USA: Civil rights law, 1964-65

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President Lyndon B Johnson 1963-69

  • continued to appoint black people to high level jobs, including naming Patricia Harris as US Ambassador to Luxembourg in 1965
  • urged Southern politicians to support 1964 Civil Rights Bill
  • supporter the 1964 Civil Rights Act and 1965 Voting Rights Act
  • intervened to escort protesters marching from Selma to Montgomery in 1965
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President John F Kennedy, 1961-63

  • selected black people for high level jobs (including Thurgood Marshall from Brown v Topeka)
  • backed introduction of new civil rights laws after initially being reluctant to support
  • he became committed to the cause because of the impact of civil rights protests
  • in particular the outrageous treatment of protesters at Birmingham
  • sent federal troops to the University of Mississipp to protect James Meredith
  • sent US Marshals to escort Freedom Riders and prevent attacks
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The 1964 Civil Rights Act

  • new powers forced school desegregation
  • government could stop federal funding of state projects that promoted inequality
  • no discrimination in voter registration tests
  • banned discrimination in public spaces and interstate businesses
  • banned employment discrimination in larger businesses
  • set up Equal Employment Opportunities Commission to combat work discrimination 
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The 1965 Voting Rights Act

  • Johnson was heavily influenced by the Selma campaign
  • he praised the courage of the activists and saw the march as a turning point in the fight against racial prejudice and injustice
  • he introduced a standard voting registration process across the USA, controlled by federal government
  • states could introduce new voting rules only if the federal government agreed
  • federal officials would take over voter registration in states where less than 50% of those qualified to vote failed to register
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The Selma to Montgomery Marches 1965

  • early in 1965, the SCLC and MLK decided to campaign for voting rights in Selma Alabama
  • some held protests against voter registration tests while others tried to register to vote
  • violence broke out with the police and a protester was killed
  • on 7th March, 600 people set out to march 54 miles from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama to publicise the right of black Americans to vote
  • state troops stopped the protesters outisde Selma, using tear gas, clubs and cattle prods
  • the media reported the violence worldwide
  • a second attempt on 9th March was unsuccessful
  • following the march a local white group murdered a white civil rights activist causing public outrage
  • President Johnson intervened, placting the Alabama state national guard under federal control and ordering it to give safe passage to the marchers
  • the final march took place on 21-24 March, with 25,000 protesters concluding the march on the 25th March
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