In a paragraph of 3–5 sentences, describe the members of the Dixiecrats and their response to the legislation that outlawed segregation.
1 answer
The Dixiecrats were a faction of conservative Southern Democrats who opposed racial integration and the Civil Rights movement. In 1954, they were vehemently opposed to the Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, which declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional. As a response to federal attempts to end segregation, they formed a third political party, the States' Rights Democratic Party (also known as the Dixiecrats), and nominated South Carolina governor Strom Thurmond as their presidential candidate in 1948. Their platform embraced segregation and state's rights over federal intervention. They saw the outlawing of segregation as a violation of their states' rights and a threat to their traditional way of life.