Like how the South in the late 19th century "abandoned" their teachings about black slavehood & inferiority.
How long, Sherm, did that really take to shake out? How many generations? Something rooted so deep took over a century, Sherm. So why can't you acknowledge that it's likely to be 2100 or close to it before a real INWARD "abandonment" takes shape?
Uhh, I think you are off most of a century about when “the South ... “abandoned” their teachings about black ... inferiority.” They didn’t even begin to turn around on this till the 60s, and I suspect in many people’s hearts it wasn’t much before 1978, if then.
And the South never did “abandon” its teachings about slavery. The end of slavery was imposed on them by military force, and they spent pretty much the next century doing their best to maintain blacks in a condition as close to slavery as they were allowed to. Unless I’m gravely mistaken, there was a remarkable dearth of white southern churches who criticized these unChristian and unAmerican activities.
And, unfortunately, I think you will find that equal treatment of blacks was not a top issue for most American conservatives before the 70s, either.
IMO this was the greatest single failure of American conservatism, since insistence on equal rights can indeed be derived from impeccably conservative roots. The “civil rights era” was one in which most American conservatives were indifferent or opposed, whereas American liberals and leftists led the fight.
This was the greatest (and just about the only) issue in American history in which liberals/leftists/progressives were morally right and most conservatives were opposed or indifferent. This has given liberalism enormous moral capital which they still exploit successfully today. Which is why everything has to be turned into “the civil rights issue of our time.” It’s the only card they have.