Volume 18 , Issue 3

Democrats & Republicans 1944 & 1948 Platform On Civil Rights

According to Janesville, Wisconsin newspaper, Janesville Daily Gazette, dated 14 July 1948, Wednesday, page 11, we found the Republican and Democratic platform of 1944 and 1948.

Found on Newspapers.com

The Democrats finished writing their platform early that day. The plank on civil rights wasn't much different from the party's plank on civil rights in its 1944 platform.

But ... it's a little less specific than the civil rights plank in the 1948 Republican platform.

Instead of stating the party's position on individual points in a civil rights program - such as abolishing the poll tax or passing an anti-lynching or anti-segregation law - the plank used more general language.

You can pass your own judgment by reading the 1948 Republican plank on civil rights and the civil rights plank in the Democratic platform of 1944 and 1948.

Here's what the Democrats said in their 1944 platform worked out at their Chicago convention:

"We asset that mankind believes in the four freedoms. We believe that the country which has the greatest measure of social justice is capable of the greatest achievement.

"We believe that racial and religious minorities have the right to live, develop and vote equally with all citizens and share the rights that are guaranteed by our constitution. Congress should exert its full constitutional powers to protect those rights."

That was all the 1944 Democratic platform said on civil rights. This is what the 1948 platform said:

"The Democratic party is responsible for the great civil rights gains made in recent years in elimination unfair and illegal discriminations based on race, creed or color.

"The Democratic party commits itself to continuing its efforts to eradicate all racial, religious and economic discrimination.

"We again state our belief that racial and religious minorities must have the right to live, the right in work, the right in vote, the full and equal protection of the laws, on a basis of equality with all citizens as guaranteed by the constitution.

"We again call upon congress to exert its full authority to the limit of its constitutional powers to assure and protect those rights."

This is what the 1948 Republican plank on civil rights, worked out at their convention three weeks before said (The 1948 platform plank on civil rights for the Republicans sounds like nothing of the Republicans of the 21st century ...):

"Lynching or any other form of mob violence anywhere is a disgrace to any civilized state, and we favor the prompt enactment of legislation to end this infamy.

"One of the basic principles of this republic is the equality of all individuals in their right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

"This principle is enunciated in the Declaration of Independence and embodied in the Constitution of the Untied States; it was vindicated on the filed of battle and became the cornerstone of this republic.

"This right of equal opportunity to work and to advance in life should never be limited in any individual because of race, religion, color or country of origin.

"We favor the enactment and just enforcement of such federal legislation as may be necessary to maintain this right at all times in every part of this republic.

"We favor the abolition of the poll tax as a requisite to voting. WE are opposed to the idea of racial segregation in the armed services of the Untied States."

Thus, although two parties' planks on civil rights were pretty general, by specifically mentioning the poll tax and segregation, the Republican plank took a stand on some of the specific problems of civil rights. The Democratic plank didn't do this.

In their 1944 plank on civil rights the Republicans came out flatly for an end to the poll tax, for an anti-lynching law and for a law creating the FEPC -fair employment.

It is interesting to find the Republican 1948 platform plank on civil rights, because you would not recognize the Republicans platform standing on civil rights today (21st century).
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