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History grade 12 civil rights movement
History grade 12 civil rights movement
History grade 12 civil rights movement
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On July 2, 1964, president Lyndon Baines Johnson signed a civil-rights bill that forbade discrimination in voting, education, employment and other areas of American life. As a U.S senator, he has helped weaken such bills because he felt it was the job of the state to decide. L.B.J suddenly changed his mind and decided to sign the bill that would change many people’s lives. Was this what L.B.J actually believed in or was it all out of politics. L.B.J’s decision to sing the civil rights act of 1964 was based off of principal. L.B.J’s decision was based off of politics because it was he was not benefiting from this decision (Background essay). Politically this was one of the worst moves he could have made and was warned this could cost the party the South (it did) and his reelection (it did not) (Document C). The politically safe move would have been never to have proposed the act or at least to have proposed it and let it die. Also because a friend of L.B.J even warned him that it could cost him the south and his election but he stood his ground and said “if that’s the price I’ve got to pay i’ll pay it gladly.” (Document C) …show more content…
The children he worked with were poor and often came to class without breakfast. I think the children who he taught were part of his decision to change his mind on civil
Robinson’s letter is quite compelling and effective in demonstrating its purpose. This piece features the then current Civil Rights Movement and the President’s dedication to said movement. The purpose, of Robinson’s letter is to assure President Johnson that despite Martin Luther King Jr.’s anti-war protests many in the black community still supported him. Robinson also wrote the letter persuade and make sure the President would continue to
The summer of 1964, President Lyndon Baines Johnson finally decided to sign the Civil Rights Act. This bill permitted people of all races and skin tones to be free from segregation. It promised the extension on voting rights, stronger equal employment opportunities, and guaranteed all Americans the right to use public facilities such as schools, restaurants and swimming pools (Politics or Principle 405). Many Americans questioned if the true decision behind President Johnson signing the civil rights act of 1964 was political or principle. I strongly believe Johnson signed it in a principle matter due to seeing different perspectives in living with prejudice, he would do anything to get the bill signed and he was finally free from the South's persuasive bonds.
This book follows Johnsons political career, from a eager hard-working congressional secretary to the landslide victor of the 1964 presidential election. It discusses his "liberal" political views, It seems as though Johnson thought he could help the American people single-handedly and he seemed determined to do it. Johnson is He is praised for his vast legislative record and his stand on poverty and eventually, civil rights. He is criticized for his methods and
Following the victory of the North over the South in the civil war, Black Americans were given independence. This led to court rulings such as the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendment, which granted all citizens equality before the law and stated that, the ‘right to vote should not be denied ... on account of race’. However, in practice these Amendments were not upheld, there were no measures in place to implement these rulings and no prevention of the ill treatment of Black Americans. Due to these new rulings, De Facto segregation increased especially with the establishment of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). Also, in the South although the 15th Amendment gave everyone the right to vote, Jim Crow laws were put in place to deliberately prevent Black Americans from voting. Black Americans had differing views on how to deal with their situation, while some felt it was best to accept the status quo, others wanted to fight for equal rights but disagreed on whether they should integrate with whites or remain separate.
Skepticism about government is, in many respects, part of the DNA of Americans. This skepticism is not without reason – the actions of American politicians in the 1960s and 70s caused much of America to wonder about the motives of elected officials. However, such skepticism is rarely brought up when discussing the government’s participation in denouncing oppression against the African-American community. Most assume the government enforced equal opportunity for minorities out of compassion and humanity. However, much like the other major actions of the government during that era, the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a groundbreaking law condemning segregation, was not devoid of personal motives. The Black community was not oblivious to this fact, and voiced its outrage through different mediums. Within the literary community, James Baldwin stands out as an author who especially attacked the government, claiming all the benefits his community was now receiving was not the result of compassion, but rather was the result of politics as usual.
When Johnson took over the Presidency following the assassination of Kennedy, he was determined to push through the Great Society agenda. President Johnson used the recent death as a reason to quickly enact laws for social reform in memory of Kennedy. Despite Republican opposition, Johnson was able to get the Civil Rights Bill of 1964 passed through congress,
In 1960, John F. Kennedy was elected president of the United States. During his campaign he had promised to lead the country down the right path with the civil rights movement. This campaign promise had brought hope to many African-Americans throughout the nation. Ever since Lincoln, African-Americans have tended to side with the democrats and this election was no different. The Kennedy administration had noticed that the key to the presidency was partially the civil rights issue. While many citizens were on Kennedy’s side, he had his share of opposition. Malcolm X differed on the view of the President and observed that the civil rights movement wasn’t happening at the speed Kennedy had pledged. Malcolm X possessed other reasons for his dislike of John F. Kennedy and his brothers, especially Robert. The Kennedy government stood for racial liberalism and Malcolm X argued their true intentions for the civil rights movement weren’t in the best interest of the black population. This tension streamed both ways. John Kennedy and the Federal Bureau of Investigation felt that Malcolm X had become a threat to national security. James Baldwin has written essays that have included the repeated attacks on the white liberal and supports Malcolm in many of his theories and actions.
