George C. Wallace Essay, Research Paper
George Wallace
The 1960’s were characterized as an era full of turmoil. During this era, one of the most controversial topics was the fight over civil rights. One of the key political figures against civil rights movement and pro-segregation was George Wallace. Wallace represented the racist southern view. Many Americans were segregationist, but Wallace was adamant about the topic. Many established political figures were assassinated, during the 1960’s. Martin Luther King, JFK, and RFK were all positive visionaries caused controversy throughout that decade. George Wallace was against the modern government, pro-middle class, and against civil rights. Wallace and many other visionaries were cut down to early in life. Wallace was not killed by the assassin’s bullet but his political career was changed. The attempt on Wallace’s life left him a broken man in a wheelchair. People remembered the George Wallace who smoked his cigar and denounced the State Department as communist. Wallace was a feared politician who lived in a state full of beatings and problems. Racism was the norm and Wallace took full advantage of this ploy to gain political attention.
George Corley Wallace was born on August 25, 1919. While attending Barber County High School, he was involved with boxing and football. George even won the state Golden Gloves bantamweight championship not once but twice. Wallace then attended the University of Alabama Law School; this was the same year his father died. Wallace was strapped for cash, so he worked his way through college by boxing professionally, waiting on tables, and driving a taxi. He received his degree in 1942 from the University.
After receiving a medical discharge from the U.S. Air Force, he returned to Alabama. In 1946, Wallace got a job as an assistant to the attorney general for the state of Alabama. Wallace polled to become state representative of Barbour County. During his jaunt as a state representative, he had a number of highlights. They included bills that issued in the industrial era that attracted hundreds of new industries. He was also involved with the GI and Dependents Scholarships Act that provides widows and children access to trade schools and colleges.
Wallace entered the governor’s race in 1958. Patterson ran on the Ku Klux Klan ticket; Wallace refused it. The NAACP endorsed Wallace for governor. Wallace lost the governor’s race in 1958 to John Patterson by 64,000 votes. After being defeated, Wallace dramatically changed his view on segregation and race relations. These changes were what ultimately led to his election as governor in 1962.
Wallace had many signature moments throughout his inaugural term as governor the first occurred on January 11, 1963. During his inaugural address, Wallace promised to protect the state’s “Anglo-Saxon people” from “communistic amalgamation” with blacks. He then ended his speech with the line: “Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, and segregation forever.” This statement would haunt his political career until the end of his life. The next memorable moment came on June 11, 1963. When he mounted his “stand in the schoolhouse door” to block two black students from enrolling at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Wallace fearing significant jail time for defying the federal courts backed off. He then made another speech denouncing “Big-government.” His views drew much criticism from northern politicians and officials. Another tense moment was the nationally publicized fire house and police dog incidents in Birmingham.
The Civil Rights movement intensified while Wallace tried to block the integration of the University of Alabama, stating that it was states rights. The demonstrations in Birmingham of 1963 led to the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. No more than two years later, the Selma march accomplished the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Everything that happened in the state of Alabama had a reverse affect on the outcome.
Wallace wanted the legislature to change an amendment banning a sitting governor from being elected for a second term. The anti-Wallace faction of the legislature and Ryan DeGraffenried denied Wallace’s amendment. DeGraffenried who was making his second attempt for governship died in a plane crash. This event happened shortly after the decision to disallow Wallace to run for another term. George put his ailing wife Lurleen on the ballot for governor. Many thought it was a horrible idea to put his dying wife on the ticket. She won by a large margin, which ultimately proved his popularity.
The governors’ message not only worked in the South but also among dissatisfied whites everywhere. Many of his constituents were uncomfortable about black students in their neighborhood schools and black competitors in the workplace. The blend of racists and people with economic grievances allowed Wallace to pull in more than 13 percent of the popular vote. Running as a third party candidate he received five states in the 1968 presidential election. Wallace returned to Alabama following his defeat in order to enter the political scene, again. In 1970, Albert Brewer faced George Wallace for the office of governor. Wallace eventually won a second term as governor.
