Solid South

The phrase "Solid South" describes the reliable electoral support of the Southern United States for Democratic Party candidates for almost a century after the Reconstruction era. Except for 1928, when Catholic candidate Al Smith ran on the Democratic ticket, Democrats won heavily in the South in every Presidential election from 1876 until 1948 (and even in 1928, the divided South provided most of Smith's electoral votes). Today, however, the South is the stronghold for the Republican Party in Presidential elections.

Related Topics:
Southern United States - Democratic Party - Reconstruction - 1928 - Catholic - Al Smith - Presidential - 1876 - 1948 - Republican Party

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The Democratic dominance originated in many Southerners' animosity towards the Republican Party's role in the Civil War and the Reconstruction. It was maintained by the Democratic Party's willingness to accommodate the South's Jim Crow laws and racial segregation, under the rubric of "states' rights". Conversely, black voters, today largely committed to the Democratic Party, tended to support Republicans into the 1950s.

Related Topics:
Civil War - Jim Crow laws - Racial segregation - States' rights - 1950s

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