www.lafayettepublicpolicy@gmail.com "Why And When Black Voters
Began Voting As Democrats?"
Most black people know Abraham Lincoln was a Republican and black voters supported him and his party. However, today few people know or remember why and when black voters stopped supporting the Republican Party and started voting as Democrats. Black People have almost unilaterally accepted the perception that today, the Democratic philosophy offers more to the black voter than does the Republican philosophy. Is this a fact today, or is this a fact of yesterday? Why is it that every ethnic group in America has had the two major political parties seeking to represent them, but it has been the history of blacks since Reconstruction that they have been represented by one party and shunned by the other? Why is this? Read on for an explanation of events that shaped a nation. The following events are historical facts! Not opinion ! Hopefully, sharing these "facts" will help you to understand the plight of black people in the Americanization of former slaves. In an effort to provide a frame of reference regarding the historical events that transpired, please review the following (1) Creation of the Republican Party (2) Origin of the Democratic Party (3) The South becomes Republican Reconstruction was the attempt from 1863 to 1877 to resolve the issues of the American Civil War, after the Confederacy was defeated and slavery ended. "Reconstruction" is also the common name for the general history of the postwar era 1865 to 1877. Reconstruction addressed how secessionist Southern states would return to the Union, the civil status of the leaders of the Confederacy, and the Constitutional and legal status of the Negro Freedmen. Violent controversy erupted over how to tackle those issues. By the late 1870s Reconstruction had made some progress to provide the Freedmen with equal rights under the law. Several states kept constitutions rewritten during Reconstruction years for many years. Others used separate legislation to overturn some Reconstruction progress. Reconstruction came in three phases. Presidential Reconstruction, 1863-66 was controlled by Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson, with the goal of quickly reuniting the country. It can be said to have begun with the Emancipation Proclamation. Their moderate programs were opposed by the Radical Republicans, a political faction that gained power after the 1866 elections and began Congressional Reconstruction, 1866-1873 emphasizing civil rights and voting rights for the freedmen. A Republican coalition of freedmen, carpetbaggers and scalawags came to control in most of the southern states. In the Redemption, 1873-77, white Southern Democrats (calling themselves "Redeemers") defeated the Republicans and took control of each southern state, marking the end of Reconstruction. Radical Republican Charles Sumner argued that secession had destroyed statehood alone but the Constitution still extended its authority and its protection over individuals, as in the territories. Thaddeus Stevens and his followers viewed secession as having left the states in a status like newly conquered territory. Congress rejected Johnson's argument that he had the war power to decide what to do, since the war was over. Congress decided it had the primary authority to decide because the Constitution said the Congress had to guarantee each state a republican form of government. The issue became how republicanism should operate in the South, that is, how the freedmen would achieve citizenship, what the status of the Confederate states should be, and what should be the status of men who had supported the Confederacy. ![]()
![]() Honoring secret assurances made to moderate Southerners during the compromise negotiations, Hayes withdrew federal troops from those areas of the South still occupied, thus ending the era of Reconstruction (1866-77). In addition, he promised not to interfere with elections in the former Confederacy, thus ensuring a return of traditional white democratic supremacy. ![]() ![]() Many Jim Crow Laws were soon enacted and enforced. ![]() ![]() It was Franklin D. Roosevelt's promise to address the needs of a struggling economy by creating employment that converted most blacks to the Democratic Party. The New Deal of Franklin D. Roosevelt improved the lives of many Black Americans, but it did not endorse a civil rights policy. Roosevelt's Public Works Administration (PWA) created jobs for blacks though construction programs and neighborhood clean up; Harold Ickes, who, as a white man, had aided the NAACP in the 1920's, controlled it. Ickes encouraged the PWA committees to include Black Americans and end discrimination. The PWA helped to build houses, schools, and hospitals in the black communities. