What A Difference A Death Makes: JFK, LBJ, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964

Ling, Peter

Abstract

When the Kennedy assassination occurred in November 1963, it was not clear that his civil rights bill would pass without major modifications, and most Americans told pollsters that they were unsure of his policy. Fifty years later, the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is seen by Kennedy apologists as evidence of what JFK could have achieved had he lived, and by Lyndon Johnson biographers as evidence of LBJ’s superior political skill. This article argues that Kennedy’s death made a difference but not simply by replacing one president with another. Far more importantly, it amplified pressure for action on moral and emotive grounds, mobilizing church groups (particularly midwestern Protestant ones), energizing liberal congressional leaders, and changing the mindset of US Justice Department insiders who moved from a posture of defending Kennedy from the minefield of the race question to acting to fulfill his legacy. The violent death and public reaction also shaped the conduct of moderate Republicans whose support for the measure was the margin of victory. The strategy for passing the Civil Rights Act did not change significantly after the events in Dallas, but the formula for success did.

Citation

Ling, P. (2015). What A Difference A Death Makes: JFK, LBJ, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Sixties, 8(2), 121-137. doi:10.1080/17541328.2015.1099835

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 24, 2012
• Online Publication Date: Nov 4, 2015
• Publication Date: Nov 4, 2015
• Deposit Date: Mar 9, 2018
• Print ISSN: 1754-1328
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 8
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 121-137
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17541328.2015.1099835
• Public URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17541328.2015.1099835
• Publisher URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17541328.2015.1099835