The Federal Government and Protest

Abstract

During the late 1950's and the 1960's, the federal government took substantial action in dealing with injustices in the area of civil and political rights. Five major enact ments were processed in the years between 1957 and 1968, dealing with a variety of matters, including voting rights and open housing. The same kind of accomplishments cannot be reported, however, for legislation designed to deal with perceived injustices in the social and economic fields. This is true partly because of the inherent difficulty in legislating for these areas and partly because progress in such legislation must be preceded by major societal attitudinal changes and the mood of the United States public has become more con servative and cautious during the past few years. This conservatism stems, in part, from reaction to the various pro tests of the 1960's. Protest, then, must be viewed in its strategic dimension: it is necessary in order to demonstrate that a condition exists and in order to win support, but engaging in protest often alienates many, including the very people whose support is sought.