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Civil Rights in Texas Unit

Early Civil Rights Movements in TexasDuring the world wars, many African Americans and Mexican Americans realized the unfairness of fighting and dying for democracy when many of their civil rights were denied at home.The progressive movement spawned groups that promoted racial equality and assisted minority AmericansAmerican GI Forum and LULAC (Mexican Americans) and the NAACP (African Americans).Early Civil Rights Movements in TexasEarly Civil Rights activists included African American Lulu B. White and Mexican American Dr. Hector P. Garcia.

Political Parties DivideIn the late 1940s and early 1950s, the Republican and Democrat parties both became divided over world issues, New Deal programs, and segregation. Southern Democrats who favored segregation supported the new Dixiecrat partythis split in the Democratic Party caused a power shift towards the Republican Party in Texas (as evidenced by Republican candidate Eisenhower being elected as President in 1952).

1948 U.S. Presidential Election

1952 U.S. Presidential ElectionPolitical Parties DividePeople continued to develop differences over a variety of issues and started identifying themselves as liberal (loose views on tradition), conservative (strong views on tradition), or moderate (neither liberal nor conservative). Most political offices in Texas were held by conservative or moderate Democrats.DesegregationIn his first term, President Eisenhower appointed Earl Warren as Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. The Warren Court in the 1950s and 1960s consistently decided in favor of those seeking to end discrimination.

DesegregationIn 1896 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation was legal as long as the facilities of both races were equal. In the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, case, the Supreme Court ruled racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional and ordered schools to desegregate.

Brown v. Board of Education 1954DesegregationThe Mansfield Independent School District quietly desegregated in 1965. The District was the last public school system to integrate in the United States of America. Overall, it took 20 years after Brown, until the mid-1970s, for desegregation to occur.

DesegregationMinorities were also denied access to public facilities, parks, libraries, and swimming pools even though their taxes helped support these facilities. They sued to gain access. Some private clubs and facilities maintained segregation.

The Red ScareThe fear about the rise of communism in the 1950s led to many people, including labor unions and civil rights workers, to be accused of Communist ties. This era was called the Red Scare.In 1953, the Texas legislature passed a law requiring all state employees, including teachers, to sign a loyalty oath to the USA before they were paid.

The Red ScareJoseph McCarthy of Wisconsin accused U.S. Army leaders of being Communists. The word McCarthyism was used to describe the activities.

The Red ScareJohn Henry Faulk, an Austin native and radio star for CBS in New York City, was fired when a group claimed he was a Communist. He sued for libel and won, thus protecting freedom of speech.

LBJs PresidencyAfter John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas in 1963, Lyndon B. Johnson became President. He was elected to serve a full term as President from 1964 to 1968.

LBJ Being Sworn In (1963)

LBJs PresidencyDuring Johnsons administration, Congress passed many laws comparable to Roosevelts New Deal. His programs were called the Great Society. Johnson declared a war on poverty because so many people were poor, despite the countrys general prosperity. He stressed education as the cornerstone of his program.

LBJs PresidencyHe supported laws that created Head Start, Job Corps, and federal aid for college students. He also helped pushed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which is an act of Congress that prohibited discrimination in public places, education, or employment on the basis of race, color, sex, nationality, or religion.Johnson also supported the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which is an act of Congress that eliminated literacy tests (used to determine the literacy of black voters); and provided for federal rather than state examiners to register qualified voters.

LBJ Signs Civil Rights Act

LBJ Signs Voting Rights Act

African Americans and PoliticsIn 1966 Barbara Jordan became the first African American elected to the state Senate since Reconstruction ended. In 1972, Houston voters elected her to the U.S. House of Representatives. Her abilities were noted during the congressional hearings over the Watergate scandal involving President Nixon.

African Americans and PoliticsJames Farmer of Marshall, Texas founded the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). He organized boycotts, sit-ins, and freedom rides, all nonviolent methods to oppose segregation.

Mexican Americans and PoliticsIn 1948, Raymond Telles became the first Mexican-American mayor of a major U.S. cityEl Paso, TX.

Mexican Americans and PoliticsIn 1961 Henry B. Gonzlez of San Antonio was the first Hispanic from Texas elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. By the mid-1960s, Mexican American candidates were winning seats on several school boards and city councils.

Mexican Americans and PoliticsIn 1978 Raul A. Gonzlez became the first Hispanic appointed or elected to statewide office in 1978. He later served as Texas State Judge for the Court of Appeals and Texas Supreme Court.

Texans and PoliticsIn the modern era, Texan politicians George H.W. Bush (Bush 41) and his son, a former Texas Governor, George W. Bush (Bush 43), have served as U.S. Presidents.

Texans and PoliticsOther Texan politicians have also distinguished themselves in CongressPhil Gramm in the U.S. House of Representatives and Kay Bailey Hutchison in the U.S. Senate.

Texans and PoliticsFormer Secretary of State James Baker, III is also well-known for serving in the Reagan and Bush Administrations in the 1980s and 1990s.

Texans and PoliticsDemocrat Ann Richards served as governor of Texas in the early 1990s.