The Civil Rights Issue

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The issue of Civil Rights has been an ongoing debate in the history of American Politics. The United States of America has attempted twice to reconstruct America’s laws regarding civil rights, specifically for African Americans. The first reconstruction that occurred from 1865 to 1877 introduced the rights of African Americans, such as the right to vote, but it failed to end discrimination. The second reconstruction of the 1950’s was more successful in ending discrimination than the first because a unified government allowed laws to pass with much ease, there was more support for reform from both the citizens and government officials and enforcement was key to see to it that the laws were being implemented As opposed to the first reconstruction, during the second reconstruction the Democrats had control over the Presidency, Congress, and eventually spread it’s influence over the Supreme Court. After Johnson’s re-election and the redistribution of Congressional seats to the Democrat Party, Democrats dominated both chambers of Congress and the executive branch known as a unified government, in which a political party has control of both the executive branch and congress at the same time. With a democrats having control in both houses of Congress, it made it easier to reach a majority vote on bills, thus solving the collective action problem that Congress faced prior to the second reconstruction. For example, with both the President and Congress supporting the Civil Rights Act of 1957, it eliminated the possibility of a veto from both sides, assuring the passing of the bill. Because bills had a chance of passing in during this era, more laws were made in order to enforce the end of discrimination from areas such as voting rights, w... ... middle of paper ... ...ion successful because now the laws were being carried out, allowing changes to officially occur. The second reconstruction was effective in ending discrimination. During this era, not only were Civil Rights expanded but also implementation prevented states from deviating from the law, which accounted for its success. A more unified government and a growing support for the movement solved collective collection problems, making it easier to pass laws. The second reconstruction’s can still be seen in effect in the present day encouraging more improvements in Civil Rights. Works Cited Kernell, Samuel, and Steven S. Smith. Principles and Practice of American Politics: Lassic and Contemporary Readings. Washington: CQ, 2013. Print. Kernell, Samuel, Gary C. Jacobson, Thad Kousser, and Lynn Vavreck. The Logic of American Politics. Los Angeles: Sage, CQ, 2014. Print.

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