The Plains Political Tradition : Essays on South Dakota Political Culture

Across the country, election-night viewers typically see South Dakota as a "red" state, but is it really that simple? South Dakota's political landscape is a mix of geographical variations and political subcultures in historical flux. The first volume of The Plains Political Tradition examined this complexity, and this new volume focuses on the unpredictability and the occasional paradox in the state's political culture. In these essays selected by editors Jon K. Lauck, John E. Miller, and Donald C. Simmons, Jr., ten historians and political observers unpack the meanings in both modern trends and historical roots. They explore compelling stories of direct democracy, organized labor, West River identity, New Deal planning, Cold War loyalty, bicultural conservatism, and the Christian Left-among other topics. Tracking the shifting dialogues that make the Great Plains unique, the authors take South Dakota further into the growing study of modern political culture.