Practice Quiz

CLEP US History II

Category - Political Parties

Start a Study Session Sign up for Question of the Day
What compelled the strong alignment of the Southern states with the Democratic Party in the decades following the Civil War?
  1. The Democratic Party was more socially progressive than the Republican Party, and the South was eager to “redeem” itself after the Civil War, subsequently swinging to an ideology radically different from slavery.
  2. The Democratic Party employed aggressive political tactics on the national and local level, making them a fitting choice for the Southern states, which were controlled by militant and/or violent segregationist groups like the Ku Klux Klan.
  3. The Democratic Party intentionally appealed to religious conservatives, who lived primarily in the South.
  4. The North was almost entirely Republican (as was President Lincoln), and the aggressive attempts by the Radical Republican faction to “punish” the South during Reconstruction embittered the region against the Republican Party for nearly a century.
  5. Democrats rose to power in the South on the promise to reinstitute slavery.
Explanation
Answer: D - Lingering resentment over the South’s Civil War defeat and harsh Republican policies (in their opinion) during Reconstruction embittered the South for decades, making the region a Democratic stronghold until the late 20th century. The collective allegiance to the Democratic Party was so pervasive in the South that even when the Democrats became the more inclusive and socially progressive party in the Thirties and Forties, the South continued to vote for Democrats en masse, based on party affiliation alone.
Was this helpful? Upvote!
Login to contribute your own answer or details
Start a Study Session Sign up for Question of the Day

Top questions

Related questions

Most popular on PracticeQuiz