Presidents Opinions On Civil Rights

Presidents Opinions on Civil Rights The Civil Rights movement was from 1945 to 1966. During these years, each President has been faced by an everlasting conflict of Civil Rights. President Truman, President Eisenhower, Vice President Nixon, and President Johnson all played an important role in contributing to laws and Acts passed during the time of the Civil Rights movement. President Truman ended segregation before the 1948 election in the armed forces. This helped him win the election because he had the African American vote. Truman wanted to end racial equality. He wanted voting rights protected, and a permanent civil rights division in the Justice department. He also wanted to get rid of anti-lynching and anti-housing segregation. However, he never followed through with his ideas. Unlike President Truman, President Eisenhower was loved by many. He leaned towards a business approach to Civil Rights. He chose five Justices who were non-segregationists for the Supreme Court. This is how he

President Kennedy did the most he could for African American civil rights. Kennedy sent in the National Guard to stay with James Meredith, an African American who wanted to go to the University of Mississippi, until he graduated. Later, he also sent the National Guard to Alabama University. When Martin Luther King Jr. was jailed Kennedy called the prison telling them to not violate his rights. Kennedy also created the Committee of Equal Employment Opportunity along with invigorating the Civil Rights Division in the Justice Department. Even, unknowingly, towards the end of Kennedy's presidency he proposed a law that ensured voting rights and the outlawing segregation. All while using federal funds to support civil rights. The most historically impactful choice Kennedy made was allowing a march in Washington, where MLK gave his most famous speech, “I Have a