User:FictiousLibrarian/sandbox

= Lyndon Johnson and Civil Rights = The Civil Rights Movement dominated the presidency of Lyndon Johnson which began following the assassination of President Kennedy. Although the movement had long been ongoing prior to Kennedy or Johnson's presidency, Johnson would codify many of the movement's political objectives such as the abolition of segregation, federal protection for voting rights, and criminalizing discrimination in public accommodation, employment, and housing. Johnson started his political career as a U.S. Representative from Texas and had moderate approaches. His moderate stance began to shift by the mid-1950s. Johnson was one of three southern politicians to not sign off on the Southern Manifesto, a memorandum written by southern politicians in response to the Brown vs. Board decision. Johnson shepherded the 1957 Civil Rights Act but modified it to appease his fellow Southern Democrats. In 1960, he faced off against fellow U.S. Senator John F. Kennedy for the Democratic nomination. Although both politicians were cautious of being openly civil rights, Kennedy did support many of the movement's political objectives. The Kennedy-Johnson ticket went on to win the election and Johnson's vice presidency was relatively uneventful. Following Kennedy's assassination, Johnson assumed the presidency and inherited the struggle for Civil Rights. Johnson pivoted on his civil rights stance and began to openly champion the movement's political goals. Johnson's signature on the 1964 Civil Rights Act cemented his contribution to civil rights and lead to political realignment in the country as African Americans began migrating to the Democratic party in large numbers. The Solid South of which Johnson hailed from would be courted by the Republican Party during his presidency.

Most scholarly and popular praise for Johnson is centered around his role in the Civil Rights Movement.

Views in Congress (1937-1961)
Johnson either sided with or took the side of pro segregationist sides

Presidency (1963-1969)
Johnson signed 3 landmark civil rights laws and oversaw the constitutional abolition of the poll tax.

Post-Presidency (1969-1973)
Historians generally consider the end of the Civil Rights Movement to be 1968, also the final year of the Johnson administration. Johnson's vice president Hubert Humphrey was decisively defeated by Richard Nixon in part due to Nixon's use of race during the campaign.