The Political Response Civil Rights 21.4

JFK and MLK Just weeks before the presidential election JFK had an opportunity to make a powerful gesture toward African Americans MLK had been arrested in Georgia and sentenced to four months hard labor Robert Kennedy persuaded the Georgia sentencing judge to release King on bail Word of what JFK did spread through the AA community and many switched their vote to JFK He won the close election

Kennedy on Civil Rights As Senator from Massachusetts JFK had voted for civil rights measures but not actively pushed issues However, during the election Kennedy came out for civil rights “If the President does not himself wage the struggle for equal rights – if he stands above the battle – then the battle will inevitably be lost.”

Kennedy on Civil Rights Kennedy appointed a number of AA to prominent positions in the government Thurgood Marshall, who later would become a Supreme Court Justice, was appointed to federal court However, Kennedy also named a number of segregationists to federal courts When violence spread, Kennedy responded with more authority.

Kennedy on Civil Rights: Medgar Evers Hours after Kennedy’s broadcast, civil rights leader Medgar Evers was gunned down He had recruited NAACP members and organized various voter-registration drives throughout the state Kennedy proposed a modest civil rights bill The bill prohibited segregation in public places Banned discrimination wherever federal funding was involved Powerful southern segregationists kept the bill from coming to vote

The March on Washington In August 1963 200,000 people came from all over the country to call for “jobs and freedom” Many famous leaders and celebrities marched The march was peaceful and orderly After many songs and speeches, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 Three months after the March on Washington, JFK assassinated Lyndon B. Johnson became new President He was eager to use his political skill to build support for Kennedy’s bill The bill passed the House, but in the Senate, a lengthy filibuster slowed the process LBJ got support for a cloture motion or (a procedure that can limit or end debate and call for a vote) The bill passed

The Provisions of the Act The Civil Rights Act of 1964 Banned the use of different voter registration standards in different states Prohibited discrimination in public accommodations Allowed the withholding of federal funds from public or private programs that practiced discrimination Banned discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, or national origin by employers and unions

Fighting for the Vote Many civil rights leaders continued to push for expanded rights, especially in voting Freedom Summer 1964 leaders of major civil rights groups organized a voter registration drive in Mississippi KKK held rallies to intimidate the volunteers 3 civil rights workers were killed soon after Civil Rights leaders reported 80 attacks Volunteers were beaten up and wounded by gunfire AA churches and homes were burned

The Selma March Many black southerners still had trouble obtaining their voting rights In Selma, Alabama, police arrested people just for standing in line to register to vote King and other leaders decided to organize a protest march Armed troopers on horseback charged into the crowd with whips, clubs, and tear gas When the Selma marchers started out again supporters from all over the country come to join them

The Voting Rights Act Reacting to Selma LBJ went on TV promising a strong new law to protect voting rights That summer Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 It said federal official could register voters in places where local officials were blocking registration Also eliminated literacy tests and other barriers

Legal Landmarks Together the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 created an entirely new voting population in the South More AA would be elected to political offices 24 Amendment Ratified in 1964, outlawed the poll tax