Black Voter Turnout in 1956

Segregated lines of potential voters waiting to register

The image above takes place in 1956 and displays two lines of people waiting to register to vote at a courthouse in Fulton County, Atlanta. These lines were segregated, but that did not affect black voter turnout. Instead, the black population in Fulton County was eager to have their voices be heard. The line of black people matched that of the whites in the area, and it even looped around the block next to the entrance of the courthouse on Central Avenue. 

The 1956 election was a pivotal one in American history, not only because it was a presidential one, but because it was one of the first elections in which candidates realized how crucial the black vote was. When they realized this, candidates from both parties, Democrat and Republican, tried desperately to appeal to black voters.  According to Lincoln M. Fitch, the 1950’s marked a “transitory period of political realignment, in which the Republicans under Eisenhower’s guidance led the way in advancing equal opportunity for blacks…”. During this election in question, Eisenhower won a considerable 36% of the African American vote — the highest percentage of black votes for a Republican presidential candidate to date (Fitch 4). 

The reason why the Republican party gained so much support from black voters in 1956 was because of President’s Eisenhower’s history with civil rights. In the course of his first term, Eisenhower took firm stances on civil rights when in office; i.e. ordering for the desegregation of the military and of the District of Columbia (Fitch 9). Overall, the Eisenhower administration emphasized not only the importance of African Americans as voters, but the importance of seeing them as equal to their white peers. Consequently, this contributed to the increase in black voter turn out in Atlanta. 

Works Cited

Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Segregated lines of potential voters waiting to register at the courthouse, 1956." Georgia State University. Libraries. 1956-05-06, http://digitalcollections.library.gsu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ajc/id/12207.

Fitch, Lincoln M., "Throwing the Switch: Eisenhower, Stevenson and the African-American Vote in the 1956 Election" (2014). Student Publications. 219.