191President Time period Influence on civil rights Analysis of change – pace, rate, causes
Harrison 1889-1913 Little influence, disenfranchisement African American voters, Little incentive for presidents to act
Cleveland presidents did not target them, argued states’ rights to deal with No federal response to racial violence, left to states
McKinley civil rights Slow rate, slow pace
T Roosevelt Roosevelt – invited Booker T Washington to white house, symbolic States decisions
Taft Lynching, public opinion against, less speaking out
1898, Ida B Wells write to McKinley regarding lynching, no actions,
states issue
Wilson 1913-1933 Wilson – April 1917, said ‘the world must be safe for democracy’, Slow rate, slow pace
Harding July 1917 parade of 15,000 African Americans against lynching ‘safe States decisions
Coolidge for democracy’
Hoover
FD Roosevelt 1933-1945 Democrat, New Deal, black American voters changed from Slow pace due to cautious approach,
Republican to Democrat, symbolic gestures Elanor Roosevelt, 1938
created Civil Rights Section of the Justice department
Truman 1945-1953 1947 commission on civil rights, executive orders 9980 ending racial Desegregation armed forces, driven by public opinion, double v
discrimination in federal employment, 9981 desegregation of Increased civil rights groups, CORE, catalyse presidents action
armed forces 1948
Eisenhower 1953-1961 1957 Little Rock, opposed using federal action to enforce Brown Reluctant, public opinion driven, power over the states, Little Rock
ruling Earl Warren, long term significance
Appointment of Earl Warren, influences Supreme court activism,
through regretted by Eisenhower
Kennedy 1961-1963 ‘New Frontier’, Close relationship with MLK, appointed 40 black Slow pace due to need to appeal to votes, more symbolic gestures,
people top posts federal gov, 5 black judges, EEOC, protected tokensim, focus on cold war, originally not inclined to civil rights
Freedom Riders 1961, James Meredith support for university changed by 1963
Public pressure, civil rights, MLK
Reactive not proactive
Johnson 1963-1969 ‘Great Society’, 1964 civil rights act, 1965 voting rights act Pragmatism to appease southern white people
Public pressure and civil rights groups to act
Reactions to situation to implement great society
Nixon 1969-1981 Nixon - Opposed bussing Foreign policy focus,
Ford
Carter
Reagan 1981-1989 Conservatism, move away from civil rights, reduction in federal aid Slowed, less change
programmes, disproportionately affected black Americans, laisses
faire, no legislation, first president to veto civil rights bill since 1866
