The LBJ Years LBJ Civil Rights l President

The LBJ Years

LBJ & Civil Rights l President Kennedy was assassinated before he could gain passage of the new civil rights bill, but President Johnson, a Southerner, committed himself to pushing the bill through in Kennedy’s memory and had the connections in Congress to make it happen.

Civil Rights Act of 1964 Made segregation illegal in public facilities such as restaurants, parks, libraries, and theaters l Allowed US Attorney General to prosecute violators l Banned discrimination in the workplace and created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to monitor discrimination l

Selma March & Bloody Sunday l l 1965 Dr. King led a demonstration in Selma, AL to register black voters White law enforcement attacked, beat, and arrested over 2000 demonstrators In protest, King organized a march from Selma to Montgomery, but the marchers were attacked and beaten by law officers while kneeling in prayer – an attack now known as “Bloody Sunday” – all on national television

Voting Rights Act of 1965 Allowed the Attorney General to circumvent local voting examiners in cases where discrimination is suspected l Banned literacy tests as a voting requirement l Highly successful - by the end of 1965 alone, more than 250, 000 Southern blacks had registered to vote l

th 24 Amendment Ratified in 1964 l Specifically banned the use of poll taxes (a tax that must be paid in order to vote) a common way of preventing poor blacks from voting in Southern states l

Watts Riot Poor living conditions for blacks in American urban areas led to high racial tensions l In August 1965, a race riot broke out in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles over police brutality, killing 34 and doing over $45 million in damage before order was restored by 14, 000 National Guardsmen l Violent riots would follow in other major US cities over the next 3 years l

Kerner Commission President Johnson appointed a commission to study the causes for urban unrest and to make recommendations for preventing future riots l The commission concluded that white racism was to blame and recommended the creation of inner-city jobs and the construction of affordable inner-city housing to ease economic burdens on urban blacks l

Chicago Movement l Dr. King also attempted to enact economic reforms in poor, black urban areas by moving into an urban slum in Chicago in 1965, but met with little success other than empty promises about improving the slums from city officials

Black Power As the gains of the civil rights movement began to slow, many blacks, especially those in the urban North, began to question the non-violent tactics of Dr. King and his supporters l Many also began to call for the expulsion of whites from civil rights groups like CORE and the SNCC and for blacks to take sole power over civil rights movements into their own hands l

Nation of Islam Founded in 1930 l Sometimes called the “Black Muslims, ” they preached black nationalism and that blacks should separate themselves from white society and its trappings l Attempted to create their own separate society within a society l

Malcolm X 1925 – 1965 Joined the Nation of Islam while in prison, dropping his “white” last name of Little in favor of his family’s lost African name, replaced by X l Became famous for his endorsement of winning equality “by any means necessary” (even violence) l Traveled to Mecca in 1964, where he had a religious awakening and returned encouraging racial cooperation l Assassinated for criticizing the Nation of Islam l l

Stokely Carmichael l l 1941 – 1998 Participated in the Freedom Rides and other civil rights activities, but over time became more radical and more involved with the Black Power movement As president of SNCC, he expelled all white members, not out of racism, but of the belief that the two groups had separate interests Later became involved with the Black Panthers and began to endorse violent tactics in retaliation to police brutality Ended his days living in Africa supporting a new Pan-African movement

Black Panthers Founded in 1966 Believed that only an armed revolution against white society would force whites to grant true civil rights to blacks l Called on African-Americans to take control of services such as schools and law enforcement within their own communities l More radical elements became involved in drug trafficking as a way to fund the movement and resorted to violent confrontations with police l Movement dissipated in the mid-1970 s l l

Civil Rights Act of 1968 Banned discrimination in the sale, rental, or financing of housing due to race, ethnicity, or color l Passed in response to many blacks being forced to live in poorquality slums due to no other housing being open to them l

MLK Assassinated April 4, 1968 King was shot while standing on the balcony at the hotel he was staying at in Memphis, TN l The killing triggered race riots across the United States l Escaped convict James Earl Ray was convicted of the murder, but controversy surrounds his conviction l l

Robert Kennedy Assassination The top candidate to win the Democratic nomination, JFK’s younger brother Robert, was shot and killed on June 6, 1968 by a Palestinian who was angry over Kennedy’s support of Israel l “Some men see things as they are and say why. I dream things that never were and say why not. ” l

Election of 1968 After a tumultuous Democratic National Convention in Chicago, which saw widespread protests and violent clashes with police by antiwar protestors, the Democratic Party nominated LBJ’s Vice-President Hubert Humphrey l The Republicans nominated Richard Nixon l George Wallace ran as an independent, pro-segregation candidate l Nixon won by a wide margin l