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Social and Economic Factors and Negro Voter Registration in the South

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  • Matthews, Donald R.
  • Prothro, James W.

Abstract

The vote is widely considered the southern Negro's most important weapon in his struggle for full citizenship and social and economic equality. It is argued that “political rights pave the way to all others.” Once Negroes in the South vote in substantial numbers, white politicians will prove responsive to the desires of the Negro community. Also, federal action on voting will be met with less resistance from the white South—and southerners in Congress—than action involving schools, jobs, or housing. Such, at least, seems to have been the reasoning behind the Civil Rights Acts of 1957 and 1960, both of which deal primarily with the right to vote. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and his predecessor, Herbert Brownell, are both reported to believe that the vote provides the southern Negro with his most effective means of advancing toward equality, and recent actions of the Justice Department seem to reflect this view. Many Negro leaders share this belief in the over-riding importance of the vote. Hundreds of Negro registration drives have been held in southern cities and counties since 1957. Martin Luther King, usually considered an advocate of non-violent direct action, recently remarked that the most significant step Negroes can take is in the “direction of the voting booths.” The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, historically identified with courtroom attacks on segregation, is now enthusiastically committed to a “battle of the ballots.” In March, 1962, the Southern Regional Council announced receipt of foundation grants of $325,000 to initiate a major program to increase Negro voter registration in the South. The Congress of Racial Equality, the NAACP, the National Urban League, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee are among the organizations now participating in the actual registration drives.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthews, Donald R. & Prothro, James W., 1963. "Social and Economic Factors and Negro Voter Registration in the South," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 57(1), pages 24-44, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:cup:apsrev:v:57:y:1963:i:01:p:24-44_24
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    Cited by:

    1. Seth C. McKee & Melanie J. Springer, 2015. "A Tale of “Two Souths”: White Voting Behavior in Contemporary Southern Elections," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 96(2), pages 588-607, June.
    2. James Jennings, 1982. "Race, class, and politics in the black community of Boston," The Review of Black Political Economy, Springer;National Economic Association, vol. 12(1), pages 47-63, September.
    3. Micheal W. Giles & Arthur Evans, 1986. "The Power Approach to Intergroup Hostility," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 30(3), pages 469-486, September.
    4. Gabriel Heller‐Sahlgren, 2023. "Group threat and voter turnout: Evidence from a refugee placement program," Economics and Politics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(2), pages 470-504, July.
    5. Patrick Doreian, 1980. "Linear Models with Spatially Distributed Data," Sociological Methods & Research, , vol. 9(1), pages 29-60, August.
    6. Sarah J. Reber, 2007. "From Separate and Unequal to Integrated and Equal? School Desegregation and School Finance in Louisiana," NBER Working Papers 13192, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

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