Civil Rights Act 1964
51
Fill in the diagram using the words below.... 3.Judiciary 4.The President 5.Congress 6.The Courts 7.Supreme Court 8.Executive 9.Legislative 10.House of Reps. 11.Senate 12.Power
Transcript of Civil Rights Act 1964
Fill in the diagram using the words below....
3.Judiciary4.The President5.Congress6.The Courts7.Supreme Court8.Executive9.Legislative10.House of Reps.11.Senate12.Power
Half-term H/W
What does the march on Washington tell us about the nature of the Civil Rights movement? [20]
Level 1 – Simple statements giving information about the march on Washington and the speech by MLK[1-6]Level 2- Developed statements giving more detail about the march and begin to explore the significance as shown by a discussion on the impact on Federal government.[7-16]Level 3-Developed explanation. Developed explanation of aspects and elements of the march on Washington. Places it in context with the Civil Rights movement before, and after, the event. Material should be detailed and relevant to the question.[17-20]
By the end of the lesson we will have...
Examined the Civil Rights movement between 1963-1965
PLAY as GAMES
Inspired by........
Play as Mike Novick.....
advisor to the President.......or if you like you could
play as ......
So, what does the job entail....?
START with 100 health rating!
100
It is 1963. You are just
appointed to your new
role....Junior Advisor to the
President
Time to brush-up on some history.
Page 145-146
NEWS ALERT!
You rush back to Washington whereby you receive the latest
TV footage of what has happened in
Dallas today.
Scenario # 1 – LBJ sworn in
Scenario # 1 – LBJ sworn in
The new President, Lyndon Baines Johnson [LBJ] has just been sworn in on Air Force One.
He makes his way back to Washington and requests a meeting with you. He asks for your
opinion on what the late President, JFK, thought about Civil Rights. Good job you had time to
swot up on that history. What do you tell him?
Scenario # 1 – LBJ sworn inA Nothing. I haven’t had time to swot up! I’ll bluff my way through saying he knew MLK well.
B JFK’s administration had already considered civil rights legislation after the troubles at Birmingham but had decided to put it on the back burner in the Summer of 1963.
C JFK’s administration had been given extra leverage after the Washington march.
VOTE NOW!
Scenario # 1 – LBJ sworn inA Nothing. I haven’t had time to swot up! I’ll bluff my way through saying he knew MLK well.
Lose 15 points!
Not a good way to impress the new President LBJ. He privately confides in other aides that he may have to look to replace you!
Scenario # 1 – LBJ sworn inB JFK’s administration had already considered civil rights legislation after the troubles at Birmingham but had decided to put it on the back burner in the Summer of 1963.
Gain 0 zero
It is true that JFK’s administration had considered civil rights legislation, but in fact the march in the Summer of 1963 had given it renewed vigour. In fact the Civil Rights bill was ready to come before Congress in November 1963.
Scenario # 1 – LBJ sworn inC JFK’s administration had been given extra leverage after the Washington march.
Gain 10 points!
Very true. JFK administration did consider legislation after the Birmingham troubles, but certainly MLK’s speech in 1963 led to JFK wanting more reform.
Scenario # 1 – LBJ sworn inWhat really happened?
The Kennedy Administration had considered civil rights legislation after the troubles at Birmingham, but the march gave the President extra leverage to urge support for the reform. He referred to it as ‘a moral issue’ and quoted from the American Declaration of Independence about all men being created equal. It is uncertain how the attempt to pass the Civil Rights Bill would have fared if JFK had remained President. In September, his proposed bill got through its first hurdle. In November 1963 it was ready to come before Congress.
Scenario # 2 – Mood of US
LBJ has been in office a little over a week when he calls you in to pick your brains. He is concerned about the mood of the American people after the death of JFK. What do you say?
Scenario # 2 – Mood of US A Milk the emotion that is derived from the President’s death.
B Don’t talk too much about JFK. After all you are your own man and the American people want their President to be strong and not follow someone else’s agenda.
C Play it cool until the 1964 Presidential election. That will be the opportunity to put your policies to the people and they can make up their own mind about you.
