Colby Vaughan- The President Calling, Lyndon B. Johnson

I chose the podcast "LBJ Addresses Congress Days After Assassination," which was a recording of President Johnson's speech to congress following the death of President Kennedy. I chose this topic because it coincided with my summer reading book, Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody. She was a civil rights activist in Mississippi when Kennedy was assassinated. The murder of the president who was supposed to create equality despite race brought the civil rights movement she was a part of to a dramatic halt. That one event undid her years of work, and the work of others, in a few seconds. Anne described the major impact the assassination had on her, and how she felt like the movement had been crushed in that instant. Johnson, on the other hand, described the impact this had on the future of American society. He recognized that the assassination would be a major speed bump on the path to civil rights, but he continued to instill hope in the hearts of Americans by promising that the murder of President Kennedy would not prevent the civil rights movement from winning its battle. 40 years later, we can see that President Johnson's word was honorable, and that incredibly influential leaders of the civil rights movement, Mrs. Moody included, were way to dedicated to fail.