CLEP US History II

Answer: D - The Civil Rights Act of 1964, which primarily addressed voter intimidation and segregation in public places (including private businesses), began the political realignment of the South. The legislation was championed by the Democratic Party, which had been the preferred party of most white Southerners since the end of the Civil War. However, many white Southerners strongly disapproved of the legislation, prompting them to begin a shift in party allegiance to the Republican Party. By the end of the 1970s, the once “Solid South” had been broken and was largely aligned with the Republicans, a regional ideological shift that was total by the end of the century.