In 1972, Wallace again entered the presidential primaries, this time under the Democratic Party. The governor was poised to improve on his 1968 run for the presidency. His campaign was running like a Mac truck through the presidential primaries. He started off with a victory in Florida, which left him leading every county in the state. His attacks on busing let conservatives know exactly where he stood. Wallace also began talking less about race because he could afford to. On the Afternoon of May of 1972, at a campaign rally in Laurel, Maryland things turned for the worse. While participating in a final round of hand shaking with the crowd. A frustrated Arthur Bremer, who also tried to assassinate, Nixon set his sights on Wallace. Bremer stalked Wallace for weeks trying to get a chance to shoot him. From a range no more than three feet away, the assassin shot Wallace 3 times, severing his spine and paralyzing him for life. Bremer was a disturbed 21-year-old drifter and now sits in a Maryland prison serving a life sentence. Many knew that his presidential and political career was over. After his hospital stay, Wallace remarkably returned to his duties as governor. In 1974, Wallace easily won the Democratic primaries for an unprecedented third term.
The successive administrations saw many changes in the state of Alabama. The largest highway expansion project was sponsored. Record funds for an educational expenditure were allocated for more than five hundred million dollars. Under Wallace’s tenure, money was raised to improve mental health care, health care, and the Alabama Law Enforcement Planning Agency.
Wallace never ran for president again. The sight of his wheelchair took away from his affect on his constituents. Many of his aids and friends noticed that the crowds were disappearing. In 1982, after disappearing for four years, Wallace returned to the political ring to via for governor. The final conquest for governor was supported by a huge amount of black voter support during the general election. The governor appealed to his white loyalist and catered to thousands of new black voters. This marked a complete turnabout in his political career. However, Wallace acted more like a yes-man than a governor due to the pain pills. The extent of enormous pain limited his concentration and added to his addiction to painkillers. During this final stint as governor health and addiction problems plagued the term. Many things were passed such as the job-injury law and the Alabama Trust Fund that pumped money into education.
Wallace sought meetings with civil rights leaders such as the Rev. Ralph Abernathy, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, and John Lewis. Wallace made appearance at King’s old Montgomery church. Sometimes he would even manage to say, “I’m sorry.” The leaders accepted his change in heart but they could never fully forgive him.
Former Governor George C. Wallace of Alabama, who built his political career on segregation, died September 13, 1998 at Jackson Hospital in Montgomery. He was 79 and had been in declining health since being shot in his 1972 presidential campaign. Wallace, a Democrat who was a longtime champion of states’ rights, dominated his own state for almost a generation. He also became the only Alabamian ever sworn in for four terms as governor, winning elections in 1962, 1970, 1974, and 1982. He retired at the end of his last term in January 1987.
George Wallace was a man of his era who grew up under racist conditions. After the assassination attempt Wallace was a changed man. Later in his life, he admitted that he was wrong for being a segregationist. He has always said that he was not a racist, but he was for segregation. This visionary was responsible for the Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act, and Civil Rights Movement. Although he did not want them, his actions dictated the results of these Acts and changes. His dreams died, but they established rights for all minorities.
Другие работы по теме:
Of Mice And Men Comparing The Movie
And The Book Essay, Research Paper The movie of Of Mice and Men had many differences while still giving the same message that the book was portrayed to have. One of the major differences was that Candy never came into the room when Lennie and Crooks were talking to each other. This was major because Crooks never found out that the plan was true about the little house.
George Washington Carver Essay Research Paper George
George Washington Carver Essay, Research Paper George Washington Carver American educator and an outstanding innovator in the agricultural sciences. Carver was born of slave parents near Diamond, Missouri. He left the farm where he was born when he was about ten years old and eventually settled in Minneapolis, Kansas, where he worked his way through high school.
Cover Letter Essay Research Paper To whom
Cover Letter Essay, Research Paper To whom it may concern: I am writing to you because I am interest in a Software Engineer position. I heard about your opening through the career department at George Mason University. This position fits with my major, experience, and career interest.
