Civil Rights Notes

20^th Century U.S. Politics

The Civil Rights

June 5, 2008

I. Brown and Beyond

1. Brown (judicial compromises and nature of Brown: NAACP strategies; choice of Topeka; divisions in the Vinson Court—Marshall, liberals, and role of 14^th amendment; Vinson death, Warren elevation, reargument: role of Kenneth Clark; remedy?; Brown II and “all deliberate speed”; declining significance of Supreme Court)

2. Reaction to Brown (civil rights and politics: splits within the two parties, GOP traditions, Eisenhower background; Eisenhower and origins of massive resistance: Virginia, Little Rock; role of Brownell—response to Birmingham and Rosa Parks, MLK; establishment of civil rights division in Justice Dept., federal prosecution of voting rights abuses)

3. Grassroots (baby boom and generational splits; creation of SNCC and CORE; significance of Historically Black Colleges; sit-ins w/new generation—SNCC and Greensboro)

II. Asserting Congressional Influence

1. Lyndon Johnson’s Senate (aging of Senate and entrenched Southern power; LBJ as majority leader: Morse defection, confronting the seniority system and committee assignments, role of campaign contributions, Democratic Policy Committee and Bobby Baker, scheduling matters, role of unanimous consent agreements—shift from public debate to backroom dealing)

2. The Civil Rights Acts (Johnson, Russell, and setting the stage; administration bill and congressional response: House Rules Committee and Judge Smith; Senate situation—Eastland and Judiciary Committee, Thurmond and filibuster, cloture question; Title III and public accommodations; LBJ and Church—role of jury-trial amendment; significance of passage?)

III. The Expansion of Rights

1. The Campaign (West Virginia and Catholicism, role of primaries, nomination struggle and selection of Johnson; Nixon, experience, and debates; Kennedy's Houston speech; call to Coretta Scott King; victory)

2. Kennedy and Civil Rights (political concerns—“stroke of a pen”; significance of bureaucracy—Wofford, Marshall, power of Justice Department; forcing the issue—Freedom Rides and role of federal marshals; Meredith and integration of Ole Miss, NAACP and Civil Rights Division support)

3. After Ole Miss (riots and federal military intervention; Wallace and demagoguery; political costs; Birmingham and Operation “C”; role of Bull Connor; sit-ins and boycott; use of children; public and media response)

4. The Bill (obstacles in Congress: House—Rules Committee and Judge Smith; Senate—Eastland elevation and tradition of filibuster; focus on public accommodations; indecision about tactics; indecision about constitutional justification; provisions—outlaw racial discrimination in public accommodations, give Justice Dept. authority to file suits for school desegregation in federal court, create EEOC; continued legislative obstacles; Kennedy legacy?)