To what extent does the Civil War affect politics today?

[Dob Bole]

Besides the obvious fact that it is still illegal for one person to own another, and "the party of Lincoln" is all Bush has to lean on when he speaks to the NAACP, does the Civil War really affect politics 140 years later? Many on DU would say that it does; I say not really.

This is not a thread to debate the merits of the Civil War. By doing a DU search (I can't, as my donor period has expired) you can find 1,999,666 threads on the Civil War. Instead, it is a thread to assess what impact the Civil War may have on politics today, and I welcome whatever useful input you may have.

Issue #1- Is the debate over states' rights a product of the Civil War?

Except maybe in the case of the now-retired Zell Miller, who considers himself a Southern officer-gentleman in his head, states' rights is not directly affiliated with the Civil War. The Democratic Party was founded by Antifederalists; Thomas Jefferson was the first Democratic President. The first talk of states' rights supremacy leading to secession did not arise from the South; many New England states discussed secession due to the War of 1812. Nevertheless, the Civil War settled the issue and states cannot secede. No serious talk of secession exists any longer (though people do make jokes.)

The modern debate over states' rights is usually due to a perception of the feds crossing the line, such as:

1) Highway funding, etc. being tied to making the states adopt certain laws (speed limit, drinking age, etc.)
2) Civil Rights issues, particularly same-sex marriage. A great level of suspicion of states' rights advocates - and rightly so- still exists because the argument was used in favor of segregation 50 years ago. Nevertheless, the argument is today used for convenience or is a tactical move- it is convenient for supporters of homosexual marriage to claim it as a states' rights issue in order to prevent a federal amendment banning it. Similarly, opponents of abortion would like it to be an issue for the states, so that conservative states can ban it.

Issue #2- The Solid South

After the Civil War, the economy in the South was destroyed, and Southerners were really mad. Between 1876 and 1976, hardly any Republican presidential candidates won any states in the South. The one-party system was open to corruption, but nevertheless Democratic- supportive of FDR, JFK, etc. (Besides Massachusetts, JFK recieved the highest percentage of votes in Georgia.) Does this have any bearing today? No, not really. Especially since 1984, Southerners have become really comfortable voting for Republicans. All states now have a two-party system, and Clinton actually evenly split the states between GOP and Dems. Since 1994, the South has become more Republican than Democratic...but this is by no means a reverse "Solid South" situation.

Issue #3- Groups that have claimed a legacy from the Civil War

1948- Strom Thurmond's States' Rights Democratic Party (or "Dixiecrats") appears to have had no lasting effect, considering that Southerners still did not vote for a single Republican until over 20 years later. Strom Thurmond continued to be racist, but now he has been a dead racist for quite some time. North Carolina elected John Edwards and the decidedly less segregationist Elizabeth Dole in his stead.

The Ku Klux Klan uses symbols of the Civil War frequently. However, they have not been influential in the Democratic Party presumably since 1948. As for Republicans, they are frequently ignorant of racial issues, even more frequently ignorant of what it's like to live in poverty, but even less frequently KKK members, David Duke notwithstanding. One former KKK member is still in office- Robert Byrd, who is really old and really repentent of his old lifestyle.

In the 1990s, the issue of Confederate flags, mostly added to state flags during segregation, was explosive. Now the issue is mostly settled.

In modern politics, the Civil War appears to have had only one recent, direct impact: In 2002, a small group of Democrats angry over the removal of Georgia's confederate flag tipped the balance of the gubernatorial election, electing Georgia's first Republican governor.

While some people would point out that some of the same states that voted for Bush seceded 140 years ago, it seems that the political effects of the Civil War have mostly (and finally) dissipated. The Civil Rights movement, on the other hand...let us hope the effects of that never wear off.

DB

[meegbear]

1. Homosexuals using the civil war to promote gay marriage

How Convieeenient.

[Dob Bole]

2. what?

tu es confus?

[meegbear]

3. LOL!

t is convenient for supporters of homosexual marriage to claim it as a states' rights issue in order to prevent a federal amendment banning it

Having a little fun with your words :hi:

[Davis_X_Machina]

4. Great...

...and seminal article on just this point, by Christopher Caldwell, from the June '98 Atlantic Monthly, which is subscription-only. A good summary, by the same author, of the piece is here: The Southern Captivity of the GOP.