Fighting for civil rights – John F. Kennedy’s unfinished mission?

Halina Bieluk - Uniwersytet w Białymstoku. Studium Praktycznej Nauki Języków ObcychDuring John F. Kennedy's administration several important steps on the way to racial equality were undertaken. His presidency will always be associated with such events as: Freedom Rides of 1961, desegregation of the University of Mississippi in September 1962, demonstrations in Birmingham in the spring of 1963 or the famous March on Washington on August 28, 1963. It is true that John F. Kennedy did not get involved in the protection of civil rights because of moral causes, and certainly, he did not consider it to be his mission. He rather had to face the changes that the US society was undergoing in this field in the early 1960s, changes that dominated his presidency. Numerous black activists criticized Kennedy for his legislative indolence and failing to recognize a moral dimension in the fight for civil rights. However, without the President's support, their efforts aiming at obliterating racial differences would have been useless. Moreover, without John F. Kennedy's involvement, the 1964 Act of Civil Rights, that came into effect during the Johnson administration, would not have been possible.417919