Why Parties Matter: Political Competition & Democracy in the American South

"Takes on an ambitious task: charting the development of political party competition in the United States with a special focus on how the South lagged behind." —Jason M. Roberts, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Since the founding of the American Republic, the North and South have followed remarkably different paths of political development. Among the factors that have led to their divergence throughout much of history are differences in the levels of competition among the political...