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How important were Southern Democrats at hindering black civil rights? -…
How important were Southern Democrats at hindering black civil rights?
Party Organisation in the USA
federal government responsible for foreign policy, national defence, interstate crime prevention and interstate commerce and trade. state governments responsible for activities such as education and law and order.
Party system in USA represented the divisions of power. Each state had its own party organisation is applied to both the Democrat and Republican parties and the state-based party organisations got together once every four years to elect to President and Vice President
USA= federal system of government. political power shared between a central or federal government based in Washington DC and state governments- 48 between 1933- 1941.
The Democratic Party had a very wide variety of political views and government needed US politics through crucial times such as the new deal years. In the northeast of the USA ,in states such as New York and Massachusetts, main influences in the party = Irish Italian and German Americans - adopted a liberal policy towards social reform and race relations. In comparison in the southern states the main influence in the Democrats' state parties were white Americans- favoured legal racial segregation.
In the years before 1933 The Democrat Party was united by their support for strong local state governments . The Democrat Party dominated Southern State government since the end of Reconstruction in 1877. every election after 1877 Democrats how controlled Southern State governments I'm sent Democrat Congressman and sentences to Washington DC. Nov 1932 - Congressional elections the Democrats won all the seats of the House of Representatives in all former Confederate states And every senate that was up for election.
democrats were controlled southern politics for a a number of reasons. firstly the Republican party was associated with the Northern side that freed salves in 1865 after the Civil War and was also responsible for the military occupation in the South under Reconstruction. secondly Democrat state governments after 1887 introduced laws that discriminated against black Americans and by 1933 disenfranchised large numbers of potential black voters. Finally, Democrat controlled state governments ensured they kept power through gerrymandering a process whereby state governments decided the boundaries of state government constituencies and congressional district boundaries. Drawn it away to ensure they maximise the possibility of Democrats winning as many seats as possible
The impact of southern Democrats during the New Deal, 1933-41
the major politician problem behind the Conservative Manifesto was democrat senator for North Carolina, Josiah W. Bailey- entitled 'An Address to the people of the United States and demanded a limitation to high federal spending on New Deal programmes. led to an informal southern democrats and republican to oppose any major social and economic reform. supported limited federal governments , complete independent Supreme Court and state government. The Conservative Manifesto was able to get support from Republican and Southern Democrat politicians because 1937-1938 - saw return to economic recession, coined the Roosevelt recession, Bailey blamed on the federal governments excessive spending on social programmes. 1937 to 41, southern democrats and republicans allies helped to limit any futher major deal.
Southern Democrats throughout the 1930s, used Racism to win support of the white vote. 1935, a former government of Mississippi, Theodore Bilbo elected to US senate. His support for racism towards black Americans went so far as to lead him to introduce an amendment to help relieve unemployment and distress for all Americans so that federal funds would be made available to deport all black Americans to liberate in West Africa.
Concern over the increase in federal and in particular presidential power led to growth of opposition among some southern democrats.attempts by FDR to change the composition of US Supreme Court the Judicial Processes reform bill of 1937 (court packing plan of 1937) led to major change in Democrat Party. Roosevelt's efforts to change the composition of the Supreme Court build and led to the publication of what was in the media as conservative manifesto in Dec 1937.
Southern Democrats ensured that New Deal programme benefited White Americans. also ensured no attempt was made by the federal government to interfere with Jim Crow Laws. Roosevelt's need for southern Democrat support for his New Deal measures, in the years 1933-37 ensure that the great social and economic reforms of the New Deal did not lead to my extension of the civil rights for black American. Southern Democrats able to do this as they controlled most of the committees of Congress. The House Ways and Means Committee and House Rules of Committee decided whether a bill could be debated in the House of Representatives. From 1937 to 1941 , informal conservative coalition of Southern democrats and Republicans ensured that the radicalism of the early New Deal of 1933 to 1937 came to an end.
rapid increase In federal government power That's right of the new deal program such as the National Recovery Administration (NRA), the public works administration (PWA) and federal banking laws cause upset among Democrats. Party traditionally supported state governments I was supposed to big federal government. 1935 Democrat presidential candidate of 1928 Al Smith of New York State actually joined the Liberty League and organisation opposed to the New Deal.
When FDR run for office President in 1932 he picked John Nance Garner of Texas Southern Democrat as his vice president running mate. The aim was to secure Southern representatives in 1931 Going to prove to be a valuable ally of FDR ensuring the new deal legislation passed through Congress. 1936 FDR one by landslide winning 46 of the 48 states Garner was also Vice President during these elections. Garner worked closely with Roosevelt And bringing about Mitchell major social and economic reforms associated with the new deal. Garner ensured FDR did not upset the southern white dominance of the Southern States This included the use of white primaries in the Texas Democrat Party. .Democrats dominated in the state's government so whoever was chosen in the Democrat primary election would invariably win the main election against other parties. white primary= primary election in the Southern States of the USA in which only white voters could participate.
within US system of government President had limits to his political power. Poss legislation had to go and support from both the House of Representatives and the Senate. powerful committee chairs person could damage the president's program by either rejecting amending or slowing down the process of his proposal. Ultimately this meant the president's most important skill was his ability to persuade those in Congress to support him.
Nov 1932- presidential elections Franklin D Roosevelt won by 57.4% of the popular vote gaining 22.8 million votes compared to his Republican opponent Herbert Hoover who won 15 million votes .The Electoral College vote widened the margin of history .FDR won 472 electoral college votes compared to Hoover's 59.
Party Organisation in the US congress
House ways and Means Committee decided which bill ought to go to which committee and then the House Rules Committee decided on procedure.
allocation of committee chairpersons made under the seniority principle. this meas that those members of Congress and senators with the longest service where made chairpersons. as a result from 1933, committee system of congress dominated by southern democrats.
Chairperson of these committees in the House of Representatives had considerable power.
for instance chair of the House of Judiciary committee in 1927= Hatton Towers of Texas who was against any introduction of Anti-Lynching laws, used his authority to prohibit most attempts. It took the known southern Democrats on the Judiciary Committee to an hour allow an anti-lynching bill to be discussed in the House of Representatives since in 1937- 38
US congress dominated by committee system. Each Major branch of Gov had a relevant committee in the House of Representatives and the Senate- scrutinise the working of government gov department. each congressional committee discussed proposals for legislation known as Bills linked to relevant gov departments.