African Americans have a history in both major political parties of the United States. After the Civil War almost all Blacks considered them-selves Republicans. It was the Republican Party that was started by abolitionists and of course the party of President Abraham Lincoln. Mean-while Southern Democrats strongly opposed any rights to Blacks at the time and for almost a century there-after. African Americans were not even allowed to officially attend the Democratic convention until 1924.
Things began to change during the “Great Depression” of the 1930s with Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal. The New Deal was a program that helped disadvantaged and minority communities find work. This persuaded 71% of African Americans to vote for a Democrat for president even though only 44% considered themselves to be members of the Democratic Party. In 1948 Democrat Harry Truman ordered the desegregation of the military in addition to an executive order affecting racial discrimination of federal employment securing much of the Black vote for the election later that year. During this time 56% of African Americans were now Democrats.
