Chains transforming into ballots symbolizing the legacy of slavery in modern elections.

Unearthing the Past: How Slavery Still Shapes American Politics

Samir D’Costa monogram
Samir D’Costa in Politics & Policy October 2026 • 4 min read.

"A deep dive into how historical reliance on slave labor continues to influence political attitudes in the U.S., revealing the enduring legacy of racial tensions."


In today's America, debates over immigration, the rise of movements like #BlackLivesMatter, and the presence of alt-right groups highlight how racial attitudes continue to shape our society. Understanding the roots of these attitudes is crucial, especially in regions with a history of slavery.

The book "Deep Roots: How Slavery Still Shapes Southern Politics" by Avidit Acharya, Matthew Blackwell, and Maya Sen, delves into this complex issue. It investigates how the historical dependence on slave labor in the American South has left a lasting imprint on the political views and behaviors of its residents.

This article will explore the key findings of "Deep Roots", explaining how the legacy of slavery continues to influence political attitudes in the U.S. We'll break down the research and offer insights into how this history affects modern political ideologies, voting patterns, and racial tensions.

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Slavery’s Political Legacy

Research on the political legacy of American slavery finds that present-day political attitudes across Southern counties partly trace their origins to slavery’s prevalence more than 150 years ago. White residents of counties with high shares of enslaved people in 1860 are more likely to identify as Republican, oppose affirmative action, and express racial resentment and colder feelings toward others. The book Deep Roots addressed how slavery shaped U.S. politics since emancipation using quantitative, historical, and theoretical tools.

The Deep Roots of Political Divide

Chains transforming into ballots symbolizing the legacy of slavery in modern elections.

The book "Deep Roots" argues that the political culture in the South is deeply influenced by the region's history of slavery. The authors propose that political attitudes exhibit 'path dependence,' meaning that past ideas, norms, and behaviors continue to shape the present. This perspective aligns with research on institutional path dependence but focuses on individual attitudes and behaviors rather than solely on institutional outcomes.

Acharya, Blackwell, and Sen highlight the enduring impact of historical practices on contemporary society by drawing from specific examples. They contrast Greenwood, Mississippi, a town with a large African American population and a history deeply tied to slavery, with Ashville, North Carolina, a city with fewer historical ties to slavery and a more liberal white population. These locations serve as examples to present a broader pattern within the South.

  • Greenwood, Mississippi: Predominantly African American population, votes Democratically, rooted in a slavery-based economy.
  • Ashville, North Carolina: Predominantly white population, more liberal political views, less reliant on historical slavery.
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A Theory of Attitude Persistence

The research offers evidence for a new theory involving the historical persistence of racial attitudes to explain its results. This presents persistent racial attitudes as an explanation for the reported findings. The source excerpt does not specify the theory’s mechanisms or the evidence supporting it.

The Challenge of Historical Inheritance

The Harvard Kennedy School account says the research challenges the quintessential American notion that each generation has the right to reinvent itself and is not beholden to the actions of its forefathers. This frames the findings as a challenge to beliefs about generational independence. The provided source does not report a specific failure of the research or give evidence that refutes its conclusions.

County-Level Differences in the South

The cited study reports that contemporary political-attitude differences across counties in the American South partly trace their origins to slavery’s prevalence more than 150 years ago. Its stated comparison is among Southern counties, with historical slavery prevalence as the point of connection. The provided excerpt does not identify comparison regions or report specific county-level figures.

The authors' research reveals that in areas of the South with a strong history of slavery, white residents are less likely to identify as Democrats, less supportive of affirmative action, and more likely to express racially resentful attitudes. The data indicates that historical economic systems have long-lasting effects on political ideologies.

Understanding the Enduring Legacy

"Deep Roots" offers a compelling analysis of how slavery continues to shape political attitudes in the American South. While focused on this specific region, the authors suggest that the theory of behavioral path dependence could be applied more broadly to understand the persistence of attitudes related to race and immigration across the United States.

