Two pivotal events — the March on Washington and the assassination of Pres. John F. Kennedy — accelerated the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Here, Thomas Putnam, former director of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, reflects on the role of the Kennedy administration: https://comca.st/3iogvrp | Voices of the Civil Rights Movement

June 11, 1963: President Kennedy addressed the nation on civil rights. He defined the civil rights crisis as moral, as well as constitutional and legal, and announced that he would submit civil rights legislation to Congress. https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/historic-speeches/televised-address-to-the-nation-on-civil-rights | JFK Library Foundation