1. The Political Response
Civil Rights 21.4

2. 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

3. 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.”

4. 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.

5. 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

6. The March on Washington
In August ,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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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