The Former Confederacy & Modern American Politics, Part Six

As the United States continued to struggle with desegregation and racial inequality during the 1960s, including violent confrontation in Birmingham, Alabama, as well as in many cities outside the former Confederacy, politically, the people of the former Confederacy "by and large" remained tied to their Democratic roots, although discontent continued with many Democratic leaders, including President Lyndon Baines Johnson (often known by his initials "LBJ"), who pushed for, and signed, legislation that prohibited discrimination against Black Americans and other minorities. This discrimination was used to interfere with, and stop, people's right to vote ("The Voting Rights Act of 1965"). While the Voting Rights Act covered the entire United States, there was no illusion as to its intent being mainly to be used in the southern areas of the country, where voting discrimination and outright intimidation had been a common practice against black Americans.

While the former Confederate states resisted change about racial matters, it is important to note that the demographics and population increase in some of these states also began to show marked change, especially in Florida, where many Cubans had fled Fidel Castro in the late 1950s and early 1960s, AND, where more and more Americans from the northern part of the country chose to make their home after retirement. Further, quite a number of people migrated to various parts of the American mainland, especially to Florida, from Puerto Rico.* In the midterm election of 1966, Republican Howard Baker won a Senate seat in Tennessee.** In Alabama, Democrats recaptured 2 House seats taken by the Republicans in 1964 (Result: 5 Democrats, 3 Republicans in the congressional delegation). In Arkansas, Republicans took their first congressional seat since Reconstruction (Result: 3 Democrats, 1 Republican). Also in Arkansas, New York Republican transplant, Winthrop Rockefeller,*** won the governorship. In Florida, the congressional delegation ended up: 9 Democrats, 3 Republicans, but Republicans won the governorship (Claude Kirk). In Georgia, the congressional delegation ended up 8 Democrats, 2 Republicans. Special note about Georgia: avowed segregationist, Democrat Lester Maddox, was elected governor. The election of Maddox showed that changing the racial politics of the former Confederacy was still a very difficult battle. In Louisiana, the Democrats remained firmly in control, with all 8 congressional representatives. In Mississippi the Democrats recaptured the congressional seat lost in 1964 (Result: 5 Democrats). In North Carolina, the congressional delegation was 8 Democrats and 3 Republicans. In South Carolina, the delegation remained 5 Democrats and 1 Republican. In Tennessee, the congressional delegation was 5 Democrats and 4 Republicans. In Texas, the congressional delegation was 21 Democrats and 2 Republicans. In Virginia, the congressional delegation was 6 Democrats and 4 Republicans. As you can see, while the Democrats were able to retake some congressional seats, the Republicans won other seats, and the GOP was actually beginning to become competitive in some House elections, as well as in some governor's races.  

* Puerto Ricans are American citizens by birth, but they cannot vote in the general election for president. However, if they move to one of the 50 states or District of Columbia, they can register and vote, just as any other American citizen. "If" Puerto Rico became a state, something that has long been talked about, then residents could vote right in Puerto Rico for president, and they would also have 2 United States Senators and voting congressional representatives in the House of Representatives. 

** Howard Baker would go on to become one of the best known politicians in the country.

*** His grandfather was famous oilman and the wealthiest man on Earth, for a time, John D. Rockefeller.     

WORD HISTORY:
Yon-This word goes back to Indo European "io(n)/ie(n)," with the notion of, "that, that one." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "jaino," with the meaning, "that one, that one over there, that one beyond here." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "geon," meaning, "that over there." This then became "yon." It later also became a shortened form of the related "yonder." Forms in the other Germanic languages: German has "jener," meaning, "that or that one over there, also," and also, "jene," simply the feminine form of "jener," but also the plural form; thus, "those, those over there"); Low German "apparently" no longer uses a form, but it did have "gene/jene," West Frisian "itjinge," meaning, "that thing, that object;" Dutch "ginds," meaning, "yonder, over there;" Icelandic "hinn," meaning, "the other, that other one," and it also developed into the definite article equivalent to English "the."