| Dixiecrat Party Partido Democrático Dixie Parti Dixiecrate | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chairperson | Jaime Harrison |
| Founder | Jefferson Davis |
| Founded | 1862 (Original alliance) 1945 (Modern party) |
| Headquarters | 919 East Main Street Richmond, Virginia 23223 |
| Newspaper | The Dixie Scoop |
| Student wing | Dixiecrats Students College Dixiecrats |
| Youth wing | Young Dixiecrats |
| Women's wing | Women for Dixiecrats |
| LGBTQ+ wing | Stonewall Dixiecrats |
| Overseas wing | Dixiecrats Overseas |
| Membership | 2,786,500 |
| Ideology | Majority: Liberalism Factions: Neoliberalism Centrism Big tent Social democracy |
| Political position | center to center-left |
| Official colors | Light Blue |
| Politics of Confederate States (Differently) Political parties Elections | |
The Dixiecrat Party, or simply Dixiecrats, is one of the four major political parties in the Confederate States since 1865, the others being the Readjuster Party, the Booth Party, and the Communist Party. Most presidents of the Confederate States to date (a total of 21) have been Dixiecrats.
History[]
Pre-Confederate Civil War and the Pro-Administration[]
When it was founded, the Confederate government did not have formal parties, and candidates ran individual campaigns. Nonetheless, some voters cast their ballots according to past party affiliations such as Democrat or Whig. The lack of parties was popularly believed to be a source of strength. However, the lack of such organizations also had some negative affects on the young nation during its early years.
Over time the Confederacy would form factions or proto-parties which became known as the Pro-Administration, made up of those who largely supportive of the president and his policies, and the Anti-Administration who largely were against such policies.
In the spring of 1866 President Davis, his cabinet, and the leadership of the congress that were Pro-Administration would have a private meet to nominate a candidate to be their nominee for the election of that year. Now commonly know as the "Convention of 1866", this would lead to the nomination of Vice President Alexander Stephens and also the establishment of the future cabinet and leadership in the Congress in the coming session. Although Stephen had multiple opponents in the election of 66, he cared every state which historians credit to the endorsements, financial, and political support of those members of the Pro-Administration.
The first Confederate Cabinet. Many would become influential members of the early Pro-Administration.
A second "convention" would take place in 1872 with nomination of Vice President Judah P. Benjamin. Those not supporting the Stephen Administration would public criticize these private "conventions", and it was during this time Mississippi newspaper mogul William Barksdale coined the term the "Dixiecrat Party" a joke on the nation's nickname of Dixie, the old Democratic Party, and the fact of a group of aristocrat were dominating the government.
As the Pro-Administration dominated nation politics, as a political party in all but name. Local and State level were having a rise of Anti-Administration political alliances across the nation. Often being made up of politicians from across the political spectrum with their only common bond was not supporting the leadership on the nation level. (Among these alliances were the Hornets of Arkansas, the Revolutionaries of Louisiana, the Americans of Tennessee and parts of North Carolina, the New Republicans of Texas, and the Readjusters of Virginia)
The election of 1878 would result in the Pro-Administration's nominee of John Reagan being elected president, but unlike his predecessors Reagan had not taken every state of Confederacy, as Arkansas, Tennessee, and Virginia would go to a non-Administration candidate Senator Augustus Hill Garland.
By 1884 the Pro-Administration had adopted the name Dixiecrats and would make the controversial nomination of Senator Zebulon Baird Vance over the expected candidate of Vice President P.G.T. Beauregard. Senator Vance was popular in his home state of North Carolina, and was very influential in the Senate, but his greatest strength over Vice President Beauregard was that the Vice President had shown support of ending slavery. (By 1880 Arkansas, and Tennessee had passed laws ending the practice of slavery in there states.) Beauregard trying to earn the support of the leadership of the Pro-Administration arguing that Slavery was a state issue, and that he would not bring it into national politics. Yet the Dixiecrats leadership decided to go with the safer candidate of Zebulon Baird Vance instead.
Vance's was expected to win without much challenge having the support of the majority of the nation top politic machines, but he was ill prepared for his main opponent fellow CS Senator William Mahone. Senator Mahone was a leader of Virginia's Readjuster and also was a railroad executive. Mahone launched a new kind of campaign using the railroads to actually campaign on a faster and larger scale then in elections prior. He also picked war hero James Longstreet as his vice presidential candidate. The election of 1884 was the closet in the nation history at that time with Mahone winning by a slim margin. (Beauregard also took his home state of Louisiana) During the election Mahone used Readjuster lecture and flags on his trains and campaign stops. So it soon became a name commonly associated with members of the Anti-Administration.
