Southern Party facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Southern Party
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| Founded | August 8, 1999 |
| Dissolved | June 5, 2003 |
| Headquarters | Houston, Texas |
| Ideology | Neo-Confederatism States' rights Southern secessionism Paleoconservatism |
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| http://www.southernparty.org (Website is no longer active) |
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The Southern Party (SP) was a small political party in the South. It existed for only a few years. The party believed in strong states' rights, meaning states should have more power than the national government. They also wanted to promote Southern culture and identity.
The party was started in 1999 by a group called the League of the South. It gained some attention after creating something called the Asheville Declaration. This document was seen by the party as a new Declaration of Independence for the South. However, the Southern Party broke up in 2003. This happened because of disagreements and fights among its leaders. Today, only small parts of the party remain in states like Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Mississippi.
Contents
History of the Southern Party
The idea for a political party focused on the Southern states began in December 1998. People like James Lancaster, George Kalas, and Michael Hill discussed it at a meeting. They decided to form a committee to explore starting such a party. This committee was called the Southern Party Exploratory Committee (SPEC).
In January 1999, the SPEC was officially organized. George Kalas was chosen to lead it. The Southern Party had its first election win on August 22, 2000. A party member named Wayne Willingham became Mayor of West Point, Alabama. This was a non-political local office.
Early Disagreements
By May 1999, the SPEC committee started having problems. Members disagreed on ideas and how to run the party. These disagreements led to the committee splitting into two groups. One group continued as SPEC and stayed connected to the League of the South. The other group, led by Kalas, Jerry Baxley, and Thomas Reed, formed the Southern National Committee (SNC). This new group wanted to launch the Southern Party quickly.
The SNC group soon decided to formally separate from the League of the South. They were worried about some extreme views within the League.
Both SPEC and SNC tried to get support from Southern activists. While SPEC had official support from the League, SNC seemed to gain more attention. This was especially true as the date for SNC's launch of the Asheville Declaration got closer.
Launching the Asheville Declaration
A big moment for the Southern Party was the launch of the Asheville Declaration. This event showed flags from Southern states. The Asheville Declaration was read and signed. It explained the party's main ideas, which were based on paleoconservatism. This is a type of conservatism that values tradition and limited government.
After this, the party encouraged states to hold their own meetings. In October 1999, the North Carolina Southern Party (NCSP) held a meeting. It took place in Hillsdale, North Carolina, at an old colonial inn. About 78 people attended. They adopted the Asheville Declaration and created their state party platform. The meeting's theme was "A Second American Revolution." Local TV news covered the event.
Views on Southern Independence
The Southern Party wanted the Southern states to peacefully leave the United States. They hoped to create an independent Southern nation. The party believed this goal was possible, even if it took a long time. In the meantime, they wanted the national government to give more power back to the state governments.
The Southern Party eventually broke up around 2002. This was mainly due to fights and divisions among its leaders. A separate group called "Southern Parties of the Southwest" existed in Arizona and New Mexico. It was not connected to the main Southern Party. This group also later dissolved in 2005.
Internal Conflicts and Disagreements
Even after its early success, the Southern Party struggled with internal fighting. This was similar to the earlier split within the SPEC committee. A big disagreement started over a plan to increase membership fees for state party groups. What seemed like a small issue quickly grew into a major conflict.
The SNC split into two groups: one led by Chairman George Kalas, and the other by Vice-Chairman Jerry Baxley. They fought over control of the party's website, money, and state organizations. In December 1999, George Kalas resigned to try and end the arguments. The SNC accepted his resignation and honored him for his past work. Mike Crane was then chosen as interim chairman. However, the conflict continued into 2000. This made many members lose hope and leave the party.
Eventually, the Baxley group agreed to a truce suggested by Crane. They started talking about reuniting the party and succeeded in March 2000. New elections were planned for the Southern National Committee leaders. However, Jerry Baxley won the election by a small margin. Many felt there were problems with the voting. Baxley's leadership style also made many members unhappy. The party's reunion did not last long. Other SNC members resigned, and state party groups started leaving the SNC. This led to the SNC officially dissolving in 2002.
The Party's End
After the SNC collapsed, some groups formed the Federation of States. Others created state-based Southern Independence Parties (SIPs). The Southern Party groups in Georgia and North Carolina became fully independent. They refused to recognize any national authority. Many other state Southern Party groups were very small, with only a few leaders and members. These groups soon failed because they could not get enough members or money.
Attempted Reunion
In the spring of 2003, the League of the South tried to help the Southern Party reunite. They invited all groups (except the Baxley group) to a meeting in North Carolina. The goal was to bring all the state parties together into a loose group with no central leader. The original founders of the Southern Party supported this idea.
Although this meeting ended the party's internal wars, it did not create much new public interest. By 2003, the Southern Party had lost trust from many of its supporters. Its constant internal fights had wasted any political power it once had.
Why the Factions Formed
The many disagreements that hurt the Southern Party were often seen as a fight between those who wanted a strong central party and those who wanted local control. However, the main reason for the party's infighting was often personal conflicts between leaders. As one supporter joked, "Organizing Southerners is harder than herding cats!" People outside the party noticed this. They found it ironic that a party wanting states to separate from the country ended up splitting into many smaller groups itself.
What Happened Next
After the Southern Party ended, there was little organized political effort across the South. This was partly because Southern activists often did not want a strong "national" group telling them what to do. However, some activity continued at the state level.
James Lancaster and George Kalas, who had left the Southern Party, tried a new idea called "Home Rule for Dixie." This was meant to be a more mainstream movement. It aimed to be racially inclusive and avoided symbols and ideas related to restoring the Confederacy. For a while, this idea got some attention. But Lancaster and Kalas gave up on it in 2003. They felt the Southern movement was too divided to be fixed.
The most successful part of the original Southern Party was the Southern Party of Georgia. This group put forward candidates for local and state elections in 2002, 2004, and 2006. It also played a role in the debate over redesigning the Georgia State Flag.
The Southern Party did not have its own candidate for president. However, in 2007, a Texan named Gene Champman tried to get the nomination from the Southern Party, the Libertarian Party, and the Constitution Party.
Images for kids
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The logo of the Southern Party.