VOTE NOW!
Scenario # 2 – Mood of US A Milk the emotion that is derived from the President’s death.
Gain 10 points.
Great ‘spin-doctoring’ advice. In fact we could use JFK’s death to honour the his memory and pass the Civil Rights Bill.
Scenario # 2 – Mood of US B Don’t talk too much about JFK. After all you are your own man and the American people want their President to be strong and not follow someone else’s agenda.
Lose 5 points!
Not a smart move advisor! The situation would have been best used to the advantage of the new incumbent – in fact it could have been a good time to try and get a bill through Congress.
Scenario # 2 – Mood of US C Play it cool until the 1964 Presidential election. That will be the opportunity to put your policies to the people and they can make up their own mind about you.
Gain 0 zero!
A fairly conservative move. Yes, the American people will be looking for your own policies – but what better way to honour the legacy of JFK by getting his bill through Congress?
Scenario # 2 – Mood of US What really happened?
LBJ exploited the shocked mood of the American people after the death of Kennedy. He was prepared to milk the emotion that derived from the former President’s death. “No memorial ovation or eulogy could more eloquently honour President Kennedy’s memory than the earliest possible passage of the Civil Rights Bill for which he fought so long.”
Scenario # 2 – Mood of US
Scenario # 3 – Congress (a)
It is 1964.
LBJ calls a meeting of his senior advisors. He is trying to brain-storm ideas about how to get the Civil Rights Act through Congress.
What is your main suggestion?
Scenario # 3 – Congress (a) A Use your experience as a Republican in order to get Democrats to vote for the bill. Get the Republican leader of the Senate on side.B Get all the living ex-Presidents to sign a statement in support of civil rights.C Use your long experience as a member of the House of Representatives in order to pursue the right tactical mixture of forceful argument and sweet talk.
VOTE NOW!
Scenario # 3 – Congress (a) A Use your experience as a Republican in order to get Democrats to vote for the bill. Get the Republican leader of the Senate on side.
Lose 10 points!A clever idea on the face of it, but LBJ puts his glasses down and says, “Advisor, I thought you realised that I am a Deomocrat – and in fact it is we do need the Republicans to get the bill through. Moreover GOP leader of the Senate, Dirkson, is actually one of my closest friends outside of political circles.
Scenario # 3 – Congress (a) B Get all the living ex-Presidents to sign a statement in support of civil rights.
Gain 15 points!
What a decision. LBJ is over the moon at your inspired idea! He quickly gets onto the phone to Truman, Eisenhower and Hoover and gets them to sign up to the idea! You’ve certainly gone up in the estimation of the President – well done!
Scenario # 3 – Congress (a) C Use your long experience as a member of the House of Representatives in order to pursue the right tactical mixture of forceful argument and sweet talk.
Lose 5 points!Once again, LBJ looks at you over his raised glasses. “Mr Advisor, I thought you should know that I was in fact a Senator, and not a lowly Representative!”Certainly your lack of political understanding is putting a strain on your relationship....!
Scenario # 3 – Congress (a) What really happened?Johnson used his long experience as a Senator to pursue the right tactical mixture of forceful argument and sweet talk. Though himself a Democrat, he persuaded some Republicans to vote for the bill. This was crucial, as Johnson knew that many southern Democrats could never bring themselves to vote for black civil rights. In particular, he got the Republican leader of the Senate, Everett Dirkson, on his side. He also managed to achieve a statement issued by all living ex-Presidents namely Truman, Eisenhower and Hoover – in principle of civil rights.
Scenario # 4 – Congress (b) You receive a hurried phone call from LBJ midway through 1964. He wants to know why the Civil Rights Act is being subjected to something he’s never heard of......filibustering.........!!!????
He asks you what you know about it? What do you say?
Scenario # 4 – Congress (b) A Filibustering is a tactic from the KKK. They wait outside of Congress and ambush leaving staff in the home they will refuse to perform admin functions and the Legislative branch will crumbleB Filibustering is a tactic employed by Southern politicians to use the media to cover their opinion. They will bombard radio phone ins with their staff everytime anyone from the Civil Rights movement is given air timeC It is an attempt to prevent a bill from passing by talking continuously against it for hours on end until there is no time for voting.
