Political Changes

8-7.3: Explain the changing politics in S.C., including the shift from the Democratic Party role of Strom Thurmond, in the Republican party, the increasing

political participation of African Americans & women, & the passage of the Education Improvement Act (EIA).

Democratic SC

• In the mid-20th century, political parties shifted in SC as a result of the evolving position of the Democratic Party on issues of race & other issues if interest to conserve Southerners.

• Why was SC & the South solidly Democratic prior to the emergence of the modern civil rights movements?

Quick Rewind• Lowcountry planters supported Federalist Party

in early years of republic• National Federalist waned- SC equalized• SC became predominantly Democratic-

Republican, then Democratic• Pre-Civil War Republican Party emerged• Reconstruction period –radical Republicans

attempted to reconstitute SC • SC blamed Republicans for the war and voted

solidly Democratic & became part of the “solid South”

SC & President Trust Issues• Conservative Southerners initially supported

the New Deal (FDR was a Democrat)• But, quickly became suspicious of FDR’s

northern black support (voters)• 1948, (post WWII) Harry Truman ordered the

desegregation of the military• Truman supported the inclusion of planks in

the Democratic Party platform (anti-poll tax, federal protection against lynching- aimed at rectifying the horrible conditions of blacks)

SC & President Trust Issues• Southerners got mad about federal intrusion

into “their matters” & walked out of the Democratic National Convention

• Formed their own party- Dixiecrats • Named Strom Thurmond their presidential

candidate (1948 election) 1:30• He was defeated & many Dixiecrats returned

to the Democratic Party• Marked the beginning of the end of the “soild

south”

The Political Switch-a-Roo• Thurmond holds record of 24 hrs & 18

min for his filibuster against the passage of a civil rights act that would provide federal protection for the right to vote (1957) *VIDEO

• Democrat presidents JF Kennedy & Lyndon Johnson supported the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 & the Voting Rights Act of 1965

• Many southerners withdrew their support for the President & Democratic Party after that

• Thurmond changed party affiliations to Republican (1964)

• SC has voted Republican since 1964 with only one exception in 1976- Jimmy Carter from Georgia

Facts of Congress: Filibuster (1:02)

Return to the Republican Party• Other factors:– Protest against the Vietnam War (unpatriotic,

affiliated with the Democratic Party)– Nixon campaign-:restore :law & order”; appealed

to conservative southern who feared the backlash of black power & anti- war movements

– Fundamentalist & evangelical churches organized politically as social conservatives & became a cornerstone of the growing conservative movement

African Americans • Supported the Republican Party that gave

them their freedom in Reconstruction Era• Consistently supported the Democratic Party

since 1960’s b/c of its support of civil rights• Make up about 28% of the population in SC

(2010 Census), giving them little impact on presidential election with the “winner-take-all” process of electoral votes to the majority

• Presently, African Americans hold 38 sets in the SC legislature

Women in Politics• Civil Rights Movement-reemergence of women’s

rights movement• SC finally ratified the (1920) 19th amendment in

1969• SC was one of ten states that failed to ratify the

Equal Rights Amendment causing it to fail• SC women have had prominent roles in government

including:– Served in Congress– Lieutenant Governor– Governor– Members of the state legislature; where 16 are currently

serving

Education Reform• To ensure continue economic growth,

successive governors backed state funding of a minimal level of education for all the state’s children funded by a sale tax

• SC business community addressed educational issues through the Education Improvement Act in the mid-1980’s

• Act called for a one cent sales tax increase to be used for education

• Graduation rates improved but inequality is still an issue & the Act has proved unstable

• State had cut funding in the last several years due to lower revenues- recession

• Wealthy districts are able to tap into local resources while poor districts unable to fully fund education for their children

• Achievement gap- years of discrimination in educational opportunity

• The Education Improvement Act (1980s) & the Educational Accountability Act (1990s) were passed to ensure that all SC children have an equal opportunity to learn

• NCLB Act-standards based accountability