AHC: Make African-Americans a solidly Republican voting group
- Thread starter Hcira1
- Start date
Not really so simple. 1932 was the last time a Republican won a majority of the Black vote. The New Deal was the start of the transition of Black Americans from voting R to voting D, something that was spurred on by later Democratic efforts on Civil Rights. I think to avert this trend, no Southern Strategy would be required, but also for the Republicans to shift economically to the left to support at least some New Deal measures and also start overtly supporting Civil Rights.
nbcman
Donor
Plus having Democratic presidents not acting such as FDR not issuing Executive Order 8802 prohibiting ethnic or racial discrimination in the nation's defense industry and Truman not issuing Executive Order 9981 abolishing racial discrimination in the US Armed Forces. If the Democrats are seen as anti-Civil Rights, the black vote would tend to the Republican side.
iirc the Dems got the black vote before they gave up the Solid South.
Do you think it would be viable if the Republicans stayed center-rightish on economics but dove hard into civil rights and ending Jim Crow.
This is one of those AH scenarios that's basically pissing against the tornado of larger historical forces. Given the material condition of African Americans in mid 20th Century USA, it was only logical that they would generally support economically interventionist policies. So unless you can get the party of Herbert Hoover to be the more left-wing of the two majors, black voters are going to be drawn to the New Deal Democrats, and subsequently the Democrats are going to become more attentive to their wishes on civil-rights etc.
I believe that actively supporting and progressing Civil Rights would go a long way, probably making Black Americans a "swing" demographic that both parties want to court. Economics is more difficult to say and would probably depend on what center-right would be. I think a New Deal accepting center-right may secure most of the Black vote (and a lot of the White vote for that matter) as those programs helped both curb the Great Depression and with poverty. The latter of those two would still disproportionately effect Black people because the POD is set after both the initial importation of African slaves and the failure of Radical Reconstruction, and a party that was accepting of the poverty relief would at least not leak support because they want to repeal popular social safety net programs.
First, you need to go back sometime, maybe a POD in the 1870s or 1880s (or maybe have the Lodge Bill pass somehow). Then you need to have someone less prone to Lily Whites being in the White House during the early 20th century as well as have them be very pro civil rights and determined to push an agenda that's beneficial to the african american community economically. Third, ensure no Woodrow Wilson esque figure, he set back Civil Rights decades or, if there is one, have all that they did revoked by the next guy in charge. Fourth, and most importantly, have a moderate or a liberal lead the Republicans during the GD, maybe have a Conservative Democratic reign of the 1920s that does the same mistakes as the Republicans in one way or another, and then have the party go for someone like CC Young or TR Jr in 1932. From there, anyone's guess.
Vast oversimplification of this very, very complex scenario that I'm sure someone else here could do better than me building upon.
Vast oversimplification of this very, very complex scenario that I'm sure someone else here could do better than me building upon.
Have Theodore Roosevelt win the Republican nomination in 1912 and then win the election. If he sticks with the platform of his OTL Progressive Party campaign, he could push the Republican Party in a more economically interventionist direction. Plus, even though TR was no egalitarian on racial matters, I doubt he would re-segregate the federal government like Wilson did.
GeographyDude
Gone Fishin'
This is a very interesting possibility.
Even if Republicans make inroads in the South, it’s still going to be the Solid South sending Democratic Senators she Representatives to Washington, as well as casting their electoral votes for Democratic candidates for president.
Maybe if the 20th Amendment which reduced the amount of lame duck time for presidents was a bolder amendment which also included the popular election of presidents?
Prevent the Great Migration. The movement of African-Americans into cities made them a target group for Democratic policies.
More like, before the Great Migration blacks weren't allowed to vote.
What if Charles Curtis gets the GOP nod in 36? His native American background will make him more sympathetic to civil rights.