Why would Democrats leave the Democratic Party and become Republicans after the Civil Rights Act?

Question

I keep reading this piece of ridiculous propaganda and I why people would believe it.

The basic propaganda is:

After the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which the majority of Democrats from the North and South opposed, some Democrats left the Democratic party and became Republicans.

Historically the Republicans have always been the Anti-Slavery, Pro-Civil Rights party.

Historically Democrats have always been the Pro-Slavery, Anti-Civil-Rights party.

Why would Democrats, supposedly those who opposed the Civil Rights Act, leave the Historically Anti-Civil-Rights party and join the Historically Pro-Civil-Rights party?

I don't understand how anyone could believe that.

here may have been one or two Congressional Democrats who opposed the Civil Rights Act in 1964 and who joined the Republican Party, but, certainly not the majority of Anti-Civil-Rights Democrats in Congress.

Why believe this obvious propaganda?

Thanks.

I don't get it. Democrats support slavery, oppose civil rights, imprison Japanese Americans for ethnic reasons, establish HUAC to create a commie black list and blame it on a Senator (another ridiculous bit of propaganda) and people say Democrats are not Pro-Slavery and Anti-Civil Rights. I don't get it.

Did someone wake up one day and say "Hey, I'm anti-civil rights so I will join the pro-civil-rights political party!" Does that make sense to anyone?

Moody Red, I agree with you. I also agree that people may have changed ideologies because they "grew up", I know my ideology has matured as I have.

The the propaganda is that anti-civil rights people left the anti-civil rights party and joined the pro-civil rights party to make it anti-civil rights.

Why would Dems do that, even more, why would anyone believe that Dems would do that?

It makes no sense to me that anyone would believe that.

Perplexed Bob does make some good points in regards "liberal" and "conservative", however from what I have seen people who think of themselves as "liberals" tend to label people they agree with "liberal" and those that disagree with them as "conservative" without any regard to political issues or stances.

In other words the whole "liberal", "conservative" issue is ridiculous and I have no use for it.

So far the only answers are essentially, "because it's true" or "because they are uneducated".

I tend to believe the later based on the propaganda published.

For example the "Southern vote" numbers had nothing to do with being North or South, it had to do with being a declared member of the Confederacy, supposedly, and those numbers are incorrect. Wikipedia is a lousy source.

http://caswellgop.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2&Itemid=1

The following article was taken from the National Black Republican's newsletter dated Monday, August 14, 2006.

by Frances Rice

It should come as no surprise that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Republican.

Answer 1

http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/imagegallery.php?EntryID=K028

To those who believe the Democratic party is not the racist party, I have provided a link. The Ku Klux Klan was made racist by the Democratic party. They hated all free blacks and minorities to have the rights of the white man. It was the Republican party who then as now opposed oppression of minorities.

It is getting tiresome of the Democratic kettle to call the Republican pot black haters when they continue to oppress and suppress the black people and other minorities.

The only ones to believe this propaganda are those who ar not educating themselves and doing the research as to who wants all people to succeed and who wants to keep people in control!


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Answer 2

You need to go back further in time to see the trend of conservatives leaving the Democratic party for the Republican party.
As you have pointed out, the Democrats thru most of our history were the conservative party and the Republicans the liberal party, most precisely the Republicans called themselves the progressive party. H. Hoover was the last progressive Republican president.
In the 1932 elections, FDR campaigned against Hoover labeling Hoover a socialist in every speech. Of course once in office, FDR and his policies were clearly socialistic. Many Democratic conservatives left the party during FDR's terms including John Nance his VP for 2 terms. Nance tried to oust FDR from the party during the 1940 elections but failed. FDR managed to discredit every conservative Democrat that opposed him.
It's interesting to note that Eisenhower, a conservative who served under FDR during WWII, choose to run for president under the Republican party. Eisenhower was the first conservative Republican president. Eisenhower's 2 terms as president cemented the Republican party as conservatives.
In 1964 when LBJ, a so called conservative Texan, past the civil rights act, the Dixiecrats of the south bailed out og the Democratic party and joined the Goldwater conservatives in the Republican party.
Historically, FDR started the breakup of the conservative Democrats. LBJ just finished the job.

