Democracy Quote by Eric Foner
““Especially in the Deep South, where Democratic victory was impossible without the neutralization of part of the black electorate, it also implied a revival of political violence. And, a noticeable shift away from support for state-sponsored modernization (the economic corollary of the discredited New Departure) accompanied the reemergence of white supremacist rhetoric. The depression heightened the attractiveness of retrenchment and tax reduction to white voters who associated expensive government with new state programs that primarily benefited corporations and blacks, and who feared that high taxes threatened both planters and yeomen with the loss of their land. And with Republicans proposing as an economic program little more than a milder version of “reform,” they had little to offer white voters to counteract Democrats’ racist appeals.64””
About This Quote
Source Book: Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution, 2014
Post‑Civil War Southern politics saw white voters shift to racist rhetoric and economic retrenchment as Democrats lost support among black voters
In simple terms: White voters turned to racism and tax cuts when Democrats lost black support
Key Takeaway
Understand how economic fear fuels extremist politics
Themes
history
politics
racism
Mood
reflective
critical
Type
historical
analytical
When to use this quote
- educational lectures
- policy analysis
- historical research
Key Concepts
electoral strategy
economic anxiety
racial politics
Questions to Reflect On
- How do economic and racial motives intertwine?
- What lessons apply to modern politics?
A Different Perspective
Economic arguments can be used to mask racial motives
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