White Southern Exceptionalism in American Politics Paul White Jr
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University of South Carolina Scholar Commons Theses and Dissertations 6-30-2016 Nothing is the Matter with Kansas: White Southern Exceptionalism in American Politics Paul White Jr. University of South Carolina Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd Part of the Political Science Commons Recommended Citation White, P.(2016). Nothing is the Matter with Kansas: White Southern Exceptionalism in American Politics. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/3534 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you by Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. NOTHING IS THE MATTER WITH KANSAS : WHITE SOUTHERN EXCEPTIONALISM IN AMERICAN POLITICS by Paul White, Jr. Bachelor of Arts Hampton University, 2004 Master of Arts University of South Carolina, 2007 Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science College of Arts and Sciences University of South Carolina 2016 Accepted by: Todd Shaw, Major Professor Robert Oldendick, Committee Member Laura Woliver, Committee Member Kenny Whitby, Committee Member John Aldrich, Committee Member Lacy Ford, Senior Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies © Copyright by Paul White, Jr., 2016 All Rights Reserved. ii DEDICATION To my Parents, Paul and Priscilla White, and my Godmother Patricia Williams. You have supported me my entire life. I love you all so much! iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank several individuals that have been integral in my success. Coach Joe Taylor is responsible for giving me a home at Hampton University. He instilled values in me that I will carry for the rest of my life. Dr. Songer was the reason that I started the Ph.D. program at the University of South Carolina. While matriculating through the program, Dr. Songer advocated for me when others decided to tear me down and I will always love him for that. Rest in Peace. I want to thank Dr. Todd Shaw for his consistent encouragement and guidance in my journey to becoming a PhD. iv ABSTRACT There are two research questions at the heart of this dissertation: Does the American South have a distinct political environment in comparison to other regions? If so, how does this distinction influence American politics? I argue that the American South has long been politically distinct from other regions in the United States. This southern ethos, this southern way of agrarian politics, is predicated on three factors- State Centered Federalism, Racial Conservatism, and Religious Conservatism. I consider these factors in a model I call “The Determinants of Southern Exceptionalism” or the D.S.E. Model. It views the American South as remaining distinctive throughout American political development relative to these three determinants. This dissertation theorizes and analyzes each determinant and the nature of its distinction. I confine my analysis principally to the political attitudes, norms, behaviors, and institutions of the white south, because I presume white southerners and their exceptionalism is markedly different from that of African Americans. I identify key historical factors that support the distinct nature of each determinant in the American South and how said determinant produced a key feature of American political development. In addition, I empirically test the idea of Southern Exceptionalism within the mass electorate using American National Election Studies (ANES) data between the years 1996 and 2012. This test involves a comparing the political attitudes of southern citizens with those of citizens in other regions of the United States. The survey items v selected to assess southern distinction will theoretically deploy from each determinant within my model. All of these items will be factor analyzed to ensure that the survey items are actually measuring the three constructs. Results indicate that each determinant of Southern Exceptionalism remains distinct within the American South. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION ....................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................ iv ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................v LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................ viii LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................x CHAPTER ONE : INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................1 CHAPTER TWO : STATE CENTRIC FEDERALISM ....................................................................15 CHAPTER THREE : RELIGIOUS CONSERVATISM ....................................................................40 CHAPTER FOUR : RACIAL CONSERVATISM ...........................................................................55 CHAPTER FIVE : TESTING THE DETERMINANTS OF SOUTHERN EXCEPTIONALISM ................65 CHAPTER SIX : TESTING THE REGIONAL DISTINCTION OF THE AMERICAN SOUTH ...............86 CHAPTER SEVEN : CONCLUSIONS /D ISCUSSION ..................................................................110 REFERENCES .....................................................................................................................114 vii LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1 Changes in the Parties vote for President, 1848-1852 .......................................39 Table 2.2 Candidates in 1860 Presidential Election ..........................................................39 Table 5.1 ANES Survey Items 2004 & 2012 .....................................................................77 Table 5.2 Factors Analysis: Entire Survey Data 1996-2012 ..............................................79 Table 5.3 2004 Factor Analysis: Entire United States .......................................................80 Table 5.4 2004 Factor Analysis: American South .............................................................81 Table 5.5 2004 Factor Analysis: Black Belt ......................................................................82 Table 5.6 2012 Factor Analysis: Entire United States .......................................................83 Table 5.7 2012 Factor Analysis: American South .............................................................84 Table 5.8 2012 Factor Analysis: Black Belt ......................................................................85 Table 6.1 Racial Conservatism 1 .......................................................................................96 Table 6.2 Religious Conservatism 1 ..................................................................................97 Table 6.3 Racial Conservatism 2 .......................................................................................98 Table 6.4 State Centric Federalism 1 .................................................................................99 Table 6.5 State Centric Federalism 2 ...............................................................................100 Table 6.6 State Centric Federalism 3 ...............................................................................101 Table 6.7 Racial Conservatism 3 .....................................................................................102 Table 6.8 Religious Conservatism 2 ................................................................................103 Table 6.9 Racial Conservatism 4 .....................................................................................104 Table 6.10 Racial Conservatism 5 ...................................................................................105 viii Table 6.11 State Centric Federalism 4 .............................................................................106 Table 6.12 State Centric Federalism 5 .............................................................................107 Table 6.13 State Centric Federalism 6 .............................................................................108 Table 6.14 Religious Conservatism 3 ..............................................................................109 ix LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.1 Conceptual Model of Southern Exceptionalism ...............................................14 Figure 5.1 Relationship Between Determinants of Southern Exceptionalism ...................76 Figure 6.1 Southern Exceptionalism Model (Empirical Model) .......................................95 x CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION Beginning on December 20 th , 1860, South Carolina formally seceded from the United States. Following this action, ten other southern states would secede from the Union and form another sovereign country called the Confederate States of America. These states included South Carolina, North Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, Virginia, Georgia, Louisiana, Florida, Tennessee, and Arkansas. This is the American South. This is Southern Exceptionalism. The American Civil War was the culmination of decades of regional conflict between the Northern states and the Southern states. This regional conflict was cultural, economic, and political. Once this military engagement was over, the regional differences were forever solidified throughout history.