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Difficulty: EasyDemographic Shifts and Sun Belt Migration

The widespread use of air conditioning, the expansion of the interstate highway system, and the rise of defense and aerospace industries in the South and Southwest drew millions of Americans away from the older industrial centers of the Northeast and Midwest. This internal migration, which accelerated in the late twentieth century, transformed the nation's economic landscape and created new metropolitan hubs.

Which of the following was a direct political consequence of the migration patterns described in the passage?

  1. A shift in political power as southern and western states gained seats in the House of Representatives.Answer
  2. B
    The introduction of the first federal social safety net programs such as Social Security.
  3. C
    The rapid growth of the Populist Party as a major political force in southwestern states.
  4. D
    A reliance on demand-side economic policies and increased federal welfare spending to fuel regional industries.

Answer

A shift in political power as southern and western states gained seats in the House of Representatives.
The correct answer is correct because population growth in the South and West led to the reapportionment of congressional seats following the decennial census, increasing the political representation and electoral votes of Sun Belt states at the expense of the Northeast and Midwest.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the migration trend described in the passage.
The passage describes the migration of millions of Americans from the industrial Northeast and Midwest to the South and Southwest (the Sun Belt) in the late twentieth century.
Understanding the demographic shift is necessary to analyze its political effects.
2
Relate population changes to congressional representation.
In the United States, seats in the House of Representatives and votes in the Electoral College are reapportioned every ten years based on population changes recorded in the census.
Congressional reapportionment is the mechanism through which demographic shifts directly influence national politics.
3
Determine the political outcome of the demographic growth in the Sun Belt.
As the population of the South and West grew, these regions gained seats in the House of Representatives and electoral votes, while the Northeast and Midwest lost them, shifting the balance of political power.
This matches the option stating that southern and western states gained seats in the House of Representatives.

Key Concept

Demographic Shifts and Sun Belt Migration
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Topics

Demographic Shifts and Sun Belt Migration

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