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Few transformations in American politics have been as important as the integration of African Americans into the Democratic Party and the Republican embrace of racial policy conservatism. The story of this partisan realignment on race is often told as one in which political elites-such as Lyndon Johnson and Barry Goldwater-set in motion a dramatic and sudden reshuffling of party positioning on racial issues during the 1960s. Racial Realignment instead argues that top party leaders were actually among the last to move, and that their choices were dictated by changes that had already occurred beneath them. Drawing upon rich data sources and original historical research, Eric Schickler shows that the two parties' transformation on civil rights took place gradually over decades.Schickler reveals that Democratic partisanship, economic liberalism, and support for civil rights had crystallized in public opinion, state parties, and Congress by the mid-1940s. This trend was propelled forward by the incorporation of African Americans and the pro-civil-rights Congress of Industrial Organizations into the Democratic coalition. Meanwhile, Republican partisanship became aligned with economic and racial conservatism. Scrambling to maintain existing power bases, national party elites refused to acknowledge these changes for as long as they could, but the civil rights movement finally forced them to choose where their respective parties would stand.Presenting original ideas about political change, Racial Realignment sheds new light on twentieth and twenty-first century racial politics.

Racism --- African Americans --- Civil rights --- Liberalism --- Political aspects --- History --- Civil rights --- History --- History --- Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- ) --- Democratic Party (U.S.) --- History --- History --- United States --- United States --- Politics and government --- Race relations --- History --- African American movement. --- African American population. --- African American voters. --- African Americans. --- Al Smith. --- American politics. --- Congress of Industrial Organizations. --- Congress. --- Democratic Party. --- Democratic partisanship. --- Democrats. --- Franklin D. Roosevelt. --- House of Representatives. --- Jewish population. --- New Deal liberalism. --- New Deal. --- Republican partisanship. --- Republicans. --- World War II. --- civil realignment. --- civil rights activists. --- civil rights bills. --- civil rights initiatives. --- civil rights realignment. --- civil rights support. --- civil rights. --- coalitional bargains. --- conservatives. --- discrimination. --- economic conservatism. --- economic liberalism. --- fair employment. --- liberal civil rights. --- liberal coalition. --- liberal states. --- liberalism. --- liberals. --- national Democratic Party. --- national GOP. --- national party elites. --- national party leaders. --- national platforms. --- party faction. --- party politics. --- party theory. --- political transformations. --- pro-civil rights. --- race. --- racial conservatism. --- racial liberalism. --- racial policy conservatism. --- racial politics. --- state Democratic parties. --- state Republican parties. --- state parties. --- union density. --- urban liberals. --- urbanization.