Description: William Moore McCulloch was a civil-rights activist and member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio in the mid-twentieth century. He was instrumental in crafting and passing several key pieces of legislation in the 1960s to ensure equal rights for all Americans, including the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the 1965 Voting Rights Act, and the 1968 Fair Housing Act. William McCulloch was born near Holmesville, Ohio, in Holmes County, on November 24, 1901. He received an undergraduate degree from the College of Wooster. In 1925, McCulloch earned a law degree from The Ohio State University and was admitted to the Ohio bar. He practiced law for a period in Jacksonville, Florida, where he saw firsthand the unconstitutionality of segregation practices in the region. In 1928, McCulloch moved back to Ohio and established a law practice with George Barry in Piqua. McCulloch became active in politics. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 1932. During his tenure, McCulloch rose to important leadership positions, serving as House Minority Leader from 1936-1939, and as Speaker of the House from 1939-1944. He was the first House member to serve three consecutive terms as Speaker. A constitutional lawyer, McCulloch showed his passion for equal rights early in his career and supported the local NAACP chapter in its drive to end segregated seating in local restaurants. One of the earliest sit-ins in the area was held at the Union Bus Terminal lunch counter and marked the beginning of the end for segregated accommodations in the Piqua area. This was bold stance to take in a rural, white, middle-class, and conservative stronghold where the black population was a mere 2.7 percent at the time. During World War II, McCulloch served in the U.S. military from December 26, 1943 to October 12, 1945. At age 40 he resigned as Speaker of the House and enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving overseas in Europe. He resumed his political career after the war. In a special election held on November 4, 1947, voters of Ohio's 4th District elected McCulloch to represent them in the United States House of Representatives, filling a vacancy created by the resignation of Robert F. Jones. McCulloch went on to represent western Ohio in the House in twelve succeeding Congresses through January 3, 1973. He was popular and respected within his district, and his constituents reelected him by margins of 65 to 70 percent throughout his tenure. Although a political conservative, McCulloch is remembered as a champion of civil rights. Early in his tenure as Representative of Ohio’s 4th District, he played a key role in President Eisenhower’s 1957 and 1960 civil rights bills. As the ranking Republican member of the House Judiciary Committee in the early 1960s, he introduced civil rights legislation in the House, and his bipartisan support for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was instrumental in the adoption of that legislation. McCulloch went on to play key roles in the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the 1968 Fair Housing Act. He fought another major battle in 1969-1970 by defending the renewal of certain temporary provisions in the 1965 Voting Rights Act during the Nixon administration. Directed at Southern states with a history of discriminatory voting practices, a strong provision in the legislation demanded that these states obtain clearance through the Justice Department before making any changes that would affect the voting process. He continued to champion equal rights and to protect the landmark legislation of the 1960s until his retirement in 1972. McCulloch died in Washington, D.C., on February 22, 1980. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07025
Subjects: Legislators--Ohio; Ohio History--State and Local Government; Politicians; Ohio General Assembly House of Representatives; Civil rights; United States. Congress. House; Miami County (Ohio); Veterans
Places: Miami County (Ohio)
 

Description: This political cartoon of President Lyndon B. Johnson compares the determination of Johnson to get a Civil Rights Bill passed in Congress to General Ulysses S. Grant's efforts to win the Civil War. President Johnson continued President Kennedy's work on civil rights legislation after his assassination. The 1964 Civil Rights Act made racial discrimination illegal in public places such as theaters, restaurants and hotels, and also required employers to provide equal employment opportunities. Projects involving federal funds could now be cut off if there was evidence of discrimination based on color, race or national origin. The Civil Rights Act also attempted to deal with the problem of African Americans being denied the vote in the Deep South. The legislation stated that uniform standards must prevail for establishing the right to vote. Schooling to sixth grade constituted legal proof of literacy and the attorney general was given power to initiate legal action in any area where he found a pattern of resistance to the law. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: OVS656
Subjects: Presidents--United States; Civil rights movements--United States--History--20th century; Political cartoons; Legislation;
 

