Black History Month: Lyndon B. Johnson's contributions to the Civil Rights Movement
SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) — The 1960s were a time of social unrest and a constant fight for equality. One president emerged as a pivotal figure in the progression of the Civil Rights Movement and that was Lyndon B. Johnson.
When LBJ took office after John F. Kennedy was assassinated, the country was deeply divided. At the same time, the Civil Rights Movement was gaining momentum. Historian Raffi Andonian said LBJ took this momentum and was able to create a new legacy with civil rights in the forefront of his mind.
'When he became president after JFK was assassinated, he delivered on multiple pieces of legislation…,'Andonian said.
That legislation included the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This outlawed discrimination in the workplace and in public. The next year he was able to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which prohibits discrimination while voting. It was the work on this act that highlighted the partnership between LBJ and Martin Luther King Jr.
'LBJ knew to work with MLK on that because MLK was really good at getting attention to gain the moral high ground with nonviolence to be able to provide the political pressure to achieve these difficult things…and LBJ working with MLK with many White House meanings there are many photos and images that show them doing this… and they were able to deliver on the Voting Rights Act of 1965…'Andonian said.
It was after MLK was assassinated that LBJ continued work he and MLK were doing together. Which led him to passing the Fair Housing Act of 1968.
'When MLK was assassinated, LBJ capitalized on that national moment just as he did after JFK was assassinated to deliver one more piece of civil rights legislation…he did so because he and MLK had been talking about it, but it had not passed or gone somewhere yet…but when MLK died it made the national mood that he felt he had the capital to do so,' Andonian said.
Andonian said that people can take notes from LBJ and be inspired by his actions to support causes such as the Civil Rights Movement in the future.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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