Episode 2: Civil Rights Stalemate

In December 1963, the proposed legislation that John F. Kennedy thinks will be his crowning achievement—the Civil Rights Act—is coming to a head in Congress. But just when he needs to throw his back into the push to get it passed, the start of his re-election campaign, derailed by the failed assassination attempt in Dallas the month before, diverts his attention. Within the movement itself, the public face of the Civil Rights Movement begins to shift from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to other leaders, especially Stokely Carmichael. This will have profound consequences for the African-American liberation struggle down the road.

Length: 20:44

Show Notes For This Episode

Next Episode: No Later Than March 14, 2021