But there seems to be little middle way appealing to both sides in American life right now. “We are in a polarized moment. While not a crusader on race relations, he arguably did more to advance civil rights than any president from the end of Reconstruction until the movement in the 1960s. Eisenhower also signed the Civil Rights Act of 1957; while watered down to overcome Southern resistance, it was still the first such legislation since the 19th century and established the civil rights division of the Justice Department. The Eisenhower Memorial was erected on a four-acre plot along Independence Avenue in front of the Education Department and across from the National Air and Space Museum.

Source: New York Times September 13, 2020 23:15 UTC