I endorse your detailed, excellent article. Nonetheless, I'm always saddened when I think that nearly every Republican U.S. Senator, including some of the most ultra-Right wing ever, voted FOR the 1965 Voting Rights Act, but today's GOP acts like it's always opposed civil rights, voting rights, etc.
I endorse your detailed, excellent article. Nonetheless, I'm always saddened when I think that nearly every Republican U.S. Senator, including some of the most ultra-Right wing ever, voted FOR the 1965 Voting Rights Act, but today's GOP acts like it's always opposed civil rights, voting rights, etc.
Very few Republican U.S. Senators voted against the 1964 Civil Rights Act, & they had generally been good compared to Democratic Senators with the earlier decade's multiple Civil Rights Acts.
Some of the super-Right wing GOP Senators, like Knowland of Calif, were extremely for basic civil rights back when seniority-chosen Democratic U.S. Senate Committee Chairman were typically extraordinary white supremacists.
Yes, there were arch-segregationists among Republicans then, such as Cong. Reece of TN, but the well-known Strom Thurmond joined the Republican Party right after the national political conventions of 1964.
Judge Frank M. Johnson was a Republican who decided more major civil rights cases, alone or in 3-judge panels, than any other federal judge. He was an old-fashioned Republican whose family had supported the Union & never been supportive of slavery, even though they were long-time citizens of Alabama.
Numerous prominent civil rights lawyers of that era were Republicans, & it was one of them, John Doar, was hired by the Democrats on the U.S. House of Representatives' Judiciary Committee to be lead counsel for the Nixon Impeachment. The Democrats on the Judiciary Committee knew that both U.S. House & U.S. Senate had incredible Democratic majorities, so wanted a man with a GOP background to be their chief counsel for Impeachment of Nixon. Leading Republican civil rights lawyers were the ideal candidates for that hiring of a Republican for the Democrats on the U.S. House Judiciary Committee.
I do NOT make any excuses for today's GOP. We must remember that even Karl Mundt of S.D. & Stephen Young of OH & Jack Miller of IA & other far-far-Right wingers voted for the 1964 Civil Rights Act & the 1965 Voting Rights Act. THAT makes it even sadder that today's Republican Party acts like it has No such heritage -- while even Roman Hruska of Nebraska & Norris Cotton of N.H. supported the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
I endorse your detailed, excellent article. Nonetheless, I'm always saddened when I think that nearly every Republican U.S. Senator, including some of the most ultra-Right wing ever, voted FOR the 1965 Voting Rights Act, but today's GOP acts like it's always opposed civil rights, voting rights, etc.
Very few Republican U.S. Senators voted against the 1964 Civil Rights Act, & they had generally been good compared to Democratic Senators with the earlier decade's multiple Civil Rights Acts.
Some of the super-Right wing GOP Senators, like Knowland of Calif, were extremely for basic civil rights back when seniority-chosen Democratic U.S. Senate Committee Chairman were typically extraordinary white supremacists.
Yes, there were arch-segregationists among Republicans then, such as Cong. Reece of TN, but the well-known Strom Thurmond joined the Republican Party right after the national political conventions of 1964.
Judge Frank M. Johnson was a Republican who decided more major civil rights cases, alone or in 3-judge panels, than any other federal judge. He was an old-fashioned Republican whose family had supported the Union & never been supportive of slavery, even though they were long-time citizens of Alabama.
Numerous prominent civil rights lawyers of that era were Republicans, & it was one of them, John Doar, was hired by the Democrats on the U.S. House of Representatives' Judiciary Committee to be lead counsel for the Nixon Impeachment. The Democrats on the Judiciary Committee knew that both U.S. House & U.S. Senate had incredible Democratic majorities, so wanted a man with a GOP background to be their chief counsel for Impeachment of Nixon. Leading Republican civil rights lawyers were the ideal candidates for that hiring of a Republican for the Democrats on the U.S. House Judiciary Committee.
I do NOT make any excuses for today's GOP. We must remember that even Karl Mundt of S.D. & Stephen Young of OH & Jack Miller of IA & other far-far-Right wingers voted for the 1964 Civil Rights Act & the 1965 Voting Rights Act. THAT makes it even sadder that today's Republican Party acts like it has No such heritage -- while even Roman Hruska of Nebraska & Norris Cotton of N.H. supported the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
Deborah, thank you for this excellent context!