The Plains Political Tradition
Essays on South Dakota Political Culture, Volume 4
edited by Jon K. Lauck, Paula M. Nelson
August 2022 · 285 pages
South Dakota's unique blend of ethnic cultures, varied landscapes, and small, largely agrarian population have made for fascinating politics. This fourth volume of The Plains Political Tradition offers ten essays on diverse aspects of the region’s political history, from nonindigenous settlement patterns to campaign strategies to the shaping of state budgets. Employing a broad definition of political culture, editors Jon K. Lauck and Paula M. Nelson present a wide variety of eyewitness as well as scholarly perspectives in this anthology, all of which contribute to a better understanding of South Dakota’s singular historical experience.
Praise for The Plains Political Tradition 3 :
"Against a backdrop of agricultural ups and downs, varied religious beliefs, worldwide conflict, and powerful personalities, The Plains Political Tradition deftly examines ingredients critical to the success and failure of civic movements, legislation, and political campaigns and careers. Exceptionally well organized and presented."— Midwest Book Review
About Vol. 3: Not all politics is party politics. Nowhere is this fact more apparent than within the boundaries of South Dakota. Although the state is known for its agrarian conservatism, political tradition in the land of infinite variety is more than simply Republican or Democrat. An awareness of the influence of culture lies at the core of understanding the decisions of political leaders and voters alike.
In this volume of The Plains Political Tradition series, editors Jon K. Lauck, John E. Miller, and Paula M. Nelson gather essays from historians and other scholars who identify major influences on the political culture of South Dakota. Against a backdrop of agricultural ups and downs, varied religious beliefs, worldwide conflict, and powerful personalities, the authors examine ingredients critical to the success and failure of civic movements, legislation, and political campaigns and careers.
Jon K. Lauck grew up in South Dakota and earned his Ph.D. in history from the University of Iowa and his law degree from the University of Minnesota. He is interested in the history, culture, economics, and politics of the American Midwest and in American and European history more generally.
Paula M. Nelson is professor emeritus in the Department of History at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, where she taught for twenty-six years. Her research interests include agricultural settlement in the Great Plains and upper Midwest, rural life and culture, rural women’s history, and small towns. Nelson is the author of After The West Was Won , and The Prairie Winnows Out Its Own , books about west river South Dakota homesteading and agriculture, and is the editor of Sunshine Always , a book of courtship letters from Dakota Territorial days. She has written numerous articles, essays and book reviews.
