Segregation was confirmed by the US Supreme Court, so validated at the federal level (incorrectly in my opinion) with Plessy v. Ferguson. Thus civil rights was a national issue because states were violating the 14th Amendment as well as other amendments that protected the freedoms of all of our citizens originally under a flawed decision by the Supreme Court. Anytime the federal government tries to legislate values from beliefs about drugs to forced charity and everything in between, it has overstepped is boundaries. Most people look to the president to "fix" things, when that is not his job. His job is to enforce laws that are passed by Congress (the only branch of the federal government directly elected by the people). When that gets out of whack, the whole thing becomes a quagmire and mess.
I just learned that the confederate dead were not allowed to be buried in the Gettysburg National Battle Park!
Now I am by no means a democrat but how soon we forget. The Union meant republicans. They are the ones that prevented the confederate dead from being buried at Gettysburg. They are the ones that visited reconstruction on us (can you say Thaddeus B. Stephens) out of pure hatred and spite. They called them radical republicans and now we call them conservatives. Lincoln was probably our first "imperial" president. The emancipation proclamation was simply an executive. I generally vote republican but I have to hold my nose.
Also how soon the blacks forget. Democrats were the party of slavery and Jim Crow. The first civil rights act was passed by a republican congress in 1866 (but was declared unconstitutional). Republicants supported almost all the later civil rights acts -- It was the southern democrats that blocked them.
It was stated above, "how soon we forget", but to forget requires that something was first known. The true history of our nation is not known by very many because actual effort must be exerted to learn it.
Hollywood through many lies and treacherous irresponsible acts disguised as artistic liberty, or some other term, has distorted the truth to our ignorant (through laziness) youth for so many years until now those such as Oliver Stone have rewritten our nations history to suite the "show" that now occupies our federal government.
Please no "D" nor "R" word. Keep focused on "We the People" not political bilge. What do you REALLY want the U.S.A. to be?
Keep politics away from college sports!!!!
You're right Old blue. This should have been in the "insider" forum. But I just added my thoughts to keep this long lived thread alive.
"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."
-- Thomas Jefferson
Not one of our Founding Fathers could get elected President today and very few to Congress. The media would hound them over quotes like above..."Mean-spirited" and "Right-wing radical" and "hate the poor" and "bigoted" and "loves the rich" and "supports income inequality"; etc...