Curious George And The Man In The
Yellow Hat Essay, Research Paper Through Thick and Thin Friends are appreciated the most in times of need. They calm you down when you are stressed and comfort you when you cry but first and foremost they are there when you get in trouble. A couple of friends that are shining examples of sticking together in times of trouble are Curious George and the Man in the Yellow Hat.
Machiavelli VS King George III Essay Research
Paper MACHIAVELLI VS. KING GEORGE III During colonial times, King George III was a tyrant ruler. He was unstable and constantly inflicted hardship upon the people of the American Colonies. King George III thought that imposing more demands on the colonists would allow him to reach his goals such as bringing in more money for the British government.
The Cave Essay Research Paper Notes on
The Cave Essay, Research Paper Notes on ?The Cave? author- Jean McCord George- Bum who lived in a cave and made statues Charles- Main char. Charles was running when he saw a cave. He stopped and
BenHur A Tale Of Christ By Lew
Wallace (1827 – 1905) Essay, Research Paper Wallace’s mixture of adventure, melodrama, period language, and accurately-depicted intercultural relations make Beti-Htir
Moral Responsibility In Gatsby Essay Research Paper
Moral Responsibility in Gatsby Bang! Gatsby’s dead! George Wilson shot Gatsby! However, who is morally responsible for killing Gatsby? The obvious answer would be George since he pulled the trigger. However, it is clear, if for no other reason than for the unimportance of George in the book, that others were also partly responsible.
1984 Essay Research Paper The lesson to
1984 Essay, Research Paper The lesson to be learned from George Orwell’s 1984 is that an “ideal” of having a Utopian society will never really work. George Orwell may have written 1984, in order
Rich With Sadness Essay Research Paper When
Rich With Sadness Essay, Research Paper When George kills Lennie at the end of Of Mice and Men, he does so because Lennie is a pure being, and will only be hurt in this corrupted world. Therefore, it makes sense that he kills him for love; he knows that Lennie will never make it in this corrupted world. By killing Lennie, George frees him.
The Mouse Of All Men By John
Steinbeck Essay, Research Paper The book I read was Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Of Mice and Men is a great book. It shows how loving somebody so much could also mean doing anything for them, even murder them.
John Steinbeck And Of Mice And Man
Essay, Research Paper John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men is nothing short of magnificent. The book is about two men that travel together looking for work. The plot centers on George
Just Murder Essay Research Paper George took
Just Murder? Essay, Research Paper George took care of Lennie throughout the book, and in events previous to those mentioned in the book. Lennie’s strength caused him trouble, when Lennie did the “Bad Thing” that ended another human being’s life, and at that point, many changes took place. Lennie faced severe punishment of some kind, and the rest of his life would have been anything but enjoyable, regardless of the form of punishment that he received.
I Heard The Owl Call My Name
Essay, Research Paper Of Mice and Men ?I ain?t got no people,? George said. ?I seen the guys that go around on the ranches alone. That ain?t no good. They don?t have no fun. After a long time they get mean. They
Mice Of Men Essay Research Paper Justin
Mice Of Men Essay, Research Paper Justin Clay Period 1&2 Am. Lit. Of Mice and Men The novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is about two ranch hands, George and Lennie. George is a small, smart-witted man, while Lennie is a large, mentally- handicapped man. They are trying to raise enough money to buy their own ranch, by working as ranch hands.
Of Mice And Men What Are Friends
For? Essay, Research Paper Set in Soledad, California on a typical Western Ranch, we find George and Lennie. George and Lennie come right out of John Steinbeck’s novel, Of mice and men. Of mice and men is a novel which shows the trials and tribulations of true friendship. This novel, with all of its twists and turns is a great piece of American Literature.
Descriptive Essay On William Wallace 1 Pg
. Essay, Research Paper A Descriptive Essay On William Wallace A man of low status and called by some an outlaw or bandit, it may have been that Wallace was being used by more powerful Scottish politicians as a cover for their rebellion so they would not break their feudal vows to the king of England.
