Oral History Interview with Jimmy Carter [exact date unavailable], 1974

Jack Bass and Walter De Vries talk with then-Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter about the unique aspects of Southern politics, the viability of the Democratic Party, the importance of citizen participation, and the changes brought on by the Civil Rights Movement. Carter argues that the Democratic Party is recovering from the backlash against President Johnson and will overtake the Republican Party in many state elections in the coming years. Carter suggests several ways that Southern politics have changed for the better since the Civil Rights Movement and the Voting Rights Act, specifically in a noticeable shift toward pleasing voters rather than local business leaders. He argues that citizens' desire for personal contact with politicians, experience with social change, and religious beliefs give Southern politics unique traits that will soon affect United States politics in general.