Problem
Describe and explain major changes in voting patterns since 1940.
In 1940, most Southern whites voted for the Democratic Party and African Americans had just recently shifted from the Republican Party. Today, a majority of Southern whites vote Republican and a majority of African Americans vote Democratic. Explain how, when, and why those voting patterns changed. Use specific historical examples to support your answer. (Ideally, your answer should go beyond a simple discussion of civil rights. Consider ideas about liberalism and conservatism, the social movements of the 1960s and 1970s, etc.)