The Great White Switch

When looking back in history, it is clear that the Southern Whites made a complete 180 in their political stance in the 1900s. It is also true that the main reason for this is due to racial issues. All the Southern Whites were once Democrats. These Southern Democrats would do everything they could to prevent any Civil Rights legislation and they wanted to make sure Blacks received as little help as they could get. This was happening simply because Whites were protecting their interests, which at the time were holding their dominance over Blacks. Soon as these Southern Democrats became older, new Democrats came in, realizing that America needed a change which included bringing Blacks more rights. Now these Southern Whites had to find a new party to help conserve what they once had. Obviously, that opportunity rested in the conservative Republican party. The Republicans called for little change in politics and lawmaking, which would have prevented or slowed Black social growth. The Republican party also economically fit the Southern Whites' needs as well. After Ronald Reagan took power and put in his system of "Reaganomics," Whites were finally happy. They saw that this conservative outlook was perfect for them and finally they were unified as Republicans instead of Democrats. Unfortunately, all of this new Solid South was born from racial tensions.