The South and the Transformation of U.S. Politics

Abstract

Abstract Analyzing and explaining the transformation of U.S. politics since the explosive events of 1968 requires particular attention to the South—the states of the former Confederacy. Indeed, a strong case can be made that the South has had the greatest impact on the transformation of U.S politics and government. Since 1968 we have seen the demise of the “sold (Democratic) South” and the rise of the Republican-dominated South, the rise of the largely southern white evangelical religious right movement, and vast demographic changes that have altered the political landscape of the region and national politics. Overriding all of these changes is the major constant of southern politics—race. Demographic trends portend new major shifts in the politics of the South that will have profound impacts on US government and politics. The chapters in this book explain how the South has fundamentally changed in the past half century and how that has dramatically altered US national politics.