On June 11th, 1963, Alabama Governor George Wallace blocked the admittance of two African American students, James Hood and Vivian Malone, to the University of Alabama. This action was consistent with his campaign promise of segregation.
United States Deputy Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach and federalized Alabama National Guardsmen made Governor Wallace step aside. Later that evening President John F. Kennedy addressed the nation, characterizing the civil rights struggle as a moral issue.
Coming up, Nicholas Katzenbach, Ted Sorensen and James Hood discuss that incident and the civil rights movement in the 1960’s.