A Note to a Past President
Being a Brit and slightly green behind the ears when it comes to American presidential history, I was pleasantly surprised after reading an article a few months back concerning Lyndon B. Johnson.
It has been my belief that John F. Kennedy received all the credit in relation to getting the vote for African-Americans and other Civil Rights’ Legislation. However, it came to my knowledge that whilst, JFK got the ball rolling. Lyndon Johnson executed many of the actual bills and even went so far as to initiate new ones.
I’m not going to pretend to be an historian and this isn’t meant to be a history lesson. So I am not going to reiterate dates and laws here in specific detail because you can find that sort of information anywhere on the Internet or in reference books.
What I would like to point out is the little appreciated fact that President Johnson was a prominent and determined advocate for the same rights for all American citizens. Coming from the South and being able to convince many Southern Democrats to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and a year later the Voting Rights Act Bill was an almost insurmountable feat that he overcame.
It just goes to show that in spite of the fact that LBJ grew up in a segregated society that didn’t believe in it’s heart that all men were equal, he dismissed that ideal. It was his determination to give all Americans the right to fair employment, fair housing and equal education; that is a testament to the greatness of his person. Therefore his body of work is well deserving of this category and his character goes above and beyond any dutiful call.
I am African-American and in our house we always had a picture of JFK on the wall. Since studying the history of the Civil Rights Movement in the 60s, I came to realize much the same as you indicated in your anecdote. Much praise needs to go to LBJ for his efforts in passing a lot of the laws that we benefit from today. Unfortunately the war in Vietnam over-shadowed his legacy at the end but a lot has to be said for his dedication to getting equal rights for all American citizens.
Thanks Melissent. I’m glad that you got my point and it’s great to hear your side of the story.
Wow I never knew that about LBJ. It was the Vietnam War, like Melissent mention, that I ever heard about. Thanks for posting this. Very interesting.