Examined in this paper is the impact two shifts in the civil rights movement had upon racial attitudes: (1) the shift from the South to the rest of the nation, and (2) the shift from issues of freedom to those of equality. It is noted that as long as the civil rights movement remained principally in the South, Northern whites were real, if somewhat reluctant, allies of blacks. It is also noted that when Northerners began to see the civil rights movement as a threat, they drew upon their past experiences to interpret what was happening. Part of this experience helped to create anti-black feelings, and a belief in laissez-faire doctrines of government and traditional values. A number of studies are cited to illustrate the contention that the change from old-fashioned racism (segregation-integration issues and black stereotypes) to the new symbolic racism has not changed the basic racist attitudes of upper middle class whites. (Author/EB)