Citizens' Party (PJW)

The Citizens' Party was a segregationist political party in the United States. It originated in 1948 as the Dixiecrats, a breakaway faction of the Democratic Party determined to protect states' rights to legislate racial segregation from what its members regarded as an oppressive federal government. After the 1948 presidential election, its leaders generally returned to the Democratic Party; however, the Dixiecrats resurfaced in 1956 following the adoption of a civil rights platform by Democrat presidential nominee Estes Kefauver. What followed was a war for control of the party between the "Beatniks", northern liberals, and the Dixiecrats. Dixiecrats often formed coalitions with the Republicans against the Beatniks during the racially-tense final years of the John Wayne administration.

The Dixiecrats would defeat the Beatniks with the election of Harry F. Byrd in the 1960 presidential election. The successful renomination of Byrd in 1964 caused the Beatniks themselves to break away and run their own independent ticket. The splitting of the Democrats threw the election into the House of Representatives, however the Dixiecrats achieved victory by aligning themselves with Republican candidate Richard Nixon and his careful policy of maintaining the status quo on race issues. The Beatniks returned to the Democratic Party but the factionalism continued.

The 1968 election saw the Dixiecrats split behind several nominees, resulting in Beatnik Eugene McCarthy taking victory. The Dixiecrats again split, but this split was permanent; the Dixiecrats realized they would be far better off as kingmakers, siding with whichever side promised them the better deal for racial issues. The Republicans won with ease in the 1968 election, but afterwards, the Dixiecrats remained an independent bloc, naming themselves the Citizens' Party.

The 1972 election saw the Beatniks and Citizens' running their own primaries and candidates, throwing the election into the House once again; the Dixiecrats did play kingmaker and brought victory to Republican candidate Frank Carlucci.