The Former Confederacy & Modern American Politics, Part Seven
While parts of this information does not just pertain to the former Confederacy, it is necessary to explain what was going on in the country and to set the stage for the political events in the southern states.
During the 1960s, the Civil Rights Movement began to often blend with anti Vietnam War protests on college campuses and in many cities. In the former Confederate states, where many white citizens already opposed the Civil Rights Movement, many of the same white citizens felt very comfortable opposing the antiwar protests, too. The overlap of protests (and many protesters), which often times ended in confrontations with police or campus authorities, made a number of Americans feel that there was a breakdown in law and order. As President Johnson prepared to run for reelection in 1968, he faced serious challenges from within the Democratic Party, primarily over his handling of the Vietnam War. After a narrow win in the New Hampshire Primary over Senator Eugene McCarthy (of Minnesota), Johnson made an announcement that stunned many Americans; he was withdrawing from the presidential race.
1968 proved to be a violent year, as the war continued, and with the assassinations of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee in April* and Robert F. Kennedy,** the brother of assassinated president, John F. Kennedy, and a Democratic primary candidate himself, in June. Protests at the Democratic Party Convention in Chicago turned violent and Americans were stunned by the images on their television screens of the violence outside the convention hall. Richard Nixon was the choice of Republicans to lead their ticket and he chose Spiro T. Agnew of Maryland as his running mate. Democrats finally had settled on Minnesotan Hubert Humphrey (who was the sitting vice president), and he chose Senator Edmund Muskie of Maine as his running mate. As if to confirm how divided the country was at the time, segregationist George Wallace of Alabama entered the presidential race under the banner of the American Independent Party, an action which struck at the very core of the Democratic Party coalition and which gave Nixon an excellent chance at winning.
George Wallace drew lots of support in the former Confederate states, and even elsewhere, as his typical speech played off of the prejudices of supporters, not only about race, but against the changing clothing and hair styles, as bell-bottom jeans and long hair were becoming increasingly common among men. Wallace's appearances drew protesters and as they shouted obscenities at Wallace, he would turn to them and say, "There are two four-letter words you people don't know: (and he would spell out) W-O-R-K and S-O-A-P." For a time, polls showed Wallace running ahead of Democrat Hubert Humphrey, but as election day approached, more Democrats got behind Humphrey and, when the votes were counted, it was pretty close.
Republican Nixon won 301 electoral votes and slightly less than 43 1/2% of the popular vote. Of the former Confederate states, Nixon won Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Democrat Humphrey won 191 electoral votes and slightly more than 42 1/2%, but he carried only Texas among the Confederate states. American Independent Wallace won 46 electoral votes and 13 1/2%. He carried five former Confederate states: Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. In the Senate, the Republicans (Edward Gurney) won a Florida race for the first time since Reconstruction. In the House of Representatives delegations, changes came in three of the former Confederate states, as Republicans made gains: North Carolina had 7 Democrats and 4 Republicans; Texas had 20 Democrats and 3 Republicans; Virginia had 5 Democrats and 5 Republicans.
* Reverend King was shot and killed by racist James Earl Ray, who died in prison in Nashville, Tennessee in 1998.
** Robert Kennedy was shot and killed by anti-Israel Jordanian Sirhan Sirhan, who had lived both in Jordan and in the United States. Kennedy was shot in Los Angeles in June, 1968 and he died the next day. Sirhan, now in his 70s, is serving a life sentence in California.
WORD HISTORY:
Lyre-The origin of this word for the stringed "harp like" instrument is unknown, but Greek had "lýra," which was used for the instrument. Latin borrowed the word as "lyra," and this was passed to Latin-based Old French as "lire." English borrowed the word from French in the early 1200s. The word is pronounced as if, "liar," so if you say you can play the instrument, but you can't, that would be, "Lyre, lyre, pants on fire!"
During the 1960s, the Civil Rights Movement began to often blend with anti Vietnam War protests on college campuses and in many cities. In the former Confederate states, where many white citizens already opposed the Civil Rights Movement, many of the same white citizens felt very comfortable opposing the antiwar protests, too. The overlap of protests (and many protesters), which often times ended in confrontations with police or campus authorities, made a number of Americans feel that there was a breakdown in law and order. As President Johnson prepared to run for reelection in 1968, he faced serious challenges from within the Democratic Party, primarily over his handling of the Vietnam War. After a narrow win in the New Hampshire Primary over Senator Eugene McCarthy (of Minnesota), Johnson made an announcement that stunned many Americans; he was withdrawing from the presidential race.
1968 proved to be a violent year, as the war continued, and with the assassinations of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee in April* and Robert F. Kennedy,** the brother of assassinated president, John F. Kennedy, and a Democratic primary candidate himself, in June. Protests at the Democratic Party Convention in Chicago turned violent and Americans were stunned by the images on their television screens of the violence outside the convention hall. Richard Nixon was the choice of Republicans to lead their ticket and he chose Spiro T. Agnew of Maryland as his running mate. Democrats finally had settled on Minnesotan Hubert Humphrey (who was the sitting vice president), and he chose Senator Edmund Muskie of Maine as his running mate. As if to confirm how divided the country was at the time, segregationist George Wallace of Alabama entered the presidential race under the banner of the American Independent Party, an action which struck at the very core of the Democratic Party coalition and which gave Nixon an excellent chance at winning.
George Wallace drew lots of support in the former Confederate states, and even elsewhere, as his typical speech played off of the prejudices of supporters, not only about race, but against the changing clothing and hair styles, as bell-bottom jeans and long hair were becoming increasingly common among men. Wallace's appearances drew protesters and as they shouted obscenities at Wallace, he would turn to them and say, "There are two four-letter words you people don't know: (and he would spell out) W-O-R-K and S-O-A-P." For a time, polls showed Wallace running ahead of Democrat Hubert Humphrey, but as election day approached, more Democrats got behind Humphrey and, when the votes were counted, it was pretty close.
Republican Nixon won 301 electoral votes and slightly less than 43 1/2% of the popular vote. Of the former Confederate states, Nixon won Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Democrat Humphrey won 191 electoral votes and slightly more than 42 1/2%, but he carried only Texas among the Confederate states. American Independent Wallace won 46 electoral votes and 13 1/2%. He carried five former Confederate states: Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. In the Senate, the Republicans (Edward Gurney) won a Florida race for the first time since Reconstruction. In the House of Representatives delegations, changes came in three of the former Confederate states, as Republicans made gains: North Carolina had 7 Democrats and 4 Republicans; Texas had 20 Democrats and 3 Republicans; Virginia had 5 Democrats and 5 Republicans.
* Reverend King was shot and killed by racist James Earl Ray, who died in prison in Nashville, Tennessee in 1998.
** Robert Kennedy was shot and killed by anti-Israel Jordanian Sirhan Sirhan, who had lived both in Jordan and in the United States. Kennedy was shot in Los Angeles in June, 1968 and he died the next day. Sirhan, now in his 70s, is serving a life sentence in California.
WORD HISTORY:
Lyre-The origin of this word for the stringed "harp like" instrument is unknown, but Greek had "lýra," which was used for the instrument. Latin borrowed the word as "lyra," and this was passed to Latin-based Old French as "lire." English borrowed the word from French in the early 1200s. The word is pronounced as if, "liar," so if you say you can play the instrument, but you can't, that would be, "Lyre, lyre, pants on fire!"
Labels: civil rights, Election 1968, English, etymology, George Wallace, Greek, Hubert Humphrey, Latin, Martin Luther King, Richard Nixon, Robert Kennedy
posted by Randy at 11:22 AM
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