SPC - Rise of the Two Party System (Lesson)

Rise of the Two Party System

Introduction

Rise of the Two Party System icon The County Unit System caused Georgia to consist of only one political party, the Democratic Party. With the end of the County Unit System, the state transitioned into a two party system. This dynamic shift caused laws to change, African-Americans began to experience equality in the political process, and urban voting began to outnumber rural votes. Overall, the two party system allowed for the state of Georgia to continue on the progressive path.

 

Single Party System

  • After the Civil War, the Democratic Party dominated Georgia politics.
  • The one-party system only allowed a small percentage of the population to have their voices heard in the government, mostly rural citizens.
  • The one party system ended with the demise of the County unit system. This gave urban and suburban areas equal voice in government.
  • Liberal Democrats and Conservative Republicans now share the state’s political power.

 

Why Shift to Two-Party System?

  • End of the county unit system
  • Reapportionment
  • Civil rights movement

 

Voting Rights Act of 1965

  • Followed the Civil Rights Act of 1964
  • Outlawed a State’s ability to disenfranchise African Americans
  • As a result, the percentage of registered voters in the African American community rose from 23% to 61%

 

Outcomes

  • Democratic Party no longer had full control. The additional political viewpoints caused many laws to change.
  • African Americans no longer had to pass tests to become registered voters.
  • Urban and Suburban voters began to outnumber rural voters.

 

Economics

  • Before the 1970’s, agriculture dominated the economy due to rural Democrats dominating the elections.
  • Now that more voters were city residents, more businesses and industries were able to move into the urban areas.
  • Georgia’s leading manufacturing goods are now chemicals, food products, textiles, and transportation equipment rather than agriculture.

Photograph of people lined up to register to vote in the 1970s 

 

 

Review

Review what you've learned by completing the activity below.

 

 

Think About This

 

 

Georgia remained a one party state for approximately one hundred years. The drastic change with the downfall of the County Unit System ushered in an era of drastic change for the state. Urban and suburban voters gained equal power with one person, one vote. The state had a slow progression moving out of agriculture based economy and with the introduction of the two party system the state only gained more momentum attracting more industries. 

  VOTER REGISTRATION PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF ATLANTA UNIVERSITY CENTER, ROBERT W. WOODRUFF LIBRARY ARCHIVES. ALL OTHER IMAGES CREATED BY GAVS