How Does Johnson Sign The Civil Rights Act Of 1964 Dbq

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President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Did he sign this because he genuinely thought it was the right thing to do? Or did he sign it to better his chances of being re-elected for president? Judging by the presented documents, the evidence leans towards a mixture of both. He had experience with being around people that felt the pain of discrimination. But, he also wanted to remain in office as president. In Document A, it tells of his time teaching at a Mexican-American school in Cotulla, Texas. Johnson recalled, “Few of them could speak English, and I couldn’t speak much Spanish. My students were poor and they often came to class without breakfast, hungry. They knew even in their youth the pain of prejudice. They never seemed to know why people disliked them. But they knew it was so, because I saw it in their eyes.” This shows that he knew how prejudice affected those people. This shows that he may have really been in genuine support of the signing of the Civil Right Act of 1964. …show more content…

In the conversation, Johnson says to the senator, “Dick, you’ve got to get out of my way, I’m going to run you over.” The senator then replied, “You may do that, but, by God, it’s going to cost you the South and cost you the election.” Johnson replied, “If that’s the price I’ve got to pay, I’ll pay it gladly.” This shows that Johnson was behind his plans and wished for them to be instated under genuine backing of the Civil Rights Act of