Racial Realignment: The Transformation of American Liberalism, 1932–1965

444 Pages·2016·5.5 MB·English

by  Eric Schickler

RACIAL REALIGNMENT
PRINCETON STUDIES IN AMERICAN POLITICS: HISTORICAL,
INTERNATIONAL, AND COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVES
IRA KATZNELSON, ERIC SCHICKLER, MARTIN SHEFTER, AND THEDA SKOCPOL, SERIES
EDITORS
A list of titles in this series appears at the back of the book
RACIAL REALIGNMENT
THE TRANSFORMATION OF AMERICAN LIBERALISM, 1932–1965
Eric Schickler
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS
PRINCETON AND OXFORD
Copyright © 2016 by Princeton University Press Published by Princeton University Press, 41
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ISBN 978-0-691-15387-2
ISBN (pbk.) 978-0-691-15388-9
British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available This book has been composed in Sabon
Printed on acid-free paper. ∞
Printed in the United States of America 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
Contents
List of Illustrations vii
Acknowledgments xi
CHAPTER 1 Introduction 1
PART 1
TRANSFORMING AMERICAN LIBERALISM
CHAPTER 2 Race: The Early New Deal’s Blind Spot 27
CHAPTER 3 Transforming Liberalism, 1933–1940 45
CHAPTER 4 Liberalism Transformed: The Early Civil Rights
Movement and the “Liberal Lobby” 81
PART 2
REALIGNMENT FROM BELOW: VOTERS AND MIDLEVEL PARTY ACTORS
CHAPTER 5 Civil Rights and New Deal Liberalism in the Mass
Public 101
CHAPTER 6 The African American Realignment and New Deal
Liberalism 129
CHAPTER 7 State Parties and the Civil Rights Realignment 150
CHAPTER 8 Beyond the Roll Call: The Congressional Realignment 176
PART 3
THE NATIONAL PARTIES RESPOND
CHAPTER 9 Facing a Changing Party: Democratic Elites and Civil
Rights 211
CHAPTER 10 Lincoln’s Party No More: The Transformation of the
GOP
237
CHAPTER 11 Conclusions 271
Notes 287
Index 351
Illustrations
FIGURES
3.1 CIO News takes on Nazi threat to labor unions and racial minorities,
1938 60
3.2 Number of Chicago Defender stories linking CIO or affiliates with
African Americans 65
3.3 Proportion of southern and northern Democrats depicted as critical
of Roosevelt administration or New Deal 75
5.1A Democratic vote choice and support for federal intervention against
lynching, 1937–50, northern whites 107
5.1B Economic liberalism and support for federal intervention against
lynching, 1937–50, northern whites 107
5.1C Economic liberalism and support for federal intervention against
lynching, 1937–50, southern whites 108
5.2A Democratic vote choice and support for poll tax ban, 1940–53,
northern whites 110
5.2B Economic liberalism and support for poll tax ban, 1940–53,
northern whites 110
5.2C Economic liberalism and support for poll tax ban, 1940–53,
southern whites 111
5.3A Democratic vote choice and support for fair employment policies,
northern whites 115
5.3B Economic liberalism and support for fair employment policies,
northern whites 115
5.3C Economic liberalism and support for fair employment policies,
southern whites 116
5.4 Racial liberalism and liberalism on labor and nonlabor economic
issues, 1937–50, northern states 117
5.5 Demographic characteristics and support for antilynching
legislation and FEPC 123
5.6 Presidential vote and views on antilynching legislation and FEPC,
by demographic group 125