Book description
During the 1960s and 1970s, Texas was rocked by a series of political
transitions. Despite its century-long heritage of solidly Democratic
politics, the state became a Republican stronghold virtually
overnight, and by 1980 it was known as "Reagan Country."
Ultimately, Republicans dominated the Texas political landscape,
holding all twenty-seven of its elected offices and carrying former
governor George W. Bush to his second term as president with more than
61 percent of the Texas vote. Sean P. Cunningham examines the
remarkable history of Republican Texas in Cowboy Conservatism: Texas
and the Rise of the Modern Right. Utilizing extensive research drawn
from the archives of four presidential libraries, gubernatorial
papers, local campaign offices, and oral histories, Cunningham
presents a compelling narrative of the most notable regional genesis
of modern conservatism. Spanning the decades from Kennedy's
assassination to Reagan's presidency, Cunningham reveals a vivid
portrait of modern conservatism in one of the nation's largest and
most politically powerful states. The newest title in the New
Directions in Southern History series, Cunningham's Cowboy
Conservatism demonstrates Texas's distinctive and vital contributions
to the transformation of postwar American politics.
""Cunningham aptly describes the roots of Texas's
political culture.... This book should be a needed addition for the
political science and Texana collections of all academic and public
libraries." --Review of Texas Books" --
Sean P. Cunningham, assistant professor of history at Texas Tech
University, has published articles and book reviews in Southwestern
Historical Quarterly and the East Texas Historical Journal, among
others. He lives in Lubbock, Texas.
