their campaigns.

In those days before television, parties held coordinated rallies. On the last
Saturday before the election, Democratic senators might address crowds in
each major city; local officeholders would hold forth in smaller towns. Each of
these rallies featured music. Hundreds of thousands of songbooks were printed
so the party faithful might sing the same songs coast to coast. A favorite in
1864 was sung to the tune of “Yankee Doodle Dandy”:

THE NEW NATIONAL ANTHEM

“NIGGER DOODLE DANDY”

Yankee Doodle is no more,
Sunk his name and station;
Nigger Doodle takes his place,
And favors amalgamation.
CHORUS: Nigger Doodle’s all the go,
Ebony shins and bandy,
“Loyal” people all must bow
To Nigger Doodle dandy.
The white breed is under par
It lacks the rich a-romy,
Give us something black as tar,
Give us “Old Dahomey.”
CHORUS: Nigger Doodle’s all the go, &c.
Blubber lips are killing sweet,
And kinky heads are splendid;
And oh, it makes such bully feet
To have the heels extended.
CHORUS: Nigger Doodle’s all the go, &c.
I have shared these lyrics with hundreds of college students and scores of
high school history teachers. To get audiences to take the words seriously, I
usually try to lead them in a sing-along. Often even all-white groups refuse.
They are shocked by what they read. Nothing in their high school history
textbooks hinted that national politics was ever like this.

Partly because many party members and leaders did not identify with the