Description: Photograph of Charles Harris Wesley, a prominent African American scholar, artist, minister and civil rights figure. He received degrees from Fisk University, Yale University and Harvard University and taught at Howard University in Washington. He was a minister of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and was awarded the Doctor of Divinity degree by Wilberforce University. He served as president of Wilberforce University in the 1940s, founded of Central State College in 1948 and served as the first director of the Afro-American Historical and Cultural Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the 1970s. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: NAM_VFM34_1
Subjects: Activists; Civil Liberties; Civil rights; Civil rights movements--United States--History--20th century; African American men; African American authors; Wilberforce University; Howard University; Central State College
Places: Washington (District of Columbia); Philadelphia (Pennsylvania); Wilberforce (Ohio); Greene County (Ohio)
 

Description: Charles Harris Wesley shaking hands with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. shortly after receiving his honorary doctorate from Central State College in 1958. Charles Harris Wesley was a prominent African American scholar, artist, minister and civil rights figure. He received degrees from Fisk University, Yale University and Harvard University and taught at Howard University in Washington. He was a minister of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and was awarded the Doctor of Divinity degree by Wilberforce University. He served as president of Wilberforce University in the 1940s, founded of Central State College in 1948 and served as the first director of the Afro-American Historical and Cultural Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the 1970s. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: NAM_VFM34_2_20.tif
Subjects: Activists; Civil Liberties; Civil rights; Civil rights movements--United States--History--20th century; African American men; African American authors; Wilberforce University; Howard University; Central State College
Places: Wilberforce (Ohio); Greene County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph shows LGBTQ activists demonstrating for civil rights and against racism and the Ku Klux Klan. It was taken for publication in the Columbus Free Press newspaper. The Columbus Free Press began as a bi-weekly publication in Columbus, Ohio, in 1970. An underground newspaper, it replaced the Ohio State University publication The People, Yes. The earliest known issue of the newspaper appeared on January 4, 1971. The newspaper underwent a series of name changes over the decades, with titles including the Columbus Free Press & Cowtown Times (1972-1976), the Columbus Freepress (1976-1992) and The Free Press (1992-1995). The paper, which covered many liberal and progressive causes, was an alternative to mainstream news sources in central Ohio with the slogan “The Other Side of the News.” In 1995, the paper ceased publication briefly before reemerging as a website in early 1996, and returning as a print publication under the Free Press title in the form of a quarterly journal in 1998. Published under various frequencies during the first part of the 21st century, the Free Press again became a nonprofit monthly publication in 2017 with both a print and web presence, published by the Columbus Institute for Contemporary Journalism and operated by a volunteer staff and board. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: MSS1301AV_B04F02_01
Subjects: Civil rights; Demonstrations; Protests and protestors; Activism; LGBTQ Community;
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Members of the Vanguard League dining together, ca. 1940-1950. Seen on the right nearest to the camera is attorney Frank Shearer, who served as president of the Vanguard League and was one of its founding members. The Vanguard League was founded in May 1940 by members of the African American community in Columbus, Ohio. They were dedicated to using nonviolent direct action to solve problems of race relations in the city, and the League's original motto read, "For equality, opportunity, liberty, and democracy for Negroes." Some of the problems addressed by the Vanguard League included discrimination in hiring, fair housing, segregated schools, and community conduct. By publishing pamphlets, holding civil rights events, organizing pickets, and filing civil suits against discriminatory practices, among other methods, the group achieved numerous successes including the hiring of African American women at the Curtiss Wright plant, and the desegregation of many theaters in Columbus. In 1950 the Vanguard League became part of the Columbus chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (C.O.R.E.), and former members of the Vanguard League continued to fight for civil rights in Columbus in many different capacities. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: MSS508_B01F07_001
Subjects: African American Ohioans; Civil rights; Race relations; Vanguard League (Columbus, Ohio); Civic organizations; Discrimination; Activism
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: This color map documents Franklin County's housing patterns, with information about the African American population distribution by census tract in 1970. On the reverse side of the map is the numerical 1970 census information indicating African American population in Franklin County by census tract. This map may have been useful to track any patterns of civil rights violations in Franklin County. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: MSS785_B02F01_01_01
Subjects: Maps--Ohio; African Americans; Housing--Ohio--Columbus; Civil rights;
