What impact did John F. Kennedy have on civil rights?

Answer 1

· Major impact into civil rights history was post-humus

· Some may argue that he had not done very much to keep his promise to help civil rights but international issues such as the Cuban Missile Crisis prevented him from concentrating on domestic issues

· Kennedy did more than any president before him to have more African Americans appointed to federal government posts. In total, he appointed 40 to senior federal positions including five as federal judges.

· Kennedy appointed his brother, Robert, as Attorney General which put him at the head of the Justice Department. Their tactic was to use the law courts as a way of enforcing already passed civil rights legislation. No southern court could really argue against laws that were already in print. The Justice Department brought 57 law suits against local officials for obstructing African Americans who wished to register their right to vote.

· Kennedy created the CEEO (Commission on Equal Employment Opportunity). Its job was to ensure that all people employed with the federal government had equal employment opportunities; it also required all those firms that had contracts with the federal government to do the same if they were to win further federal contracts.

Answer 2

He got the support of Black Americans during his campaign, but at first seemed to be reluctant to help out. This was partly because of international problems such as the Berlin Wall and Cuban Missile Crisis that distracted him, and partly because of the fact that 1/3 of the Democratic Party came from the South. For example, he promised to be able to sort out unequal housing projects 'at the stroke of the pen', but took 18 months to do it.

As a consequence, many Civil Rights campaigns during his presidency tried to prod him into taking a stronger stance. These included the Freedom Rides (campaigns to desegregate Interstate Buses) and James Meredith's attempt to get into the University of Mississippi, with a similar incident at the University of Alabama happening the following year. Robert Kennedy had to intervene to prevent violence.

After the Birmingham Campaign gained national attention in 1963, John Kennedy did take a stronger stance. In a televised speech in June, he announced his plan to present Congress with a Civil Rights Bill. The main reason this vulnerable piece of legislation did get passed was because of his assassination later that year. Lyndon Johnson took over as President and persauded most of the Republicans to honor Kennedy by supporting the Bill.

Answer 3

he passed laws that let African Americans to vote and get a good education