Oklahoma Academic Standard 6. The student will investigate how post-war social, political, and economic events continued to transform the state of Oklahoma from the 1950s through the present. 

Objective 6.4  Summarize the impact of individual Oklahomans’ leadership on state and national politics including political realignment.

In a Nutshell

Oklahoma has gone through multiple political changes prior to and after statehood which have affected its people, including a shift in political alignment from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party. Students should be able to describe changing political environments and aware of the political philosophies that continue to influence contemporary politics. 

Teacher Action 

Student Action 

•  Assist students to analyze how various governmental powers in Oklahoma have changed over time and analyze the reasons for political realignment. 

• Analyze information from visual and interactive texts such as maps, charts, images, political cartoons, or videos in order to explain why Oklahoma transitioned from a predominantly Democratic state to one aligned with the  Republican Party. 

Key Concepts 

Misconceptions 

• political realignment, political ideology, conservation, liberal, swing state, "Southern Strategy" of the Republican Party,

• political leaders including, Representative Carl Albert, Senator and Governor Henry Bellmon, Senator and Governor David Boren, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation Wilma Mankiller, Governor of the Chickasaw Nation Bill Anoatubby, Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick, Representative and Governor Mary Fallin   

• Some students may mistakenly assume that Oklahoma's political ideology has always been conservative and/or aligned with the Republican Party; in reality, Oklahomans predominantly elected Democratic local and national candidates to office for the first decades of the state's history.

• Students may also have the misconception that Oklahoma is a small, uninfluential state; therefore, local political movements and ideas have little impact on national politics. 

Instructional Resources