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Political Attitudes and the Evidence Behind Them

Deep Roots describes lasting effects of slavery on contemporary political attitudes in the American South, reporting that Southerners are more likely to support Republican candidates, gun rights, and the death penalty, and that Southern whites harbor higher levels of racial resentment. To support a causal claim about historical influence on present-day attitudes and behavior, the book’s authors say they collected “probably two dozen different data sets” and used varied statistical techniques and other designs. The Harvard account poses the central question as how a past more than 150 years ago can help determine political attitudes and behaviors today.

The research also raises questions about the effectiveness of targeted policy interventions. Although policies have improved outcomes for minorities in the Black Belt (such as increased voter registration and educational attainment), the underlying attitudes of white residents in this region have remained largely conservative.

Ultimately, "Deep Roots" makes a significant contribution to the study of racial attitudes by highlighting the lasting impact of historical institutions and practices. The insights from this book are essential for anyone seeking to understand the complexities of American politics and the enduring legacy of slavery.

Political science had already recognized that some parts of the South are more conservative than others; the researchers used county maps to note that those patterns aligned with estimates of slavery’s prevalence in 1860.[1]

Their stated hypothesis was that political and racial attitudes in the Black Belt diverged from those in other parts of the South after slavery was abolished.[2]

Questions the regional account leaves open

  • What evidence establishes when the Black Belt’s political and racial attitudes diverged from those elsewhere in the South, rather than only proposing that the divergence followed abolition?[2]
  • How much of the county pattern is explained by the historical prevalence of slavery, and how much might fit the alternative account that a larger minority population can make a dominant group feel threatened?[1] [3]

The vocabulary behind the question

Racial threat
The idea that when a minority population grows, the dominant group feels threatened and becomes more opposed to policies that might favor that minority.[1]

Sources

  1. The political legacy of American slavery - Harvard Kennedy School (hks.harvard.edu)
  2. The Political Legacy of American Slavery - Harvard University (appext.hks.harvard.edu)
  3. The Political Legacy of American Slavery | Maya Sen (msen.scholars.harvard.edu)

About this Article -

Written with AI assistance from published research, and reviewed by the Mystum team. See our About page for more information.

Everything You Need To Know

1

What is the primary focus of the book "Deep Roots"?

The book "Deep Roots: How Slavery Still Shapes Southern Politics" by Avidit Acharya, Matthew Blackwell, and Maya Sen, explores how the historical reliance on slave labor in the American South has left a lasting imprint on the political views and behaviors of its residents. This work delves into how the legacy of slavery continues to influence political attitudes in the U.S. It examines modern political ideologies, voting patterns, and racial tensions as they relate to this history.

2

How does "Deep Roots" explain the influence of slavery on political attitudes?

Political attitudes in the South are deeply influenced by the region's history of slavery, according to "Deep Roots". The authors argue that political attitudes exhibit 'path dependence', where past ideas, norms, and behaviors continue to shape the present. The research indicates that white residents in areas of the South with a strong history of slavery are less likely to identify as Democrats, less supportive of affirmative action, and more likely to express racially resentful attitudes. This highlights the lasting impact of historical economic systems on political ideologies.

3

What examples does the book use to illustrate its points?

The book uses specific examples to illustrate its points. For instance, Greenwood, Mississippi, with a large African American population and a history deeply tied to slavery, is contrasted with Ashville, North Carolina, a city with fewer historical ties to slavery and a more liberal white population. These locations help present a broader pattern within the South, revealing the influence of slavery on present-day political leanings and racial attitudes.

4

What are the implications of slavery's history on modern political attitudes?

The findings from "Deep Roots" suggest that the history of slavery continues to shape modern political ideologies and racial tensions. The authors found that white residents in areas with a strong history of slavery are more likely to express racially resentful attitudes. This demonstrates that historical economic systems, such as those reliant on slave labor, have long-lasting effects on how people view politics and other people, influencing voting patterns and political attitudes.

5

What is the significance of 'behavioral path dependence' as discussed in "Deep Roots"?

The theory of behavioral path dependence, as discussed in "Deep Roots", suggests that past ideas, norms, and behaviors related to slavery continue to shape the present. This concept could be applied to understanding attitudes related to race and immigration across the United States. It implies that historical practices, such as the reliance on slave labor, create a path that influences future behaviors and political attitudes, even in areas without a direct history of slavery.

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