The Improvement of the Civil Rights in 1945 and 1963 The US citizens improved the civil rights in the years 1945 – 1963. Firstly the Brown Vs Board of education of Topeka case. This case was about a black girl called Linda Brown, who travelled several kilometres and crossed a dangerous railway track to get to a black school, rather then attending a white-only school nearby. The NAACP (National Association (of the) Advancement (of) Coloured People) whose goals were to end racial discrimination and segregation. They took the case to the Supreme Court against the board of education in Topeka.
During Johnson’s presidency, the federal government significantly extended its domestic responsibilities in attempt to transform the nation to what Johnson called the “Great Society,” in which poverty and racial intolerance ceased to exist. A previously unsurpassed amount of legislation was passed during this time; numerous laws were passed to protect the environment, keep consumers safe, reduce unfairness in education, improve housing in urban areas, provide more assistance to the elderly with health care, and other policies to improve welfare. Johnson called for a “War on Poverty,” and directed more funds to help the poor; government spending towards the poor increased from six billion in 1964 to twenty-four and a half billion dollars in 1968. Not only did Johnson improve the American economy and greatly reduce poverty, but he also advocated for racial equality; he managed to get Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964, making segregation illegal in public accommodations/institutions. He also enacted the Voting Rights Act of 1965, prohibiting literacy tests in areas in which the amount of voters was under a certain number, which forced many southern states to allow more blacks to vote. As a result of his presidency, the poor and minorities enjoyed significant benefits from the more favorable legislations and more successful American legislation.
The Civil Rights movement in the 1960s is a struggle, majority in the South, by African Americans to achieve civil rights equal to those of the whites, including housing, education, and employment, as well the right to vote, have access to public facilities, and the right to be free of racial discrimination. The federal government generally stayed out of the civil rights struggle until 1964, when President Johnson pushed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 through congress prohibiting discrimination and promised equal opportunities in the workplace for all. The year after this happened the Voting Rights Act eliminated poll taxes and other restraints now allowing blacks to vote. These laws were not solving the problems African Americans were facing.
In today’s society, the pressure to appear politically correct can play a major role in one’s social life. This pressure can even trigger people to support issues that are politically correct, such as affirmative action. Affirmative action is a highly controversial issue in the United States today, it has many supporters and it also has many detractors. This issue can separate many ethnic groups and even turn people of the same racial group against each other. There are many ideas that are thought of as a cure for racial inequality, but none fit the role better than affirmative action.
The life and presidency of Lyndon Baines Johnson could never be summed up in a word, a phrase or a sentence. Even hundreds of pages seem too few to capture the years of Johnson. Both books present Johnson as a political figure as powerful and memorable as Lincoln or FDR, each trying to show a complete picture of this huge man. History books will forever be puzzled by this enigma of a man, just as readers and students are. The biggest struggle is determining how one feels about the actions and effects of Johnson. Many presidents can be seen as almost completely "good" or "bad" depending on one's political ideology and opinions, however, when one looks at Johnson, it is easier, almost inevitable, to find nuances and contradictions which make forming straightforward and binary opinions difficult, if not impossible. Accomplishments are followed by nagging failures and triumphs are shadowed by relentless criticism. These two books (Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream by Doris Kearns Goodwin and A Life: LBJ by Irwin and Debi Unger) try to present a story of a figure that was larger-than-life, yet just a regular man underneath. Both books tell the story, but leave it up to the reader to decide how to feel, to decide if the good outweighs the bad and vice versa. They have to decide what to make of this man who, in his life, ranged from a confident young senator, a triumphant president, a defeated, tired leader, to ultimately just an old man hoping his story will live on.
He told the citizens that he was concerned about everyone, no matter of race, gender, or religion. Throughout the speech, Lyndon Johnson reminded the nation that he wanted to solve the problem with the nation together. He sees the racial discrimination not only as injustice, but is also denying America and dishonoring the people who gave their lives for the freedom of America (Johnson 2). By doing this, he persuaded the people with emotions and wanted them to support his idea of the civil rights, which promised everyone the right to register to vote without having any problems. It had finally led to an end to the illegal barriers under the 15th Amendment and allowed African Americans to vote without any knowledge or character test.
Before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, segregation in the United States was commonly practiced in many of the Southern and Border States. This segregation while supposed to be separate but equal, was hardly that. Blacks in the South were discriminated against repeatedly while laws did nothing to protect their individual rights. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ridded the nation of this legal segregation and cleared a path towards equality and integration. The passage of this Act, while forever altering the relationship between blacks and whites, remains as one of history’s greatest political battles.