Presidents

Truman (1945 - 1952) Democrat

Reputation for fairness
1946, September - established a liberal Civil Rights Committee to investigate increasing violence against blacks
Appointed Blacks to senior posts
1948 - ended racial discrimination in federal employment. This created a fair employment board
Made many speeches supporting equality in employment and education
Supported the NAACP in the Shelley vs Kraemer case
1951, December - issued an executive order to establish the Committee for Government Contract Compliance (CGCC)
Desegregated the airport in Washington
Appointed a Black judge in the federal courts

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Didn't want to upset the conservative coalition that brought him to power
Appointed Earl Warren as Chief Justice in the Supreme Court (biggest mistake he ever made)
Silent over BROWN 1954
Forced into sending federal troops to enforce desegregation in Little Rock
Supports desegregation in the military
Employed an AA in his office, E. Frederic Morrow
He worked against discrimination in federal offices in Washington and federal hiring
1957 and 1960 Civil Rights Acts attempted to aid black voter registration
Silent over the murder of Emmett Till
Believed equality would happen naturally and shouldn't be forced by the federal Government
Met CR leaders only once

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No coherent strategy on Civil Rights because he won by the narrowest of victories and had a hostile Congress to deal with. Congress were Southern Democrats and Republicans who blocked his legislative programmes
Forced to act by the actions of blacks eg, Sit-ins, Freedom Rides and James Meredith
His brother Robert Kennedy (RFK), was the most active member
RFK desegregated lunch counters and enforced Supreme Courts ruling on interstate buses
Justice Department helped desegregate Universities of Mississippi and Alabama
1962 - JFK proposed literacy bill which would allow blacks with a 6th Grade education to vote - Failed because of a Southern Filibuster
Made lots of symbolic gestures: invited lots of blacks to the White House, appointed 40 blacks to top posts, appointed 5 black federal judges (Thurgood Marshall)
Established Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

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Passed the 1964 Civil Rights Act developed by Kennedy, as a tribute to him. This Act gave the Government the tools to end de jure desegregation in the South
Prohibited discrimination in public places and furthered school desegregation and established EEC
Voting Rights Ac of 1965 ended literacy tests and established federal registrars
Ended Grandfather clause and interpretation of constitution test
Number of blacks in Southern office increased 6 times between 1965 - 1969

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