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) gave work to blacks that were interested in construction or the arts; in some cities, the number of jobs held by blacks exceeded the black population of that area. ![]() ![]() The Dixiecrats episode was one of the most significant third-party efforts in America's history. Truman won reelection, but the strong showing put forth by the Dixiecrats signaled impending changes in electoral politics. It was the most visible sign of the postwar erosion of the New Deal coalition. ![]() ![]() By 1960, with John F. Kennedy going up against Richard Nixon, the Democrats nailed down the younger black activists. It was JFK who made all the right symbolic gestures, offering public support for the Rev. Martin Luther King at a time when J. Edgar Hoover and conservative Republicans looked upon King as a troublemaker at best, a socialist at worst. Finally, blacks had a president that supported protecting their civil rights. Nixon had Jackie Robinson in his corner, and later, Sammy Davis, Jr., but these were passive signals to a black community that wanted an expanding economy, upward mobility, and a piece of the American dream. The Republican Party's regulars finally broke the Democratic hold on the presidency in 1968, with Richard Nixon, but the key to its success was the Republican "Southern Strategy," which finally broke the Democratic Party's Solid grip on the South. ![]() In no presidential campaign I'm aware of in the last half century has the National Republican Party budgeted funds for advertising in the black media to solicit black votes. Instead, some Republicans believe campaign funds should be handed out to black preachers and community activists to discourage them from urging their congregations to get out to vote -- because they of course will vote Democratic. Republicans deny doing any such thing, but that has been the mindset of GOP political operatives: Let the Democrats have the blacks, and we will get the whites.What do Black Americans want? Black People want an expanding economy, upward mobility, and a piece of the American dream. We want competition for our votes, which is what “empowerment” is all about. ![]() The opportunity to build a better future starts with a good job. It has always been that way. From the time when most people worked in the fields, through the Industrial Revolution and into the Information Age, the opportunity for work, the rewards from work, and the dignity of work have made Americans successful and America strong. “Black People believe that a strong America begins at home, with good jobs that support families and "Full civil rights without discrimination.” They believe in progress that brings prosperity for all Americans, not just for those who are already successful. We believe that good jobs will help strengthen and expand the Black Middle Class and enhance upward mobility in society. Black Americans believe the private sector is the engine of economic growth and job creation. Government's responsibility is to create an environment that will promote private sector investment, foster vigorous competition, and strengthen the foundations of an innovative economy”. What are blacks receiving? In the Democratic Party, blacks get to sit next to the kitchen. In the Republican Party, blacks get to sit inside the kitchen. Only when there is competition will blacks get seats up front, the way every other ethnic group has moved to the head table. A negative stigma called "racist-bigotry" has attached itself to the conservative label in the eyes of blacks, and conservative views have become a transgression among them. Dixiecrats are largely responsible for this. Yet, if we resort back to the traditional meaning of conservatism in its ethical sense it means "old fashion ways" in respects to family lifestyle, self-respect and respect for others and an honest and decent days work. To condemn conservatism means to condemn traditional values, without the added oppressive mindset of the racist. In other words, thinking conservative and voting conservative does not mean that one supports racism, though that is what many black-Americans believe. Republicans have done little to change this perception. Also, thinking democrat and voting democrat does not mean that one is anti-family or anti-Christ, though this is what many republicans believe. This atmosphere of confusion and division must not disillusion us. Confusion of this sort needs a logical approach. After all, we are all Americans. We may differ on how to do things, but we should all want the same things for our country and its citizens. ![]() In the future , both democrat and republican candidates will face more blacks asking, what can you do to improve my quality of life and address the issues of equality, opportunity, health-care, education, prosperity, drainage, traffic, crime, etc. These are issues that transcend party lines and seem to address basic human needs. One need not change parties as a price for receiving these basic benefits America offers all its citizens . A candidate who satisfies these needs will likely receive black voter support regardless of his party affiliation. If white Republicans truly want to shake the negative perception black voters have of the Republican Party, there is no better time than the present. If conservatism is to be promoted then it must be defined as inclusive of all. Conservatism must be distinguished from the racism we see. White Republicans must comprehend this dichotomy and make the necessary changes. Additionally, White Republicans must recognize that they do not have a monopoly on morals. Black voters have morals too. Commenting on the Republican Party of Abraham Lincoln, Republican leader Tom DeLay said that "when the GOP is able to help black candidates win elections, only then would the party begin to regain some authority on the issues of race and civil rights". I think more Republicans should consider this. List of Louisiana Governors Please send your comments to our news editor: lafayettepublicpolicy@gmail.com Fred Prejean (Essay: A compilation of historical facts) ![]() http://fredprejean.com/ |