The Southern Strategy was a Republican Party electoral strategy to increase political support among white voters in the South by appealing to racism against African Americans. It began in the 1950s and 1960s, as the civil rights movement and dismantling of Jim Crow laws visibly deepened.
The Southern Strategy was designed to create a national Republican majority, built in part on preserving Jim Crow from federal intrusion. The strategy worked, and the South flipped from solidly Democratic to solidly Republican within a decade.
What is the Southern Strategy?
The Southern Strategy was a combination of several strategies, including stoking racial resentment and antipathy to civil rights. The strategy was designed to appeal to white voters in the South by advocating against the New Frontier programs of President John F. Kennedy and in favor of a smaller federal government and states’ rights. The Southern Strategy was a cynical strategy that catered in subtle ways to the segregationist leanings of white voters.
The Evolution of the Southern Strategy
Today, the Southern Strategy is no longer used in the same way as it was in the past. However, some argue that a new Southern Strategy has emerged, which is based on appealing to the fears and prejudices of white voters.
Some argue that Donald Trump’s version of the Southern Strategy is an updated one for 2020, as he has increasingly made arguments about law and order and states’ rights the centerpiece of his campaign in the closing months of the election.
Others argue that the Southern Strategy is dead and that America’s future is more inclusive. Some argue it’s alive and well with its application being targeted at our LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities.
Impact of the Southern Strategy
The Southern Strategy had a significant impact on American politics. It helped to push the Republican Party much more to the right relative to the 1950s. The phrase “Southern Strategy” refers to the political realignment of the South, which suggest that Republican leaders consciously appealed to many white Southerners’ racial grievances to gain their support. This narrative of the Southern Strategy is still debated today.
Conclusion
The Southern Strategy was a political strategy that had a significant impact on American politics. While some believe it is no longer used in the same way as it was in the past, its impact is still felt today and is now targeted at marginalized communities. Those communities are being targeted by Republican politicians and their white evangelical Christian nationalist billionaire backers.