Dixiecrats (Noun)
Meaning
A former political party in the United States; formed in 1948 by Democrats from southern states in order to oppose to the candidacy of Harry S Truman.
Classification
Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects.
Examples
- The Dixiecrats were a short-lived but influential party that reflected the deep-seated racial tensions of the post-war South.
- In 1948, the Dixiecrats ran Strom Thurmond as their presidential candidate, who won 39 electoral votes from southern states.
- The Dixiecrats' opposition to Truman's civil rights agenda was rooted in their desire to maintain segregation and white supremacy in the South.
- Although the Dixiecrats failed to achieve their goal of winning the presidency, they succeeded in splitting the Democratic vote and contributing to Truman's narrow victory.
- The legacy of the Dixiecrats can be seen in the eventual shift of many southern Democrats to the Republican Party in the latter half of the 20th century.