Reading path
The South
5 chapters in reading order. A path is a way through the book that follows one question; every chapter also stands alone.
- 1The South
Chapter 1.7 in Part I, The sort
Which political gaps between the South and the rest of the country closed, and which persisted?
PlannedIndividualsanesgsscounty-returns
- 2Distance from the national vote, 1868 to 2024
Chapter 10.2 in Part X, The nationalized map
The share of two-party votes cast in counties at least 20 points from the national margin rose from 25.5% in 1976 to 56.5% in 2024, and every region is now above 50%, as only the South was in 1904.
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- 3Reconstruction and the modern map
Chapter 10.5 in Part X, The nationalized map
How does the Southern county map of the 1870s relate to the map of 2024?
PlannedPlacescounty-returnscounty-demographics
- 4Rural counties
Chapter 12.5 in Part XII, Demographic axes of the vote
How different are white-majority rural counties from Black Belt and Hispanic rural counties?
PlannedPlacescounty-returnscounty-demographics
- 5Partisans in the other party's territory
Chapter 15.4 in Part XV, Place and opinion
Where do Democrats and Republicans live in counties their party lost, and do these voters and donors differ from aligned partisans?
PlannedIndividualscescounty-returnsdime