JFK and Civil Rights

Today in class we talked extensively about JFK and the civil rights movement. I found a great story on NPR about President Kennedy and his support for civil rights. The host speaks with Georgia Representative John Lewis, a leader of the movement, about his relationship with JFK. Clayborne Carson, a historian at Stanford, gives comments on President Kennedy's initial reluctance to introduce civil rights legislation and then his eventual support for the movement. They reference JFK's speech to the American people in the summer of 1963, where he makes the point that civil rights is a moral issue. Here is footage of JFK's speech: