ABSTRACT
Concern for civil rights by policy makers has varied throughout American history. Although questions about civil rights, particularly racial equality have arisen since the introduction of slavery into the colonies, almost no pro-equality governmental policies were promulgated until much later. Civil rights policy is, in fact, extremely important in American politics. Presidential interactions with those inside and outside government are important, but what presidents choose to do is largely up to them. The civil rights policy area exists in a highly charged atmosphere that has altered significantly over the years. This changing climate reveals the dynamism of civil rights policy making. Racial inequality persisted, and government offered little leadership. The war ended slavery, but segregation by law in the South and usually by custom in the North marked the next hundred years. The Supreme Court encouraged such segregation by abolishing several Reconstruction laws. Civil rights exist in a highly charged atmosphere.
