Summary

Chapter 4 is entitled “Rolling Back Civil Rights.” In the 1960s, many local organizations around the country mobilized in peaceful protests, in efforts to further racial equality in the country. These movements became known as the Civil Right Movement. One achievement of the movement was the passing of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. In response to the social progress of the Civil Rights Movement, various aspects of American government and culture adapted in order to resist/reverse those gains. For example, Richard Nixon and other conservative politicians made an effort to dismiss the idea of racial inequality in America. They also attempted to propagate the idea that white supremacy only existed within small extremist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan. Additionally, they asserted that existing social assistance programs for Black Americans—which were, in reality, quite modest—were actually extravagant...