They did not support Truman's civil rights policies.
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The significance of the Democrat split in 1860 cannot be over-stated. It was because of this split that Lincoln won the election in 1860 with only 39.8% of the vote, and Slavery was abolished with the 13th Amendment in 1865.
The southern Democrats wanted slavery to be permitted in all US territories.
The northern Democrats wanted the US Supreme Court to decide the issue.
Note that both of these Democrat groups approved of the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850.
It was because of this division that the southern Democrats split from the northern Democrats.
The northern Democrats selected Stephen Douglas (IL) as candidate. Douglas only won the electoral votes from Missouri while placing 2nd in popular vote with 29.5% of the votes.
The southern Democrats selected John Breckinridge (KY) as candidate. Breckinridge placed 2nd in the Electoral College with 18.1% of the votes.
The Republicans selected Abraham Lincoln (IL) as candidate. Lincoln won the Electoral College with 39.8% of the vote.
The Constitutional Union selected John Bell (TN) as candidate. Bell won in Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee with 12.6% of the national vote.
During the 1948 presidential election, southern Democrats, known as 'Dixiecrats,' chose to leave the party because of its civil rights policy. It had evolved from its earlier pro-slavery leanings to become more race friendly, and the Dixiecrats didn't like that. They wanted to start a new party that focused on states rights. The Progressives didn't bolt from the party, in fact, they were a separate party, when formed in 1946. The would eventually merge with the Democratic party.
the South had more power in Congress
because southern white segregationist factions of the democratic party switched over to the republican party over civil and voting rights issues. the "dixiecrats" as they were known, first left to form their own party, the "states rights democrats" and ultimately reorganized into the republican party. the electorate followed accordingly.
They were known as "Dixiecrats" a portmanteau of Dixie (the South) and Democrat (they split from the Democrat party)
a member of a faction of southern Democrats stressing states' rights and opposed to the civil-rights programs of the Democratic party, esp. a southern Democrat who bolted the party in 1948 and voted for the candidates of the States' Rights Democratic party.