election, the Dixiecrats won only four southern states: Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina. According to The New Georgia Encyclopedia, the Dixiecrats were most popular in states where African-Americans were plentiful, but failed to gain traction in white-dominated states. After their election defeat, the Dixiecrats lost favor and disbanded, but many of the party's supporters gravitated to the Republican party, signaling an important electoral shift that still continues today.

References

• The New Georgia Encyclopedia: Dixiecrats
• U-S-History.com: Dixiecrats

Resources

• Encyclopedia Britannica: Dixiecrat