“I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
-Martin Luther King Jr.
Today is August 1st, and it was during the wonderful month of August, fifty-seven years ago, that Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington D.C. The speech came at the end of a march on the capital that included two-hundred and fifty thousand black and white Americans.
In June, 1964, the Civil Rights Act was passed and signed into law by Lyndon Johnson. In October of the same year, King Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
I always thought it was interesting how slaves were freed in America some time after the Civil War, and the issues concerning civil rights didn’t get resolved until almost one-hundred years later in the 1960’s, but to my surprise, I just discovered there was a Civil Rights Act passed then too, it was called the Civil Rights Act of 1866. The Act of 1866 denied the states the power to restrict the rights of free slaves. The bill was vetoed by another Johnson, but Republicans had the votes to override the veto.
Interesting and confusing all at the same time! During the 1960’s it was the Civil Rights Act and Lyndon Johnson, and in the 1860’s it was the Civil Rights Act and Andrew Johnson.
Same Act, same decade, different Johnson.
I hope y’all are doing well and staying healthy. Thank you so much for reading and following along. Have a wonderful Saturday night, and a blessed day tomorrow.
♌ Happy birthday to all you Leos out there!