The countryside
The 1964 elections took place less than a year after the PRES assassination. John F. Kennedy in Dallas. Johnson, the vice-president of Kennedy, quickly swore and, in the following days, the alleged assassin of Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswaldwas murdered. To American and foreign observers, this has created a disturbing image of disorder and violence in the UNITED STATES. In the tumultuous days after the assassination, Johnson helped calm the National hysteria and ensure continuity in the presidency. On November 27, he addressed a joint session of the congress and, invoking The memory of martyr The president, urged the adoption of the Kennedy legislative program, which had been blocked in the congress committees. Johnson gave the utmost importance to Kennedy civil rights Bill, who became the center of his efforts during the first months of his presidency.
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At the heart of the 1964 campaign, racial relations, in particular with the transition from point of view 1964 civil rights lawin which Johnson signed law in July and which was to end discrimination Based on race, color, religion or national origin. During most of the period since the end of American civil war In 1865, the Democratic Party dominated what was known as the “South solid», Easily winning southern states in most presidential elections. Johnson’s support for civil rights legislation, however, began the process that would ultimately push the south regularly into the republican column.
Barry Goldwater, an American senator from Arizonawon several key primary victories against Nelson Rockefeller In a bitter competition and was nominated during the first voting bulletin at the Republican Convention in July in San Francisco, CaliforniaOnly two weeks after the signing of the civil rights law. Goldwater had voted against the law, and he was a faithful anti -communist and a solid supporter of a reduced federal activity in all areas. Rep. William E. Miller of new York like his running mate. The appointment of Goldwater was not without controversy, because many moderates Republicans considered as Goldwater outside the dominant party of the Party; During the convention, Rockefeller received a strong choir of hoots while he was talking. Indeed, a survey in June indicated that more than three -fifths of the basic republicans favored William Scranton, governor of Pennsylvaniafor the appointment of the party.
During spring Alabama Gov. George C. WallaceAn opponent of Racial integrationhad penetrated primaries into a certain number of northern states in order to demonstrate the existence of a vote of “backlash” of white anti-civil rights in the North. Wallace won 30% or more of the democratic vote in the Wisconsin,, IndianaAnd Maryland primary.
At Democratic convention Late August Atlantic,, New JerseyJohnson was renovated, with Minnesota Senator Hubert H. Humphrey like his running mate. The Convention, however, was the scene of a major controversy over civil rights. THE Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP), a largely African-American group, challenged all white references Mississippi regular democrat delegation (which had been elected in a discriminatory survey). Member of the MFDP and black activist Fannie Lou Hamer– Who had previously declared: “I am sick and tired of being sick and tired” – made a passionate plea for the reference committee:
If the Freedom Democratic Party is not seated now, I question America. Is it America, the land of the free and the Maison des Courageux, where we have to sleep with our phones out of the hooks because our lives are threatened daily, because we want to live as decent human beings, in America ? »»
A compromise was developed for the MFDP to take two seats, but the MFDP refused, and finally most of the official delegation of the Mississippi Democratic Party left the Convention because they refused to support Johnson against Goldwater.
Goldwater does moral Leadership a major theme of his campaign. In a decision widely interpreted as a call for “reaction”, Goldwater emphasized his campaign on anarchy and crime in major cities. The Republican Party has made little effort to court the vote of African-AmericansAnd the black voters would move large numbers to the Democrats, offering Johnson its margin of victory in states such as Florida, Tennessee and Virginia.
Although foreign affairs have not been a central problem in a large part of the campaign, US military participation Vietnam Has weighed heavily on Johnson. During the main campaign in California, Rockefeller threw the conservative Goldwater as a risky choice, asking in a shipment: “Who do you want in the room with the H-Bomb button?” Resurrecting the Rockefeller’s attack line, the Democrats produced the so-called Marguerite announcementOne of the most powerful television advertisements in the history of the presidential elections, which showed a little girl in a field that picks flower petals. While counting, a countdown begins which leads to a cloud of nuclear fungi, a allusion To Goldwater’s past statements that nuclear bombs could be used tactically in Vietnam. The cloud of mushrooms was then followed by Johnson’s voice, saying that “these are the issues” during the elections. The announcement ran only once but synthesized in the minds of many people the opinion that Goldwater was too extreme for the presidency.
When the votes were expressed on November 3, Johnson beat Goldwater with a victory by more than 15 million votes and capturing 61% of the votes. THE electoral vote Domination was even greater; Johnson won 44 states and Washington, DcFor 486 electoral votes, while Goldwater won 6 states representing 52 electoral votes. Goldwater has done badly in the traditionally republican regions, but, largely on the basis of the Goldwater opposition to the bill on civil rights and its promotion of States rightsHe wore the Alabama, Georgia,, LouisianaMississippi, and South CarolinaIn addition to its original state, Arizona.
For the results of previous elections, see Presidential election of the United States of 1960. For the results of subsequent election, see Presidential election of the United States of 1968.
