How Did Robert Kennedy Contribute To The Civil Rights Movement
Introduction:
From the time in which the British brought black slaves for the first time to the United States there have been long lasting struggles on achieving equal rights for African-Americans. With the signing of the “Emancipation Proclamation” , President Lincoln abolished slavery in 1863. Whilst slavery was then illegal, African-Americans had to fight for their equal rights long after that; more than 100 years would pass by before desegregation was reached.
Segregation2, both de jure and de facto remained an integral part of American society well into the XX Century. Attempts to establish racial equality grew significantly with the emergence of Black activists. Martin Luther King had been fighting for a Civil Rights Bill that would …show more content…
However, there are many contradicting views about his actions towards Civil Rights and his attention to the passage of the Bill of 1964. Throughout his campaign, Kennedy spoke about segregation as being a ”damage for American international image”. During his years in office, he completed the first proposal of the Act. After having spoken several times about ending school segregation, which would enable blacks to have equal rights in America. Robert Dallek, from the Times, writes that various historians examine Kennedy’s perception of the civil rights, like “an immoral crusade for the soul of America ”; in which the President paid more attention to the international image of America, than to the problem of civil rights. They suggest that he had other concerns and that the bill was not his priority. ‘His attention was elsewhere: he devoted his Inaugural Address almost exclusively to foreign affairs.’ Dallek says. Revisionist historians believe that rather than being recognised for his personal involvement with Civil Rights, Kennedy, created his fame around the Cuban Missile Crisis and the issues surrounding the Cold War . He would be more recognised for acting towards Khrushchev and his communist expansion than legislating an act that would not be beneficial to everyone, reinforcing the idea that Kennedy was a ‘reluctant hero’ , and that his interests towards Civil Rights …show more content…
This was shown when he gave his inaugural speech in which he rarely mentioned civil rights. In the 1960 elections he did everything he could to ensure the support of segregationists in the south for which he had to offer something in return. As a result, 10 out of the 20 standing committees of the house were chaired by southerners , limiting the President’s actions in the future. James M. Burns, a Kennedy biographer wrote that “southern congressional power haunted the President well into the second year of his administration” . Mark Stern, professor of political science, portrays Kennedy as being “intimidated by congress” . In contrast to King and the role in local organisations, we can note that Kennedy was constrained by his need for political support, therefore limiting his capacity to take full advantage of his powerful role in favour of the
From the time in which the British brought black slaves for the first time to the United States there have been long lasting struggles on achieving equal rights for African-Americans. With the signing of the “Emancipation Proclamation” , President Lincoln abolished slavery in 1863. Whilst slavery was then illegal, African-Americans had to fight for their equal rights long after that; more than 100 years would pass by before desegregation was reached.
Segregation2, both de jure and de facto remained an integral part of American society well into the XX Century. Attempts to establish racial equality grew significantly with the emergence of Black activists. Martin Luther King had been fighting for a Civil Rights Bill that would …show more content…
However, there are many contradicting views about his actions towards Civil Rights and his attention to the passage of the Bill of 1964. Throughout his campaign, Kennedy spoke about segregation as being a ”damage for American international image”. During his years in office, he completed the first proposal of the Act. After having spoken several times about ending school segregation, which would enable blacks to have equal rights in America. Robert Dallek, from the Times, writes that various historians examine Kennedy’s perception of the civil rights, like “an immoral crusade for the soul of America ”; in which the President paid more attention to the international image of America, than to the problem of civil rights. They suggest that he had other concerns and that the bill was not his priority. ‘His attention was elsewhere: he devoted his Inaugural Address almost exclusively to foreign affairs.’ Dallek says. Revisionist historians believe that rather than being recognised for his personal involvement with Civil Rights, Kennedy, created his fame around the Cuban Missile Crisis and the issues surrounding the Cold War . He would be more recognised for acting towards Khrushchev and his communist expansion than legislating an act that would not be beneficial to everyone, reinforcing the idea that Kennedy was a ‘reluctant hero’ , and that his interests towards Civil Rights …show more content…
This was shown when he gave his inaugural speech in which he rarely mentioned civil rights. In the 1960 elections he did everything he could to ensure the support of segregationists in the south for which he had to offer something in return. As a result, 10 out of the 20 standing committees of the house were chaired by southerners , limiting the President’s actions in the future. James M. Burns, a Kennedy biographer wrote that “southern congressional power haunted the President well into the second year of his administration” . Mark Stern, professor of political science, portrays Kennedy as being “intimidated by congress” . In contrast to King and the role in local organisations, we can note that Kennedy was constrained by his need for political support, therefore limiting his capacity to take full advantage of his powerful role in favour of the