Mike Dorstewitz
February may be our shortest month, but it’s filled with notable events. This month, we celebrate Groundhog Day, Chinese New Year and Washington’s Birthday. We also commemorate President’s Day as well as every lover’s favorite, Valentine’s Day. February has also been reserved as Black History Month. After doing just a little digging, I was struck by the significant role the Republican Party played in not only emancipating slaves in the antebellum South, but also in accepting and elevating them into American society. I was also amazed by how often the Democratic Party thwarted the GOP’s efforts.
After the Civil War, the 13th Amendment, putting an end to slavery, was passed by a 100 percent Republican vote; only 23 percent of the Democrats joined in. Amendment 14, granting blacks the civil rights enjoyed by all citizens, passed with 94 percent Republican participation; this time, not a single Democrat voted for it. The 15th Amendment, which gave blacks access to the voting booth, was passed with 98 percent of Republicans voting for it, and 97 percent of Democrats voting against it.
During Reconstruction, 23 blacks were elected to Congress -- all Republicans. The first black Democrat wasn’t elected until 1935 -- from Illinois. The first Southern African-American Democrat wasn’t elected to Congress until 1973.
Are we beginning to see a trend here? Buckle up; I’m just getting started.
In 1892, Democrats gained control of both houses of Congress as well as the White House. In 1894, Jim Crow laws were enacted throughout the South, limiting African-Americans’ access to the voting booth through onerous poll taxes, and impossible literacy tests. Congressional Democrats also repealed all civil rights legislation previously enacted by the Republicans. In 1912, Democratic President Woodrow Wilson allowed the Jim Crow laws to spread to the federal government. We didn’t see another piece of civil rights legislation until the Eisenhower administration in 1957. Yep, another Republican.
In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court declared the “separate but equal” policy of Plessy v. Ferguson unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education. In its 9–0 decision, the court ruled, "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal." In 1956, 101 Southern U.S. Senate and House members signed the “Southern Manifesto” to protest the end of segregation, stating that the court had exceeded its authority. Of the 101 signatories, 99 were Democrat and only two were Republican.
Democrats George Wallace, Orval Faubus and Bull Connor all defended the Jim Crow laws against the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s growing civil rights movement. Al Gore Sr. and Klansmen J. William Fulbright and Robert Byrd also continued to oppose civil rights legislation against overwhelming Republican support.
Surprisingly, African-Americans have been the Democratic Party’s most loyal voting bloc in recent years. From 1976 to 2008, their voting percentage for the Democratic presidential nominee has ranged from 83 to 95 percent. What did the Democrats do to earn this phenomenal level of support? Apparently, precious little. In “Black Rednecks and White Liberals,” Dr. Thomas Sowell argues that if the black Democratic vote were to slip to just 70 percent, the Democratic Party would never win another presidential or congressional election.
Conservative black leaders like Allen West, activists like Kevin Jackson of “The Black Sphere” and intellectuals like Sowell are often ridiculed as “Uncle Toms” or “traitors” to their race. In contrast, liberal blacks like the Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are placed on a pedestal for finding racism where none truly exists.
It’s long past time that we use “Black History Month” to do just that -- teach black history. It’s one of the most enriching and eye-opening segments of American politics.