How Did John F Kennedy Demonstrate A Strong Commitment To Civil Rights

Does everyone deserve civil rights? John F. Kennedy believed so during the Civil Rights Movement. The Civil Right Movement began around 1950 and ended around 1970. A few of the major leaders were Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and John F. Kennedy. The purpose of the Civil Rights Movement was to end discrimination and prejudice among whites and blacks. Many African Americans did not have the same rights as Caucasians mainly due to their skin being a different color. A famous speech delivered by John F. Kennedy was “The Nation Faces a Moral Crisis Regarding Race” on June 11, 1963 at Washington D.C.. A major theme of John F. Kennedy's speech was racism. In “The Nation Faces a Moral Crisis in Regard to Race”, John F. Kennedy inspires his intended audience during the Civil Rights Movement by using the rhetorical devices of tone and repetition.

The Civil Rights Movement’s mission was to end segregation and advance equality for African Americans (Hanks, Herzog, and Goetzman). Almost one hundred years after the civil war, African Americans were still struggling to gain the same rights as white Americans. The movement was led by leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Rosa Parks. Gaining momentum in the 1950’s with the Supreme court’s ruling of Brown vs. Board of Education where public schools were desegregated, the Civil Rights movement flourished in the 1960’s. One of the group’s main goals was to take on the Jim Crow South. Segregation prevented African Americans from drinking out of the same water fountain, using the same restroom, and even sitting at the same lunch table as white people. By promoting peaceful protest, they were able to educate others on their issues.

President Kennedy was initially concerned about the march. Multiple incidents in America prior to this protest, have contributed to his concern that the protest would become violent and that the support for his civil rights bill would be weakened. Some incidents include the events that had occurred in Birmingham, Alabama and the 1896 court case involving Homer Plessy and Judge John H. Ferguson. These occurrences utilize violence and industrialize racism and discrimination. ____In 1963, thousands of African-Americans had participated in nonviolent protests, boycotts, and voter-registration drives in Birmingham, Alabama. Although the protesters had exhibited nonviolent resistance, authorities had reacted to their actions with violence. On page

Even though President John F. Kennedy did not fully support the civil rights movement at first because of the fear of losing his voters, he still was the one who planted the seeds for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. After the riots in Birmingham he decided to support the movement to its fullest. He supported the March on Washington for jobs and Freedom and had plans to make a stronger Civil Rights Act to our conclusions. He never got to see the Civil Rights Act of 1964 because he got assassinated on November 22nd,

Kennedy had many accomplishments during his short presidency. One of these accomplishments was in regards to the Cuban Missile Crisis. He played a lead role in figuring out how to settle this with the Soviet Union. He also abolished the federal death penalty in 1962. He initiated Project Apollo which ended up accomplishing landing the first humans on the moon between 1969-1972!

However, with the introduction of sharecropping and the powerful Jim Crow system, blacks were segregated and once again lesser citizens under the law. They were beaten, lynched, and lived in constant fear of overstepping their bounds set upon them by the white southerners. Over time, resentment grew and out of this resentment came the Civil Rights movement. It was the culmination of decades of resistance starting as early as WWII and carrying on through the Cold War, as both provided opportunities for Americans to reflect upon the hypocrisies in the US’s political agenda. While progress was made, a lack of support by the federal government severely hampered progress and the movement came to the realization that confrontation was the only way to move civil rights forward. Through the use of mass demonstrations and careful use of the media, the movement gained support which eventually led to the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights

President Kennedy was forced to face the civil rights as a persuasive cause. He was for racial equality, but did little to support it. President Kennedy felt that the Freedom Riders were a nuisance and he

A staff writer at History.com wrote, “In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the “separate but equal” doctrine that formed the basis for state-sanctioned discrimination, drawing national and international attention to African Americans’ plight. They then passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Civil Rights Act of 1968. “ The civil rights movement exposed black lives too harsh cruelty, unreal racism, and the inability to support themselves during the great depression.

John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, served as an important figure to the United States of America during 1961-1963. Although assassinated on November 22, 1963, Kennedy’s leadership of the U.S. instilled confidence in the American people. John F. Kennedy was a great president because of his domestic policy, foreign policy, and lifestyle.

The civil rights movement “deeply affected American society” (Costly) by introducing laws that “ensured constitutional rights for African Americans and other minorities” (Costly). President John F. Kennedy did not fully support the passing of the act at first; as he did not want to lose support of white Southern Democrats, who were the main political focus of the vicinity. However, he was sympathetic to African Americans, and understood that they demanded full equality. As Barbara Perry elucidated, "Many of President Kennedy's advisors encouraged him not to get involved". By 1960, “the civil rights movement was in full swing, and neither candidate in that year's presidential election – Kennedy and Richard Nixon – could ignore it” (Cooper).

The Civil Rights Movement came about because blacks and whites were treated differently because of the color of their skin. Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery in 1862, but blacks were still treated like second or third class citizens. This led to the Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century. Although, the segregation lasted a long time the time when segregation was the worst was between 1950-1960. There were many types

Kennedy went on, however, to risk his political career for these same rights. In response to an outburst at the University of Mississippi after the admittance of a black student, the president said from the oval office on June 11, 1963, “It ought to be possible, in short, for every American to enjoy the privileges of being American without regard to his race or his color. In short, every American ought to have the right to be treated as he would wish to be treated, as one would wish his children to be treated.” Despite Kennedy’s assassination shortly after this proclamation, the Civil Rights Act passed through Congress just weeks later under President Johnson. As JFK intended, the Civil Rights Act afforded equal rights to whites and blacks alike (Kozak).

As further matter, Kennedy was reluctant to upset Southern Democrats by aligning himself with King. Distilling many sources, Levingston wavers in his analysis of Kennedy’s commitment to civil rights: some sources hail him as a man “sympathetic to the suffering of others” with “a reflexive dislike of unfairness.” Others saw him as a political opportunist, “deaf” to “cries for freedom,” feigning interest in order to win the black vote but ignoring civil rights unless it directly benefited his own agenda. Although Levingston insists that Kennedy was “a man of intellect and compassion,” some evidence he presents supports the idea that the Kennedy brothers saw civil rights as the “moral issue” that would burnish the president’s image. A stronger

Robert F. Kennedy was one of the many presidents that aided the Civil Rights Movement to stop racial segregation. Many of our former presidents have given inspiring speeches, but no speech was as awe inspiring as the “Remarks on the Assassination of Martin Luther King.”  The event that brought Kennedy to speak was MLK being shot that night in Memphis, Tennessee. Using emotional tactics, President Kennedy addressed the public, educating them on the direction the United States was headed, as well as, how to deal with racial conflict.

The Civil Rights Movement, popular in the 1950s and 1960s, was a large group of people who fought for the equal rights of the African Americans. The people of the movement constantly protested the lack of equality in hopes to change the ideals of the white leaders. In efforts to suppress the protesting, whites passed several laws attempting to give blacks their full rights. Even then, white employers were reluctant to hire any man of color, which caused unemployment rates to skyrocket. Because of the high unemployment rates, the whites continued to view themselves as superior over every other race. After the blacks were legally “free,” they still faced a plethora of violent acts and segregation. This caused the Civil Rights Movement to