“He’s only wasting his breath.
We’ll get the bill passed.”
-Senator President Lyndon Johnson
The summer of 1957 was a pivotal moment in American history, especially regarding the nation’s ongoing struggle with civil rights. The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was the first significant piece of civil rights legislation since Reconstruction. Its primary goal was to ensure that all African Americans could exercise their right to vote, a right that had been systematically denied in many Southern states through various discriminatory practices such as literacy tests, poll taxes, and outright intimidation.
At the heart of the opposition to this legislation was Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina. Thurmond, a staunch segregationist, had built his political career on defending the status quo of racial segregation in the South. He viewed the Civil Rights Act as a direct threat to the Southern way of life, which was deeply rooted in white supremacy and racial discrimination. For Thurmond, the filibuster was not just a legislative tool but a moral imperative to defend what he saw as the rights of states to manage their own affairs without federal interference.
A filibuster is a political strategy where a senator speaks at length to delay or entirely block a vote on a bill. By 1957, the filibuster was a well-established tactic in the U.S. Senate, often used by Southern senators to obstruct civil rights legislation. However, Thurmond’s filibuster of the Civil Rights Act of 1957 would go down in history as the longest solo filibuster ever recorded.
On August 28, 1957, Strom Thurmond took the floor of the Senate with a singular mission: to prevent the passage of the Civil Rights Act. For 24 hours and 18 minutes, Thurmond spoke continuously, setting a record that remains unbroken. His filibuster was not only a demonstration of physical endurance but also a symbolic stand against the tide of change that the Civil Rights Movement represented.
The logistics of preparing for such a marathon speech were meticulous. Thurmond knew that he would need to remain on the Senate floor without leaving for any reason if he was to maintain control of the debate. In the days leading up to the filibuster, he prepared himself both physically and mentally. He reportedly dehydrated himself to avoid needing bathroom breaks and even took steam baths to prepare his body for the long ordeal.
When the moment arrived, Thurmond began speaking at 8:54 p.m. on August 28. For the next 24 hours, he covered a wide range of topics to fill the time, including reading from the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and even the election laws of each of the 48 states. Thurmond’s speech was a mixture of legal arguments, historical references, and personal anecdotes, all aimed at stalling the vote on the Civil Rights Act.
Despite his efforts, Thurmond was largely alone in his endeavor. Other Southern senators, while sympathetic to his cause, chose not to join him in the filibuster. They believed that the Civil Rights Act was inevitable and that Thurmond’s actions would ultimately be futile. Nonetheless, Thurmond persisted, driven by his belief that he was defending the principles of states’ rights and racial segregation.
In the end, Thurmond’s filibuster did not achieve its intended goal. The Civil Rights Act of 1957 passed the Senate just hours after Thurmond concluded his speech. The Act itself was a modest piece of legislation, establishing the Civil Rights Division in the Department of Justice and the U.S. Civil Rights Commission. It did little to directly confront the systemic racism that denied African Americans their rights, but it was a symbolic first step that paved the way for more comprehensive civil rights legislation in the 1960s.
For Thurmond, the filibuster solidified his reputation as a die-hard opponent of civil rights. It endeared him to segregationists in the South, who saw him as a defender of their way of life. However, it also marked him as a symbol of resistance to progress, a reputation that would follow him throughout his long career in the Senate.
At the time, reactions to Thurmond’s filibuster were mixed. Southern newspapers praised his dedication and determination, while much of the national media viewed the filibuster as an embarrassing relic of the past. Civil rights leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr., condemned the filibuster as a desperate attempt to maintain racial inequality.
The filibuster had a limited impact on the Civil Rights Movement. While it did not stop the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, it did highlight the lengths to which segregationists were willing to go to preserve the status quo. The filibuster also underscored the need for stronger federal action to protect the rights of African Americans, leading to the more robust civil rights legislation of the 1960s.
Looking back, historians and political analysts view Thurmond’s filibuster as a significant moment in the history of American legislative tactics, but one that is ultimately seen in a negative light. It represents the deep divisions in American society over race and the lengths to which some politicians would go to resist change. While the filibuster did not stop the march toward civil rights, it serves as a reminder of the fierce resistance that the movement faced.
In modern times, the filibuster has evolved into a tool that is often criticized for its ability to stymie legislative progress. Thurmond’s record-setting speech is frequently cited in debates over the filibuster’s role in the Senate, with some arguing that it exemplifies the need for reform.
Notes for consideration:
– Thurmond’s filibuster remains the longest solo filibuster in U.S. Senate history.
– Despite the filibuster, Thurmond later softened his stance on civil rights, although his earlier actions continue to define his legacy.
– The Civil Rights Act of 1957, while limited in scope, set the stage for the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Primary Sources
– Senate Records: Official transcripts of Thurmond’s filibuster speech.
– Personal Documents: Letters and correspondence from Strom Thurmond during the time of the filibuster.
Secondary Sources
– “Strom Thurmond & the Politics of Southern Change” by Nadine Cohodas
– “The Longest Debate: A Legislative History of the 1964 Civil Rights Act” by Charles and Barbara Whalen
– Scholarly Articles
“The Filibuster and Civil Rights: Senator Strom Thurmond and the 1957 Civil Rights Bill” by Robert D. Loevy
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