Keep it from being too strong, but keep it from being weakened on the floor, and because they conducted debate in whats known as the committee of the whole, votes were not recorded by and large, and the only way to know how someone voted was to be there physically and watch, and except for reporters, no one could take notes on paper in the house gallery so the forces led by Clarence Mitchell and others devised a system of gallery watchers, the segregationists called them vultures, but they had to sit there and keep notes in their head who was voting how, what amendment, and in the precell phone era, had to round up family members to make sure enough were on the floor at any one time to defeat hostile legislative mischief, so a bunch of young activists led by a Woman Working for the textiles who is still alive fighting all the fights, would sit in a telephone tree and they heard something was happening on the floor, they would physically go run office to office, going come on, and after
Armies whose idea time has come. It was. The chamber was absolutely jammed. The gallery filled, standing room only, no staff allowed on the floor. Just 100 senators. As the vote proceeded, it was silent like a tomb, and when John Williams of delaware cast the deciding vote, everyone, there was a corporate exhaling of breath. It was so tense that everybody literally held their breath until that last vote was counted, and in a blink, Richard Russell was on his feet demanding to know what the hell wed do next. Just to think about it, you know how hard it is to get 60 for todays senate, this was 67, which was a much higher bar, and there was clearly a block of people who were against it, and it was one by one, president Lyndon Johnson got a few, and one i remember writing about was jack miller, the other senator from iowa, i think it was dubuque, and there was an archbishop who called him saying if you dont vote for cloture, well excommunicate you. I mean this was really today, Martin Luth
Dealt with that advocates and legislators talk about ats major things . Well, basic reality was that a hundred years after the civil war and the war was unfulfilled and equality in the eyes of the law was not a reality in large parts of the country, and it was awkward for john kennedy even has the 6162 went on, there were commemorations of thissing act and anniversary of that, and when it came around, he was very stymied on what to do because he didnt want to do because he didnt want ignore it or make a big deal because it was too clear the promise of emancipation was not vicinindic, and what happened is court ruled in the brown case. Deliberate was a word, slow. But, of course, it was not honored in large parts of the country and had not addressed the question of segregation and public accommodations, lunch counters, hotels, and so on, and it began to seem to a generations of ampbs who served in world war ii, in europe, other places, they did not experience that jim crow discriminatio
Up next on booktv after words with guest host Michael Meyers executive director of the new york civil rights coalition. This week jason sokol in his latest book all eyes are upon us. In that the historian argues that while the northeast enjoyed a reputation as a bastion for racial equality in reality blacks were relegated to living in ghettos and working menial jobs until Northern Leaders challenged citizens to practice what they were preaching. This program contains language that some may find offensive. Host jason its very difficult to decide where to begin with your book. We are going to make a teaser to the audience. We are going to get to the conflict in a clash between at brooks and joe biden. Thats a teaser. Lets begin where you you began and that is with some history. This is a history book but the precipice to brown v. Board of education and the springfield locale. Guest right. Well the sense of history, i do have an argument they are about the way that northern history operat
Do you still write your songs down with paper and pencil . Yes, i do. I have always carried a little recording device of some sort. They used to be pretty big, but now they are quite small, and i always carry a pen and paper, and i am ready if something occurs to me. You mentioned merle travis. What other musicians . Ry cooder is my favorite guitar player, but there are many others to choose from. There was an album that was a formative for me. Paradise and lunch. There was a guy coming up called tom rush who played here at the cellar door, and he played in boston at the 47. I really pattern myself after, just a guy with a guitar, full position, unapologetic. Falcon musician. Unapologetic folk musician. And i would say wouldtwo and the beatles. What do you think of current pop music . You know, i guess i do not like it a whole lot. [laughter] [applause] i guess i dont like it a whole lot. What would we find i sound just like my dad. There are great people out there, i know it. And i do