The Truth about Reagan’s 1980 “States' Rights Speech”

Certain beliefs are so fundamentally baseless that they reveal nothing more than a willingness to believe anything that fits a preordained narrative. Such is the claim that Ronald Reagan “launched his campaign” in 1980 with “dog whistles” by delivering a “States’ Rights speech” in Philadelphia, Mississippi, purposely at the location of the 1964 murder of three civil rights workers.

These sentiments have been echoed over and over again to help shape the conventional wisdom of the Republican Party. The enduring repetition of this cliche illustrates the pervasiveness of the partisan hegemony of media and academia. This pillar of the "Southern Strategy" narrative stretches a single, inconspicuous muffled phrase from a brief 15-minute speech, performed as a personal favor, into a symbolic cornerstone of twentieth-century politics. It also underpins the fragile construct of the Party Switch Myth’s bridge to the rise of Republican power and electoral dominance. If you are even remotely interested in historical clarity you will welcome the following unfastening of this fraud.

The fraud will be explored in a detailed three-part series. The first post will be dedicated to what truly transpired on August 3rd, 1980. Part 2 will focus on Reagan’s well-documented 1980 strategy, which included the well-recognized appeal to black voters and pro-civil-rights individuals, rather than to segregationist sentiments. Part 3 will reveal how the myth of Reagan’s speech was constructed, and what measures election-rival Jimmy Carter took in his desperate attempt to gain campaign traction, including his own campaign launch with some of the most influential segregationists in history, George Wallace, James Eastland, and John Sparkman.

Below is an excerpt from the upcoming book available for pre-order Dismantled: The Party Switch Myth.

Fool or Fraud: The Speech heard almost nowhere

The 1980 Republican presidential nominee Ronald Reagan planned to land at Meridian Municipal Airport at approximately 3:45 p.m. on Sunday, August 3rd, and drive 40 miles to the Neshoba Fairgrounds. Arriving just after 5:15, he spent roughly an hour in total at the fairgrounds; navigating to the stage, shaking hands, taking photos, and sitting through lengthy introductions before the 40-mile return trip for his 7:45 flight to Newark.¹

Before his return trip, Reagan made a roughly 15-minute speech. This "States’ Rights Speech," supposedly marked the start of his presidential run with a "Southern Strategy."

The first third of the speech was essentially a standup set; Jimmy Carter jokes, Ted Kennedy jokes, party politics riffs, etc. Reading modern accounts, you’d picture burning crosses and a pounded podium. In reality, Reagan's speech was more this George Wallace than this George Wallace. Reagan’s goofs and jovial disposition were the major tonal takeaways from the crowd.

So Reagan told a series of dad jokes devoured by the crowd of delighted Mississippians.

Apart from the zingers, Reagan talked football, lingered longer on John Wayne, and spoke admirably about a chair on stage; these topics had a stronger claim to the speech’s title than “states’ rights.” Reagan then addressed inflation and unemployment briefly, followed by international affairs, he then circled back to inflation and the economy. Discussing government bureaucracy, he noted that such systems, though well-intentioned, often focus on the “preservation of the bureaucracy” rather than solving the problem.

Reagan moved to the other topic he’s endlessly accused of using as a racial coded message to hypnotize the whites into election-day obedience: welfare. What better tune to whistle than welfare and “states’ rights” all at once? After all, that’s allegedly why he “launched” his campaign in Mississippi: to play the hits. Reagan told the Mississippi crowd:

This was the direct lead-in to the infamous stars-and-bars-clarion-call to all the racists of the South lying in wait for the final clue from Reagan, as they eagerly awaited with their decoder rings in hand.

Imagine the disappointment at the next Klan rally. This is the context of Reagan’s singular “states’ rights” mention.

Reagan spoke plainly and clearly about what states had a right to do and from his experience did better; help those on welfare, drawing on his tenure as Governor of California. He recognized that most welfare recipients prefer self-sufficiency, arguing that states, not federal bureaucracies, are better at handling these programs. This stands in clear contrast also to the claims that Reagan relied on the issue of welfare as a “dog whistle.” Shouldn’t what Reagan communicated define what his message was?

Reagan ended his speech recalling his visit to a swim meet in Irvine, California, the previous day, engaging the audience more than his comments on state management of welfare programs, which barely stirred the crowd. Was this his so-called neo-segregationist appeal, showcasing a sinister Southern strategy? Is this the proof? His focus was on effectively administering welfare to aid those deserving of dignity, and arguably the biggest crowd reaction was after an anecdote about a swim meet in Irvine.

Mississippi welcomed Reagan warmly, even the Democratic Governor, attending a national conference, sent his Federal-State Coordinator to introduce him.² The acting Governor noted, “Mississippi is now entering the mainstream of American life [...] Your presence here today reaffirms that, it’s an honor to have you.” This captures the spirit of Reagan's visit: optimism, patriotism, and a forward-looking vision moving beyond the old Democratic one-party past.

The speech on Sunday, August 3rd, didn't bring significant national attention, mainly because it didn't stand out beyond Mississippi. The speech was not even broadcast. The only complete recording available came from a fairgoer; major TV networks barely noted the event. This simple fact alone virtually eliminates the notion that this was intended as anything remotely resembling a presidential campaign launch, or even a major event. Details about "states’ rights" likewise didn't make the TV news.³⁴

Even the New York Times on October 16th admitted that the “states’ rights” speech was in fact not:

Due to the national media’s relative disinterest, no one outside of the sound of Reagan's voice that Sunday afternoon actually heard the brief speech, delivered to just a small segment of Central-East Mississippi. Yet, decades later, pundits widely reference this moment to help narrate the story of twentieth-century American politics. Why not see the event as contemporaries did; a modest, positive gesture nudging Mississippi forward from its past into the mainstream of modern politics?

Also, why overlook what Reagan did the following week? Perhaps because it involves his true campaign launch that included a policy speech to the Urban League, meeting the Urban League president in the hospital, touring the Bronx, meeting with Jesse Jackson, and meeting with the publishers of Ebony and Jet magazine.

This is looking like an odd “Southern Strategy."

Details of Reagan’s true 1980 campaign launch can be found in Part 2. In Part 3 we uncover how a desperate Carter campaign tactic, which they later apologized for, launched the mythology of the speech we see today.

The 1980 Reagan Campaign Series

Upcoming
Part 3: The Launch of Reagan’s “State’s Right’s Speech” Mythology
Carter’s counter to Reagan’s strategy to woo black voters.

1  Clarion-Ledger, 01 Aug 1980.

2  The Star-Herald, 07 Aug 1980.

3  The Magee Courier, 07 Aug 1980.

4  Vanderbilt Television News Archive: ABC Evening News for Sunday, 03 Aug 1980; CBS Evening News for Sunday, 03 Aug 1980; NBC Evening News for Sunday, 03 Aug 1980.