Lest We Forget Jul 2, 1964: Today in Democratic History

[Omaha Steve]

And this: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/johnson-signs-civil-rights-act

President Johnson signs Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

On this day in 1964, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signs into law the historic Civil Rights Act in a nationally televised ceremony at the White House.

In the landmark 1954 case Brown v. Board of Education, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in schools was unconstitutional. The 10 years that followed saw great strides for the African-American civil rights movement, as non-violent demonstrations won thousands of supporters to the cause. Memorable landmarks in the struggle included the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955--sparked by the refusal of Alabama resident Rosa Parks to give up her seat on a city bus to a white woman--and Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous "I have a dream" speech at a rally of hundreds of thousands in Washington, D.C., in 1963.

As the strength of the civil rights movement grew, John F. Kennedy made passage of a new civil rights bill one of the platforms of his successful 1960 presidential campaign. As Kennedy's vice president, Johnson served as chairman of the President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunities. After Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963, Johnson vowed to carry out his proposals for civil rights reform.

FULL story at link.

[Faygo Kid]

1. Reading "The Passage of Power" now. Extraordinary.

Old enough to remember it all. LBJ was an extraordinary man, but totally flawed and insecure. He didn't have the courage to cut our losses in Vietnam, yet he was passionate about civil rights. Great book. Great series. What a moment it was when he signed the Civil Rights Act, and in 1965, the Voting Rights Act. Could never happen today.

[hfojvt]

10. actually a greater percentage of Republicans voted for it than Democrats

this was true because many Democrats were from the South, because of the bloody shirt.

There was also, in this history, Hubert H Humphrey's speech at the 1948 Democratic National Convention

[Art_from_Ark]

2. One of the greatest moments in American history

:allchokedup:

[BumRushDaShow]

3. K&R

And still fighting for those rights!

[freshwest]

4. Thanks Steve.

[WillyT]

5. HUGE K & R !!! - Thank You !!!

[RobertEarl]

6. Yep

That was the day i became a Democrat for life. Easy decision.

[Rhiannon12866]

7. K&R! Important reminder!

Thanks!

[ErikJ]

8. "We have lost the South for a generation"

"We have lost the South for a generation"

-With those words reportedly spoken to Bill Moyers after signing the 1964 Civil Rights Act, LBJ showed that he actually underestimated the power of racism to affect our politics. If generations are counted in 20 year increments, we're now in the middle of the 3rd generation and the South is still lost.

[SunSeeker]

11. Exactly what I was thinking.

And by absorbing the racist Dixiecrats, the Republicans lost their soul, apparently permanently.

[Omaha Steve]

13. It is getting better

But he was right.

[hfojvt]

14. the south is not entirely lost

both Carter and Clinton and Gore did fairly well in the south, and there are still some southern Senators and Representatives aren't there?

[turtlerescue1]

9. It was a small step.

BUT at least it was forward and not in reverse.

[SunSeeker]

12. K&R