It had nothing to do with civil rights. It was because after WWII, a lot of people, and I mean a LOT, moved to the South from other parts of the country that were more pro-civil rights. And the latest academic research shows that it was primarily economic issues, not race, that drove the shift.. Also, the religious conservatives' shift toward Republicans on abortion and gay marriage in the late 70s/early 80s had a lot to do with it too. And the "law and order" thing wasn't driven by Nixon, it was driven by Wallace. Nixon was a champion of civil rights throughout his life, especially as president. In 1960, the South wasn't as strong for Kennedy as for previous Democratic nominees because of anti-Catholicism, not racism. Finally, anti-Communism played a role, as well.
Carter carried Mississippi in 1976.
First, gay marriage was definitely not an issue in the late 70's/early 80's, but abortion definitely did cause a shift. But, Oldiesfreak definitely has a point: Nixon was a
crusader for Civil Rights. Nixon first implemented affirmative action and actually enforced school desegregation: under Nixon, the percentage of blacks attending segregated schools went from 68% to 8%. That sure doesn't sound like a good strategy for winning the South. Also, Nixon's "tough on crime" stance was the same as the NAACP's: in 1968, the Harlem NAACP was advocating mandatory sentences of 5 years for muggings, 15 years for rape, and 30 years for murder. Tough-on-crime also appealed to the South, as it did for the whole country in 1972.
Racism didn't help Nixon in my opinion, but it did help the Dixiecrats, who would eventually flip R. Nixon didn't carry the deep Southern states like MS, they were unpledged.
