Jfk Response To The Civil Rights Movement

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On June 11, 1963, John F. Kennedy made history when he pleaded for support on live television. While a majority of the American people were shocked by his plea, many Americans saw the broadcast as a spark igniting a change in the way African American’s were treated. That evening, John F. Kennedy asked the American people for their support of his Civil Rights Bill. The bill, one of the examples in which Kennedy responded to the Civil Rights Movement, would bring an end to segregation in public places among other Jim Crow laws. However, much of his response involved the national outlook on the events that took place in the Civil Rights Movement. John F. Kennedy started a national conversation on the Civil Rights Movement throughout America promoting
Kennedy gained the support of African American voters. Many will argue that this support started when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested. John F. Kennedy spoke to Coretta Scott King about her husband’s release from prison. “‘He was in contact with officials in Georgia during my arrest and he called my wife, made a personal call and expressed his concern and said to her that he was working and trying to do something to make my release possible,’” (CNN) said Dr. King on an audio tape. This wasn’t the only contribution Kennedy made to the Civil Rights Movement during his campaign. John F. Kennedy spoke out on the issues pertaining to African Americans. This included desegregation, racial tension in the workplace and poor living conditions. (John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum) African Americans saw that Kennedy was willing to end the racial tensions in the South and other places in the country as president. Many felt as though the issue was very important in Kennedy’s eyes and that he would bring real change for African Americans. This was very important because when the 1960 Nixon and Kennedy election came around, almost 70% of African American votes went to Kennedy. (John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum) Without the support of African Americans and non-white races, John F. Kennedy might not have won. According to a Gallup statistics report, Kennedy dominates Nixon with support from non-white voters, 68 to 32. However, Nixon wins with
Kennedy’s Civil Rights Act, which called for the fair treatment of all races, changed the tone of the Civil Rights Movement. This doesn’t mean that everyone automatically started to change the way they thought about African Americans, but people started to come together and realize that change needed to happen soon. 5 months after Kennedy first announced the bill, he was shot in Dallas, Texas. It wasn’t until 8 months after Kennedy's assassination that Lyndon B. Johnson signed the bill into effect on July 2, 1964. The bill was passed through congress with a 290-130 vote. (History Channel 2010) After the bill was passed, more action was taken to assure equal rights for African Americans. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was created to prevent discrimination and unfair treatment with African American voters. (Library of Congress) The 1964 Civil Rights Act sent a message loud and clear: no longer was discrimination or racism going to be tolerated. In fact, many people thought that change needed to happen soon, as a 1964 Gallup poll suggests. 58% approved of the bill while only 31% did not. 10% were undecided (Public Broadcasting Service 2015). Not only did those who were black support the bill, but many white national leaders started to support the ideas of the act. The bill became the national pathway to equal rights. However, not all were ready to move towards change. Following the signing of the bill, Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. were both assassinated.

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