True Friendship Essay Research Paper True FriendshipBut
True Friendship Essay, Research Paper True Friendship But not us! An why? Because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that s why. (Page 14) This quote came from Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck. Lennie and George can trust and depend on each other because they are true friends. George is the smart, sophisticated and reliable one of the two.
Defense Statement Essay Research Paper Defense Statement
Defense Statement Essay, Research Paper Defense Statement Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, we, the defense, have shown you that there is no reason that George did not do the right and humane thing by shooting Lenny and that he is innocent of all charges against him.
George B Mcclellan Essay Research Paper George
George B. Mcclellan Essay, Research Paper George B. McClellan The Disposable Patriot “George B. McClellan, The Disposable Patriot” by Micheal J. McHugh recounts the struggles of the young Napoleon, George B. McClellan, as he lived out his life. George B. McClellan lived a long and fulfilling life in both the military and politics, and still had a good loving christian family.
George Bush Library Essay Research Paper George
George Bush Library Essay, Research Paper George Bush Library George Bush was sworn into office January 20th, 2001. The George Bush Library has a museum connected with it. Looking at pictures of the library it seemed to be rather large and impressive.
Lonliness And Friendship Essay Research Paper In
Lonliness And Friendship Essay, Research Paper In Of Mice and Men, written by George Steinbeck, George and Lennie s vision is of a place of their own, where they can live and have rabbits and can be protected from hurt. As the two men think about their dreams of the future, Candy, Crooks, and even Curley s wife reveal that they also have dreams of a life far different from this present one.
Lonliness Involved In Of Mice And Men
Essay, Research Paper English III Peitz 6 March, 2000 Loneliness Loneliness according to the dictionary, loneliness is in the state of being alone. Wow, what an exciting definition, but what dose it really
Of Mice And Men 5 Essay Research
Paper True Friendship In the book Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, the characters George Milton and Lennie Small work their way through many hardships, but one would never think that the relationship they had could end. The book is a reality check of two different characters living their life, when an enormous shook occurs at the end of the book.
Gen George Patton Essay Research Paper General
Gen George Patton Essay, Research Paper General George Patton was one of the most colorful Gen.s of the Second World War which inturn gave him the nickname ?old blood and guts? (Patton history channel).In
Of Mice And Men By John Steinbeck
Essay, Research Paper I really enjoyed reading it which is unusual because I usualy don’t enjoy reading to much. There was something about George and Lennie’s friendship that really made me think. Seeing how they
Great Gatsby Characters Essay Research Paper The
Great Gatsby Characters Essay, Research Paper The novel, The Great Gatsby, has many characters in it. Four prominent characters are Tom Buchanan, George Wilson, Daisy Buchanan, and Myrtle Wilson.
Rasin In The Sun Two Influences Of
The Day Essay, Research Paper Two Influences of the Day Through the play ” Raisin in the Sun, ” Beneatha Younger is exposed to two men who she both has an interest in. This being Joseph Asagai and George Murchison. Both men have some similar characteristics, but also differences which make their actions stand out from each other.
General George Meade Essay Research Paper General
General George Meade Essay, Research Paper General Meade Do you know who was the general for the Second Battle of Bull Run? Everyone knows what the Second Battle of Bull Run is, but who was the general? Some people even know that the north won that battle. Most people do not know that General George Meade defeated General Lee at that battle.
George Meade Essay Research Paper George MeadeDo
George Meade Essay, Research Paper George Meade Do you know who was the general for the Second Battle of Bull Run? Everyone kGeorge Meadenowswhat the Second Battle of Bull Run is but who was the general? Some people
George Meade Essay Research Paper Do you
George Meade Essay, Research Paper Do you know who was the general for the Second Battle of Bull Run? Everyone knows what the Second Battle of Bull Run is but who was the general? Some people even know
Constable Warren Essay Research Paper English 322900Constible
Constable Warren Essay, Research Paper English 3 2/29/00 Constible Warren: Consitble Warren was the only Constable in town. He was friends with everyone. He use to just stop by and say hello. Constable Warren always made sure everything was okay ?seein? if there?s anything I can do to prevent a flood. Rivers been rising all night?.