The Oxford Handbook of Southern Politics

by Bullock III, Charles S.; Rozell, Mark J.

• ISBN13: 9780195381948
• ISBN10: 0195381947
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-02-17
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

The unique political history of the Southern United States is rooted in the fact that it is the only region to have ever taken up arms against the national government. While the resources of the North prevailed after the four bloody years of the Civil War, the consequences of the practice of slavery and the bitter loss experienced by the South continue to shape southern politics a century and a half later. The twenty-three essays included in The Oxford Handbook of Southern Politicspresent a definitive view of the factors that contribute to this region's distinctive politics, examining these factors in the context of the South's political development since World War II. Following an introductory essay by editors Charles Bullock III and Mark Rozell, five chapters survey the past seventy-five years of the region's political history, looking in particular at the Civil Rights Movement, urbanization of the South, and the area's economy and changing demographics. Four chapters will then take a closer look at the influence of particular demographics, including religious conservatives, women, and Latinos. This will be followed by chapters on the rise of the Republican Party, southern political attitudes, and political and economic development in the Southern Black Belt. Subsequent chapters will examine political parties, voting and elections, including party organizations and activists, the mainstreaming of the Republican Party, realignment, party building, and Deep South politics. The five chapters of the final section will look at the South's impact on national politics, at the executive and congressional levels, legislatively and on the nation more generally.

Author Biography

Charles S. Bullock III is Richard B. Russell Professor of Political Science at the University of Georgia.

Mark J. Rozell is Professor of Public Policy at George Mason University.

Table of Contents

About the Contributors

Introduction

The Evolving Politics of the South

Demographics and Political Attitudes

Southern Politics at the Time of V. O. Key

The South's Changing Demographics

Urbanization of the South

The Southern Economy

Religious Conservatives and the Transformation of Southern Politics

Race, the Civil Rights Movement and Southern Politics

Women in Southern Politics

Buenas Dias, Y'all: Latinos in the South

Gerrymandering and the Republican Conversion of Southern State Legislatures

Southern Political Attitudes

Politics and Economic Development in the Southern Black Belt

Political Parties, Voting and Elections

Realignment

Southern Party Organizations and Activists

The Republican Party in the American South: From Radical Fringe to Conservative Mainstream

Party Building in the South through Conversion

Minor Party Presidential Candidates and Southern Politics: A Regional Comparison

Deep South Politics: The Enduring Racial Division in National Elections

Southern Impact on State and National Politics

The Impact of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act on Southern Politics

Enforcing Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act

The South and Presidential Elections

Southern Influence in Congress

How the South Has Influenced the Nation

Index

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