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Sign-carrying citizens are part of the mile-long demonstration called "The March and Vote for Jobs and Freedom," which took place in Cincinnati, Ohio, on October 27, 1963. A banner for the Beulah Baptist Church is shown, and hand-painted signs call for an end to de facto school segregation, the formation of a municipal civil rights commission, and fair housing. The crowd was estimated to be from 15,000 to 30,000 persons with about one-third being white. Speeches, signs and songs reflected the message of the civil rights march. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV3_B16F24_04
Subjects: Civil rights movements--United States--History--20th century; African American Ohioans; Social movements;
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Sign-carrying citizens are part of the mile-long demonstration called "The March and Vote for Jobs and Freedom," which took place in Cincinnati, Ohio, on October 27, 1963. Hand-painted signs call for an end to de facto school segregation, the formation of a municipal civil rights commission, and fair housing, among other issues. The crowd was estimated to be from 15,000 to 30,000 persons with about one-third being white. Speeches, signs and songs reflected the message of the civil rights march. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV3_B16F24_03
Subjects: Civil rights movements--United States--History--20th century; African American Ohioans; Social movements;
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Nationally-known Civil Rights spokesman, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, on the right, is seen addressing a news conference on June 12, 1974, in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1984 and again in 1988, Jackson ran for the Democrat nomination for President, but failed in both attempts. Later, as the leader of Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, Jackson assembled a movement to further the civil rights goals of militant labor unionists, feminists, gay activists, blacks and others. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV3_B04F10_01
Subjects: Civil rights movements--United States--History--20th century; African Americans; Social movements; Activists;
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph depicts two police officers arresting a black man in Cincinnati, Ohio. Rioting erupted in the Avondale section of Cincinnati, Ohio, on April 8, 1968, five days after the assassination of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The rioting was set off by an accidental shooting in which a man named James Smith, armed with a shotgun, was trying to protect his property from looters. A person approached Smith and grabbed the barrel of the shotgun, causing the gun to accidentally fire, killing Smith's wife. A rumor spread that "a white policeman had shot a colored woman," according to the Cincinnati Enquirer, April 9, 1968. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06906
Subjects: Riot control; Ohio History--State and Local Government; Civil rights movements--United States--History--20th century; Ohio History--Slavery, Anti-Slavery and Civil Rights
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Protestors demonstrating against the Ku Klux Klan and Apartheid on the steps of City Hall, Columbus, Ohio, ca. 1980-1989. This photograph was taken by a photographer for publication in the Columbus Free Press newspaper. After a period of decline during the Jim Crow years, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) emerged again during the 1910s. This reversal was partly due to the Great Migration, when hundreds of thousands of African Americans moved from the South to the North, seeking jobs in the North's industrialized cities, including many cities in Ohio. The Ku Klux Klan was especially strong in Ohio during the 1910s and 1920s. In Summit County the Klan claimed to have fifty thousand members, making it the largest local chapter in the United States. By the mid 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan began to decline in popularity, but saw a revival once again during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. The Ku Klux Klan continues to exist in the twenty-first century. It is, however, at present quite small in both numbers and influence. The Columbus Free Press began as a bi-weekly publication in Columbus, Ohio, in 1970. An underground newspaper, it replaced the Ohio State University publication The People, Yes. The earliest known issue of the newspaper appeared on January 4, 1971. The newspaper underwent a series of name changes over the decades, with titles including the Columbus Free Press & Cowtown Times (1972-1976), the Columbus Freepress (1976-1992) and The Free Press (1992-1995). The paper, which covered many liberal and progressive causes, was an alternative to mainstream news sources in central Ohio with the slogan “The Other Side of the News.” In 1995, the paper ceased publication briefly before reemerging as a website in early 1996, and returning as a print publication under the Free Press title in the form of a quarterly journal in 1998. Published under various frequencies during the first part of the 21st century, the Free Press again became a nonprofit monthly publication in 2017 with both a print and web presence, published by the Columbus Institute for Contemporary Journalism and operated by a volunteer staff and board. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: MSS1301AV_B04F02_02
Subjects: Protests and protestors; Social movements; Ohio History--Slavery, Anti-Slavery and Civil Rights; Demonstrations; Ku Klux Klan (1915- );
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)