VOTE NOW!
Scenario # 4 – Congress (b) A Filibustering is a tactic from the KKK. They wait outside of Congress and ambush leaving staff in the home they will refuse to perform admin functions and the Legislative branch will crumble
Lose 15 points!
Not at all. The KKK primarily operated in the South and were nowhere to be seen in the Washington political climate. The President is not impressed with your lack of knowledge!
Scenario # 4 – Congress (b) B Filibustering is a tactic employed by Southern politicians to use the media to cover their opinion. They will bombard radio phone ins with their staff everytime anyone from the Civil Rights movement is given air time
Lose 5 points!
Not a bad guess! But radio phone-ins didn’t really exist to the extent we know about them until the 1970-80s.
Scenario # 4 – Congress (b) C It is an attempt to prevent a bill from passing by talking continuously against it for hours on end until there is no time for voting.
Gain 5 points!
LBJ is impressed – he was actually just testing you out – and you passed with flying colours! Certainly your relationship is blossoming as you’re showing what a good student of US politics you are!
Scenario # 4 – Congress (b) What really happened?
There were some attempts to block the bill by a filibuster. In the end, however, it passed through both the HOR and the SEN. The crucial factor was that LBJ had persuaded 138 Republicans to support the measure with only 34 against. There was similar success in the Senate, which voted 73-27 for the bill. For Johnson it was a political triumph; for the Civil Rights Movement, it was an even greater success, for the tactic of working through the US political system rather than against it had succeeded.
Scenario # 4 – Congress (b)
Scenario # 4 – Congress (b) The 1964 Civil Rights Act contained the following provision:-
• There was a ban on exclusion from restaurants, stores and other public places• The Attorney-General could file law suits to speed up desegregation, mixed education and voting rights• The Fair Employment Practices Commission was now set up on a permanent legal basis. No racial, sexual or religious discrimination would be lawful• There was to be no discrimination on any federally aided programmes• A Community Relations Service was set up to deal with remaining disputes
Scenario # 5 – Testing the ActIt is late 1964. LBJ has called another meeting of his closest advisors. And for the first time you’ve been asked to lead it – which is a great coup for such a young advisor!
It has yet to be established whether the provisions of the 1964 Civil rights Act would operated in the south, since the state authorities might refuse to apply the law properly. The Act needed to be tested.....but in what areas do you recommend to the meeting to discuss...?
Scenario # 5 – Testing the ActA Voting rights is the area to try. After all its impact is easily measurable
B We can test it out in restaurants by employing ‘mystery-customers’ as part of the Community Relations Service
C We need to monitor what jobs are being given to black/white people. This is an area for the Fair Employment Practices Commission
VOTE NOW!
Scenario # 5 – Testing the ActA Voting rights is the area to try. After all its impact is easily measurable
Gain 10 points!
The whole group of advisors realises that this is the most sensible option to try! It is easily measurable by the number of black people in an area who had got onto the voting rolls.
Scenario # 5 – Testing the ActB We can test it out in restaurants by employing ‘mystery-customers’ as part of the Community Relations Service
Lose 5 points!
Not really a workable policy. For a start the local stores will just close rank and anyway they may well serve the ‘mystery customers’ as they may not seem local and they would be wary of Federal government intervention.
Scenario # 5 – Testing the ActC We need to monitor what jobs are being given to black/white people. This is an area for the Fair Employment Practices Commission
Gain 0 zero!
Again this decision is ok on paper – but probably not that feasible to monitor.
Scenario # 5 – Testing the ActWhat really happened?
Voting rights was seen as the area to try. Its impact was easily measurable by the number of black people in an area who had got onto the voting rolls. King and the SCLC decided to make an example of Selma, Alabama. The figures were stark. 57% population were black, yet only 335 out of 15,000 black people were registered to vote, as compared to 9500 white people.
Scenario # 5 – Testing the Act
Scenario # 5 – Testing the Act
Read p148-152
