Lessons in Black History: White Opposition to Passage of Civil Rights Law

Lessons in Black History:
White Opposition to Passage of Civil Rights Bill

The year was 1964, and the passage of a bill that would make it law to treat African Americans as Americans with rights outlined by the United States Constitution was nearly a reality.
White opposition to the bill, however, was broad and deep; although “segregationists” were expectedly opposed to the bill, so were many so-called liberals who felt that the balance of the United States was about to be horribly knocked askew.
People wanted “their country back,” and were incensed that President Lyndon Baines Johnson was intent on getting the bill passed.
That year, Sen. Barry Goldwater, R-AZ, was running for president, and he didn’t want to make race an issue of his campaign, but did in fact shape his arguments so that people knew he was very well talking about race. About the pending passage of the civil rights bill, he “endorsed the segregationist charge that the new civil rights law was a cause rather than a cure for injustice” He said that” …the more the federal government attempted to legislate morality, the more it has actually incited hatred and violence.” The rift between those who believed in states’ rights and those who supported broader federal government involvement in some issues was highlighted as Goldwater criticized “big government” for imposing Social Security numbers, and telling you what to print on your cigarette pack.” (Pillar of Fire,p. 492)
Goldwater connected with Sen. Strom Thurmond,D-SC, and together, the Republican candidate for president and the Democratic senator criticized the element of the Democratic Party which supported passage of the bill. On September 16, Thurmond switched party affiliation, and as a new Republican, said, “The Democratic Party has abandoned the people…(it has) invaded the lives of people … has succored and assisted our Communist enemies…worships at the throne of power and materialism …has protected the Supreme Court in a reign of judicial tyranny.” (Pillar, p. 493) Thurmond and Goldwater agreed that if Democrats “prevail, freedom as we have known it in this country is doomed.” (p. 493)
Meanwhile, violence against black people in the South continued, largely ignored by law enforcement, local, state and federal. In fact, many law enforcement officers were known to participate in the violence, incidents which included bombings, murders and terrorism. As black people participating in the Civil Rights movement were being beaten and arrested, held without trial, and losing their homes, churches and their lives, many whites, from law enforcement to white newspapers, reported that the blacks were burning their own homes and murdering each other, and blaming white people.
Black people pushed for civil rights, which included, first and foremost, the right to vote, in spite of having little to no support or protection from law enforcement. Meanwhile, segregationists, some members of the KKK and some not, perceived it their godly and religious duty to stop the movement of blacks toward equity. Imperial KKK Wizard Sam Bowers “quoted the Book of Romans to ordain that any ‘fourth degree sanctions’ (the KKK designated term for “murder”) be accomplished by compartmentalized command “without malice” in the spirit of Christian soldiers.” (Pillar, p. 500)
Surely, there was a need for a bill to give African Americans the rights due to any human being.