Steps of Change Even after the emancipation of slavery, African-Americans continued to make progress in an unaccepting society. Not every problem with the treatment of blacks was solved overnight, or even within a few years; it took decades. Important figures throughout this long period of adjustment can each be attributed to the overall modern day status of African-Americans. With each person, steps, big or small, were taken towards an end goal. During the Civil Rights Movement, each president, or presidential candidate, of the time had their own opinions about the topic and ways of contributing to the cause, whether it be for political gain or out of genuine concern. Because he was the first president to address Civil Rights issues since Lincoln, President Truman is where the line of presidents who were a part of the Civil Rights Movement begins. For several reasons, including his joining of the KKK before presidency and preoccupation with Russia, some speculate that Truman had no interest in Civil Rights but only political gain. While he definitely was different in private than as president, Truman became quite …show more content…
Kennedy tried not to push too hard on Civil Rights legislation in the South because he wanted to keep their favor as well. Besides these flaws and others, like refusing the Freedom Riders and almost going against the March on Washington, Kennedy did his best where he could with Civil Rights, starting with endorsing Civil Rights activism. Many contributions Kennedy made to the Movement were executive, including sending National Guards to specific Universities, appointing African-Americans to high federal positions, and creating the Committee of Equal Employment Opportunity. Despite his concern of pushing Civil Rights legislation, Kennedy still proposed a law to stop segregation and ensure voting rights for