How Did Lyndon B Johnson Influence The Civil Rights Movement

In the 1960’s race relations were a hot topic of discussion. With segregation rampant in the southern state African-Americans were told where they had to go to school, to sit, drink water, use the restroom and many other things designed to keep African-Americans and white separated. With the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 segregation had become outlawed nationwide. Despite segregation being outlawed many African-Americans still found that they were having their voting rights infringed on. On March 7, 1965, led by Martin Luther King, Jr., 600 citizens marched from Selma to Montgomery. They were met with an act of violence from state police. In response to the events that took place that day President Johnson held a speech titled ‘The
The Civil Voting Rights Act increased African-American voting rights and political power in the south.

Born August 27, 1908 in central Texas, Lyndon B. Johnson was the oldest of 5 children. In 11th grade Johnson was elected class president. In 1926, he enrolled at SWTSTC and became involved with campus politics. From 1928-1929 he took a break from school the teach Mexican-American kids at the Welhausen School in Cotulla. Johnson talks about this experience in his ‘We Shall Overcome’ speech. He officially began his political career in 1930 and over the course of three decades he rose through government positions, including the US House of Representatives, US Senate and Vice Presidency. Johnson was made the vice presidential
He let the nation know that this was a nationwide problem by saying, “There is no Southern problem. There is no Northern problem. There is only an American problem.” He stated that Selma was “a turning point in man’s unending search for freedom.” Johnson mentions that equal rights is an issue and that if we as the American people do not solve it, the we have failed as a nation. He reaffirms the belief made by our Founding Fathers that all men were created equal. He strongly states that there is no moral issue but that “it is wrong-deadly wrong-to deny any of your fellow Americans the right to vote in this country.” The speech was seen as a statement that President Johnson would do everything in his power to ensure that equal rights would be given to African-Americans and he would not rest until that was accomplished. He made it apparent that we must succeed together as citizens by saying, “Their cause must be our cause too…it is all of us, who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice. And we shall