By the turn of the century, the political alliance of the Dixiecrats (Pro-Administration) and the Readjusters (Anti-Administration) had become the equivalent of political parties. Although they were rarely separated by political stances, but more social status. Dixiecrats of that era were often associated with the establishment being career politicians andof the upper classes. They often dominated politics in the Confederacy, but they're membership political stances could be very diverse having hardline Conservatives alongside modern Progressives. Its leadership structure was far stronger then that of political parties of the United States, having a hierocracy from the leadership in Richmond all the way down to the political bosses on the state and local level. Having close door meeting to establish party leadership instead of national and state conventions allowed for those in power to pick their successors and nominees with the endorsement of the Administration.
The Readjusters were quite the opposite of the Dixiecrats. Readjusters were often popular in poor areas and among Blacks and Hispanics who were often not considered "qualified" candidates for the Dixiecrats. The Readjusters also lacked a central established leadership among among the political alliance so it was common to see several candidates claiming to be Readjusters in an election. Despite the election of both President Mahone and Tyler, the Readjusters still struggled against the Dixiecrats who often controlled the state politics enough to prevent their rivals from making major ground and from 1903-1927 the Dixiecrats controlled both the White House and the two houses of the Capital.
Dixiecrat's two decade long political dominance over the nation would end following the Confederacy's defeat in the Anglo-American War Many Confederates felt that the country had not been defeated by the United States and her allies and that Prsident Owen's surrender was an act of cowardness.
In the election of 1928, Dixiecrat nominee Cordell Hull would soundly be defeated by Readjuster B. Carroll Reece in the Dixiecrat's soundest defeat up to that point losing control of the House of Representatives as well. Many believed that the Confederacy would remain out of Dixiecrat control for years to come and that the alliance would be at risk of collapsing between the Conservative and Progressive factions of the Pro-Administration.
On October 24, 1929, the Wall Street Crash would take place. This would lead to a financial crisis that the world was not ready for, and the Confederacy would enter the Great Depression and the people of the Confederacy blamed the Readjusters. In the election of 1930 the Dixiecrats would have massive wins across the nation, including winning back the House of Representatives. John Nance Garner would become Speaker of the House Representatives and he stop President Reece and his Readjusters policies from being passed.
The Dixiecrats knew that the election of 1932 was going to be the prefect opportunity to win back the White House. Many Dixiecrats expected the nomination to go to Speaker of the House Garner, but he was challenged by the nation's new face of Progressivism 39-year-old upstart Huey Long the Radical Dixiecrat Governor of Louisiana. The establishment of the Dixiecrat leadership were behind Speaker Garner, who was going to campaign on a platform based around conservative and pro-business policies. Governor Long firmly held the liberal wing of the party and was campaigning with a platform known as Share Our Wealth, which included many radical liberal policies. During the Dixiecrat Party Boss meeting in Richmond, Governor Long threatened to still run even without the Dixiecrat's endorsement even claiming he would go as far as allying with the Readjusters or even the CPC. Soon after this Garner took another political blow when Senate Majority leader Joe T. Robinson pulled his support behind Governor Long. The Establishment leadership of the Dixiecrats (lead by former President Owen) would create a deal with Long that they'll support his candidacy for president in return that Garner will serve as the Vice President, and that they'll appoint his cabinet and the Congressional leadership in the coming session. Long agreed with added stipulation that they will support his Share Our Wealth policies that he was going to campaign on, which Owen agreed to. The election of 1932 would end in a landslide with the Long/Garner ticket caring every state of the Confederacy expect Puerto Rico.
The alliance between President Long and the Dixiecrat establishment would soon begin to struggle as both sides began to break their agreement. President Long would start to fire the Establishment's selected cabinet members, and replacing them with his own supporters and the Establishment started to block or amended the President's policies.
Huey Long, the last elected Confederate President for 36 years.
By the election of 1934 the Dixiecrats leadership were in a battle for control. During the months before the election President Long began to endorse nominees and campaigning for candidates not approved by the Dixiecrat State and National leadership. This was an attempt by Long to replace those loyal to the Political Bosses with those loyal to him. In retaliation the Dixiecrat leadership began to endorse candidates to run against Long supporters. Soon Long even started endorsing Readjuster candidates with the single desire to weaken the Political Boss's influence. By November of 34' Long popularity among the common man allowed him to remove several of his rivals from office across the nation and allowing him to gain a strangle hold over the party.
