Date of Award
May 2021
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
History
First Advisor
Lex Renda
Committee Members
Joe A Austin, Christine E Evans
Keywords
Civil Rights, Milwaukee, Politics, Wallace, Wisconsin
Abstract
Alabama Governor George Wallace ran for the presidency four times between 1964 and 1976, bringing his candidacy north of the Mason-Dixon Line to Wisconsin. Wallace’s campaign in the Badger State fostered a debate among residents regarding constitutional principles and values. Wallace weaponized federalism and states’ rights, arguing that the federal government should stay out of school segregation, promote law and order, restrict forced busing, and reduce burdensome taxation. White working-class Wisconsinites armed themselves with Wallace’s rhetoric, pushing back on social and political changes that threatened the status quo. Civil rights activists and the black community in Wisconsin armed themselves with a different constitutional principle, equal protection, to push for strong federal protection of their civil rights and freedoms. Wallace’s campaigns led to a clash of ideals in Wisconsin that hit its height and gradually diminished as both Wallace and direct civil rights action declined.
Recommended Citation
Hubing, Ben, "The Little Man with the Big Mouth Stands Up for Wisconsin: George Wallace and the Political and Constitutional Struggles Between Federalism and Equal Protection in Wisconsin Elections from 1964 to 1976" (2021). Theses and Dissertations. 2673.
https://dc.uwm.edu/etd/2673
Included in
African American Studies Commons, Political Science Commons, United States History Commons