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5. A Dream beyond the New Frontier
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5 A Dream beyond the New Frontier In his campaign for the presidency in i960, Democratic candidate John Kennedy spok e ou t agains t th e lac k o f equalit y fo r African-Ameri cans whose votes he then garnered b y a symbolic act of assistance . In October i96 0 Marti n Luthe r Kin g and fifty-one othe r people wer e arrested fo r takin g part i n a mass sit-in , asking fo r servic e in the restau rant o f Rich' s departmen t stor e i n Atlanta , Georgia . However , afte r al l the others had been released, King was held in jail on the purely technica l offense o f no t havin g a curren t Georgi a drivin g license . H e wa s the n given a fou r months ' priso n sentence . Thi s wa s a conventiona l enoug h instance o f polic e harassmen t o f civi l right s leader s i n th e South . I n Washington officer s o f th e Federa l Departmen t o f Justic e compose d a special draft requestin g King's release. However, neither President Eisenhower no r Vic e Presiden t Richar d Nixon , th e Republica n presidentia l candidate, would act . The Kennedy s sa w ho w t o tur n a situatio n i n whic h the y ha d n o ostensible connectio n t o considerabl e politica l advantage . First , Joh n Kennedy telephone d Corett a Scot t Kin g to expres s hi s concern ove r th e injustice o f he r husband' s imprisonment . Meanwhile , hi s brothe r an d campaign manager , Robert , pleaded wit h th e judge in Georgia wh o ha d sentenced King . Th e ver y nex t da y Kin g wa s release d o n bail . Thi s 1 4 9 THE SECON D AMERICA N REVOLUTIO N prompted hi s father , wh o ha d earlie r expresse d hi s oppositio n t o Ken nedy 's candidacy o n the grounds of his Catholicism, to change his mind. Martin Luthe r King , Sr., said he had a "suitcase o f votes" he was goin g to "dum p i n th e lap " o f John Kennedy . Indeed , i n a somewhat contro versial electio n tha t Kenned y wo n b y a comparativel y diminutiv e mar gin , an y on e o f a serie s o f margina l factor s coul d hav e accounte d fo r Kennedy's hairsbreadth victor y over Republican candidat e Richar d Nixon . The African-America n vot e certainl y gav e Kenned y hi s crucia l slende r majority i n Sout h Carolina , Michigan , an d Illinois—on e o f th e tw o states in this election where returns stirred the greatest controversy . Civil Rights and the New Frontier Despite thi s auspiciou s prelude , th e firs t tw o year s o f th e Kenned y administration o f 1961—196 3 disclose d exactl y ho w circumscribe d wa s the Ne w Frontie r (Kennedy' s genera l titl e fo r hi s politica l program ) when i t came to civi l rights. John Kenned y wa s not a notable champio n of civi l rights. When h e did emerge as an advocat e i t was on accoun t o f effective externa l politica l pressures . Comparin g hi m wit h hi s successo r as president, Lyndo n Baine s Johnson, w e migh t sa y that , i n the fiel d o f race relations , Kennedy' s polic y wa s accommodatio n an d hi s strateg y was la w observanc e wherea s LBJ' s policy was integratio n an d hi s strat egy wa s la w reform . Nevertheless , bot h Joh n Kenned y an d hi s brothe r Robert, the attorney general, were acutely aware that widespread publicity abou t racis m i n Americ a wa s havin g a deleteriou s impac t upo n th e United States' s relation s wit h thir d worl d countries . The y realize d tha t...