Lyndon B. Johnson & the Second Reconstruction HIS 265

Senator Lyndon B. Johnson  Refused to sign Southern Manifesto  Got Civil Rights Act of 1957 through Congress: Est. Civil Rights Commission & Civil Rights Division in Justice Dept. Watered down by removing section that accelerated school desegregation & adding right to jury trials (guaranteeing acquittals for whites)  Civil Rights Act of 1960: extended life of CRC provided federal court referees to register blacks made it a federal crime to interfere with court orders or cross state lines to commit violence

The Civil Rights Act of 1964  Discrimination in all places of public accommodation outlawed (hotels, restaurants, etc.)  Required literacy tests to be administered in writing, & presumed all 6 th grade graduates were literate  Attorney General empowered to bring school desegregation suits  Equal Employment Opportunity Commission created

Extending African-American Voting Rights  24 th Amendment (1964) ended poll tax  Supreme Court ruled Congressional districts must have “substantial equality”: Wesberry v. Sanders (1964) – “one man, one vote” rule established Reynolds v. Sims (1964) applied rule to state legislatures  Voting Rights Act of 1965: Eliminates literacy tests and other such devices in states or counties where less than 50 percent of voting-age population was registered by (In 1970 all literacy tests are outlawed) Requires clearance for state and local governments seeking to change election laws Makes it illegal to pass a measure that has voting discrimination as its purpose

The Impact of the Voting Rights Act Copyright 1997, Prentice-Hall, Inc.

The War on Poverty  Economic Opportunity Act (1964) allocated $1 billion Office of Economic Opportunity led by Sargent Shriver “Maximum feasible participation” outraged local politicians seeking patronage  Many programs focused on urban poverty – seen by LBJ & advisors as part of civil rights program: Job Corps – aimed at inner-city teens Volunteers In Service To America (VISTA) – domestic version of the Peace Corps Head Start – designed to prepare poor kids for school Upward Bound – designed to prepare poor high schoolers for college Legal Service to the Poor – response to Court’s extension of defendants’ rights:  Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) – gov’t must provide attorneys to poor  Miranda v. Arizona (1966) – police must inform accused of rights Model Cities – $1.2 billion to upgrade employment, housing, education & health

Other Initiatives  Medicare & Medicaid (1965) expanded health care to elderly, disabled and poor Medicare = health insurance for elderly & disabled Medicaid = grants to states to pay for health care for the poor  Costs split 50%/50% with states  Linked to welfare until 1996 Welfare Reform Act  Elementary & Secondary Education Act and Higher Education Act (1965) required schools receiving federal money to follow federal guidelines on ending racial & sex discrimination  Higher Education Act expanded federal assistance to colleges & universities  Department of Housing & Urban Development (1965) added to president’s cabinet

Decrease in Poverty,

Affirmative Action in Business & Education  First endorsed by Pres. Johnson in June 4, 1965 commencement address at Howard University  Based on Moynihan Report, which blamed culture of poverty on psychological damage caused by slavery & racism, as well as single-parent homes  Executive Order (Sept. 1965) requires federal contractors to take specific measures to ensure equality in hiring (amended to apply to women in 1967)  EEOC reinterpreted its mandate in late 1960s to show broad pattern of de facto discrimination, rather than trying to prove intentional discrimination

Presidential Appointments  Thurgood Marshall became first African-American Supreme Court Justice  Robert C. Weaver became first African-American cabinet secretary (HUD)

Civil Rights Act of 1968  Riots in 130 cities following King’s assassination left 46 dead & over $100 million in property damage  Civil Rights Act (1968) passed in response Prohibits discrimination in sale, rental, advertising & financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin or sex HUD investigates & can litigate or refer to state or local agencies Amended in 1988 to include handicap & family status Pres. Johnson signs the 1968 Fair Housing Act