Question

Suppose for the sake of argument that if the jury trial amendment had failed, the whole civil rights bill would have died to a southern-led filibuster (as johnson argued). what were the two main groups that opposed the jury trial amendment, and why would each of those groups oppose it even if they agreed with johnson’s prognosis that the failure of amendment would lead to the failure of the bill?

Answer 1

Conservative Southern House members opposed the jury trial amendment to impede the Civil Rights Bill, while civil rights activists feared it would sustain racial injustice in the judicial system. Both groups agreed that failing the amendment might result in the collapse of the entire bill, signifying a clash between desiring to preserve segregation and striving for fair civil rights.

Step-by-step explanation:

The two main groups that opposed the jury trial amendment during the civil rights movement era were conservative Southern House members and civil rights activists. Southern conservatives opposed the amendment as they aimed to slow down or halt the progression of the 1964 Civil Rights Bill, often by proposing what they considered frivolous amendments or by outright obstruction like filibuster attempts.

Their strategy was to maintain the status quo of segregation and deny civil rights to African Americans. On the other hand, civil rights activists opposed the jury trial amendment because it could lead to all-White juries in the South, fostering racial injustices in the court systems as seen in cases like the Scottsboro trials. These activists were concerned that such amendments would undermine the very essence of civil rights legislation, which was to ensure fair legal representation and due process for all, regardless of race.