Why Black Folk Vote Democratic

Why do Black folk vote Democratic? It's not because we're ignorant, and it has nothing to do with having a plantation mentality. 

If you really want to know, here's a simplified historical breakdown of why. 

Slavery:
* Republican Party ended slavery.
* Southern Democratic Party fought for slavery.
* Northern Democratic Party was against slavery. 

Post-Civil War thru Reconstruction:
* Republican Party was for Black civil and political rights and was considered the Negro dominated party.
* Southern Democrats were against any rights for Black folk and considered themselves the White man's party.

Note: This is when the switch is Democratic and Republican Party ideologies slowly began. 

By Post-Reconstruction (1877):
* Republican Party began to lose political interest in the plight of the freed slaves and began to support big business.
* Southern Democrats (the White man's party) took back/recaptured their states, passing Jim Crow laws to facilitate keeping Black folk suppressed and segregated from the White population. 

The Great Migration (1910):
In 1910, Blacks begin to increasingly flee the south and migrate north seeking better living conditions and opportunities. 

The Great Depression (1929):
* The Republican Party was blamed for the Depression.
* Southern Democrats (which included white supremacists) were still extremely racist.
* Northern Democrats began to see Black workers as important allies. 

1960s:
* Northern Democrats pushed for civil rights legislation.
* Southern Democrats opposed civil rights legislation. 

1970s:
* Republicans, under Nixon, lost even more interest in civil rights for Blacks, sought alliance with the Southern White Democrats, and moved firmly in the anti-civil rights category, opposing any legislation that would ensure equality. 

By the 1980s:
* Southern extremely racist White Democrats (including White supremacists) had melded completely into the Republican Party.
* Black folk had solidly moved into the Northern Democratic Party (the current Democratic Party). 

It's beyond insulting to tell us we should be Republicans because they freed the slaves for a whole lot of livin' and history has happened since our ancestors walked off the plantations. 

Just keepin' it real... 

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