Answer 3

I know more about the 30s than the 60s but...

southern dems and republicans alike were against civil rights.
norther dems and repuiblicans were both operating at a 25-50% for civil rights depending on the states.

a lot of people switched parties during this time. it was less of the overall party stance and more about which state you lived in and how those senators voted on these issues (some went with and some against the party line)

Answer 4

they were to uninformed to know they could compete in a market they did not run by racism.

like you, uninformed: "I don't get it. Democrats support slavery, oppose civil rights, imprison Japanese Americans for ethnic reasons, establish HUAC to create a commie black list and blame it on a Senator (another ridiculous bit of propaganda) and people say Democrats are not Pro-Slavery and Anti-Civil Rights. I don't get it."

thats when it all reversed. end of conversation.

Answer 5

To answer your question;

You are correct, the KKK was founded by ex-confederates in 1869 in Al Gores state of Tennessee. Eisenhower tried to push a civil rights bill in the late 50's but was blocked by the Democrats. Even in the year 1964, Democrats still opposed civil rights. Robert Byrd (Democrat), ex-KKK member made a name for himself in congress when he single handly fillibustered the civil rights act for a still held record of 14 hours and 13 minutes. It was Republicans (the minority party) and a few Democrats that finally got the 67 votes needed to stop Byrd from talking longer.

Georgia Democrat Richard Russell offered the final arguments in opposition to the Civil Rights Act. Minority Leader Everett Dirksen (Republican), who had enlisted the Republican votes that made cloture a realistic option, spoke for the proponents with his customary eloquence. Noting that the day marked the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's nomination to a second term, the Illinois Republican proclaimed, in the words of Victor Hugo, "Stronger than all the armies is an idea whose time has come." He continued, "The time has come for equality of opportunity in sharing in government, in education, and in employment. It will not be stayed or denied. It is here!"

Just because a Democrat signed the Civil rights act does not mean that Democrats agreed with it, in fact civil rights were delayed decades because of the Democrat party. The southern Democrats left the Democrat party I believe because JFK and LBJ betrayed them, and with civil rights no longer a issue southern Democrats more aligned themselves with the smaller government, state rights Republicans at that time.

http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Civil_Rights_Filibuster_Ended.htm

Answer 6

What's in the past is in the past! Today, it is the Republican party that is pro-slavery anti-civil-rights. There are many examples of this. One of the best is the F I S A Act, established by the Carter Administration around 1977 and trampled all over by the Bush Administration in 2001. All you have to do is pay attention to current events and it's easy to see which party is anti-slavery-pro-civil-rights. It is the Democrats. Times have changed my friend.

Answer 7

Its not propaganda. Historicallly the GOP was the champion of better tretment of African Americans. However, in the 1960s when the Democratic party finally came together to force the white supremecissts out of the party leadership, the GOP had a choice--they could have embraced the Civil Rights movement r not.

They chose to betray their history andprincipals and turned their back on African Americans. The racists left the Democrat party andare now infecting what's left of the GOp.

And all the attempts of those racists who now run the GOP to rewrite history and label it propaganda are not going to change that. Not that anyonecares wht they think. The people who try to spread this fake history to excuse theGOP failure to support civil rights are not wanted. They arebrutes and don't deserve to be called Americans.

Answer 8

virtually all democrats in the north were for the civil rights act, but almost all southern dems were against it. now all republicans in the south (there weren't many reps. in the south to be fair) were against the act but many Republicans up north were ALSO against the act. That makes the Republicans look worse than Democrats. Bottom line, Democrats and especially liberals b/c Johnson spearheaded the legislation and liberals get the credit for the civil rights act and that's one the reasons why african americans vote for them.

I don't know about Democrats in Washington, but southern democrats who were strong social conservative segregationists (basically all of them) went republican b/c they valued states rights and that gave them the best opportunity to bring back segregation.

please don't compare the today's republican party with the party during the civil war. they have completely changed.

Answer 9

Your "facts" are inaccurate and posting them repeatedly on the Internet won't make them true. Lyndon Johnson, a Democrat, signed the Civil Rights Act and the southern, segregationist Democrats who opposed the bill, such as Strom Thurmond, left the party and became loyal Republicans.

Answer 10

It's their way of derogating Southerners, many of whom did leave the Democratic party over the liberalization of the DNC (many of them since the 1980's).

It is easier for the Dems to call them racists than to admit they've kicked God, guns and guts out of their party.