Why did President Kennedy seem cautious at first on civil rights?

Answer 1

The Democratic Party was losing ground in the South over the Civil Rights issue.

Kennedy belonged to the Democratic Party. "Democrat" has meant different things over the course of the nation's history; it was founded by Southerners to promote the business interests of slave-owning Southern planters, and after the Civil War it was the party that registered dissatisfaction with Northern government and business interests. In the South, there were few Black Democrats or white Republicans until the 1930s.

By 1960, the year Kennedy was elected President, Northern Democrats were the liberal wing of the party and Southern Democrats were the conservative wing--but only among white voters. Roosevelt had brought Black voters into the party, and many Southern whites shifted allegiance to the more conservative Republican party. The Democrats lost the lock they had held on the South since Jefferson's time.

Kennedy had a plainly progressive agenda with regards to Civil Rights, but knew that pursuing it ham-handedly would cost his party the South, the Presidency and both houses of Congress. Leaving all of these to the Republicans--who hadn't supported a progressive social agenda for over 50 years at that point--would have damaged the Civil Rights legislation he wanted. He proceeded with caution.

His successor, Lyndon Johnson, pursued Civil Rights legislation with a lot more vigor very early on, and white Southerners have voted Republican en masse ever since.

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Answer 2

President Kennedy initially appeared cautious on civil rights due to various political considerations. One reason was his desire to maintain support from Southern Democrats, who held significant power in Congress at the time and were staunchly opposed to civil rights reforms. Additionally, Kennedy faced concerns about the potential backlash from white voters, particularly in the South, if he pursued aggressive civil rights legislation. Furthermore, Kennedy prioritized issues such as Cold War tensions and economic policies during the early years of his presidency, leading to a more cautious approach to civil rights.

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Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.

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