In the session of 1935 Long began to push through his policies at a rate the nation had never experienced, all while building his popularity and influence. Some Dixiecrats began to grow concerned that either Long would push through an amendment to the constitution allowing himself to seek reelection or hand select his successor and rule through them.
On September 10, 1935, while exiting the Capital building President Long was gun downed by 28 year old Carl Weiss. Following the assassination of President Long, Vice President Garner would be sworn into office. Garner would almost immediately begin to revert Long's policies and remove his supporters from places of influence. This would lead to many across the Confederacy to believe that Long's assassination was part of a conspiracy by the Conservative members of the Dixiecrats. This would be a major factor in the start of the Confederate Civil War.
Confederate Civil War, and years in exile[]
President Garner like most Confederates politicians were ill prepared for the civil war, and didn't know the support that the rebel factions were having. Garner focused on defeating Bill Blizzard in Virginia and putting down the uprising back in his home state of Texas, feeling that with establishing victories over the rebellious factions the other like minded groups would lose support. Unfortunately with Cuba's quick takeover and then Louisiana and the Sequoyah declaring succession from the Confederacy, the rebel factions only gained momentum.
By 1938 the nation was in a bloody civil war, with Arkansas, Cuba, Florida, Louisiana, Puerto Rico, Sequoyah all firmly under the control of the Popular Front with Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and Texas all being fought for by the two sides of the conflict.
President Garner would cancel the election of 38', due to the state of the nation. The congress held an emergency session and appoint Senator Carter Glass of Virginia as the new president of the Confederacy.
President Glass would try to pull international support to help in the conflict, but most of their European allies were more concerned about the Polish-German War, Mexico's President Félix Díaz didn't want to join a conflict where most Mexicans publicly supported the Popular Front, and the United States was mostly focused on keeping control of their recently gained Canadian territories, and didn't care that their southern neighbor was in a civil war after years of conflict and attempts to undermine their influence in the continent.
Presidential tickets[]
| Year | Presidential nominee | Office | Running mate | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1866 | Alexander Stephens | Vice President
(1861-1867) |
Judah P. Benjamin | Won |
| 1872 | Judah P. Benjamin | Confederate Vice President
(1867-1873) |
John C. Breckinridge | Won |
| 1878 | John Henninger Reagan | Secretary of State
(1873-1879) |
P. G. T. Beauregard | Won |
| 1884 | Zebulon Baird Vance | C.S. Senator from North Carolina
(1879-1885) |
Oran Milo Roberts | Lost |
| 1890 | John Wilkes Booth | Governor of North Carolina
(1885-1889) |
Benjamin Tillman | Won |
| 1896 | Benjamin Tillman | Vice President
(1891-1897) |
John W. Daniel | Lost |
| 1902 | John Sharp Williams | Speaker of the CS House of Representatives
(1899-1903) |
Julian Carr | Won |
| 1908 | Oscar Underwood | Speaker of the CS House of Representatives
(1903-1909) |
Clark Howell | Won |
| 1914 | Woodrow Wilson | Governor of Virginia
(1908-1912) |
Albert Burleson | Won |
| 1920 | Robert Latham Owen | CS Senator of Sequoyah
(1907-1921) |
William McAdoo | Won |
| 1926 | Cordell Hull | Member of the C.S. House of Representatives
(1923-1927) |
Walter F. George | Lost |
| 1932 | Huey Long | Governor of Louisiana
(1928-1933) |
John N. Garner | Won |
Reestablished Confederate States[]
| Year | Presidential nominee | Office | Running mate | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Jimmy Carter | Governor of Georgia
(1971-1975) |
Terry Sanford | Won |
| 1980 | John Connally | C.S. Secretary of the Treasury
(1975-1981) |
Cliff Finch | Won |
| 1986 | Al Gore | C.S. Senator from Tennessee
(1985–1993) |
Lane Kirkland | Lost |
| 1992 | Bill Clinton | Governor of Arkansas
(1983-1992) |
Al Gore | Won |
| 1998 | Al Gore | Vice President
(1993-1999) |
Fritz Hollings | Won |
| 2004 | John Edwards | C.S. Senator from North Carolina
(1999–2005) |
Pedro Rosselló | Lost |
| 2010 | John Edwards | C.S. Senator from North Carolina
(1999–2005) |
Bill Nelson | Lost |
| 2016 | Bill Nelson | C.S. Senator from Florida
(2001-present) |
Mike Beebe | Lost |
| 2022 | Joe Manchin | C.S. Senator from Virginia
(2010-present) |
Ben Affleck | Lost |
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