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United States History

Old Dominion University

History Faculty Publications

1974

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The Golden Silence: The Virginia Democratic Party And The Presidential Election Of 1948, James R. Sweeney Jan 1974

The Golden Silence: The Virginia Democratic Party And The Presidential Election Of 1948, James R. Sweeney

History Faculty Publications

Disturbed by President Harry S. Truman's stand on civil rights, the Democratic Party leadership in Virginia, headed by Senator Harry Flood Byrd, determined to fight Truman's election in 1948. The Byrd organization's strategy was to keep Truman from winning Virginia's electoral votes by releasing the state's electors from the obligation to vote for the national party nominee, but Byrd's opposition managed to mount a last minute pro-Truman movement which carried the state for the President.