Republican National Committee Official Val J. Washington Urges Eisenhower Not to Compromise on Civil Rights Legislation (1957)

Date: July 18, 1957

Created By: Val Washington

Original or Replica: Original

Era: Civil Rights, Elections and Politics, The Presidency

Collection: Eisenhower Presidential Library

Citations: E. Frederic Morrow Records, Box 9, Civil Rights Bill; NAID #12023121

In this July 16, 1957 letter, Val J. Washington, Director of Minorities for the Republican National Committee, writes to President Dwight D. Eisenhower about the administration’s proposed civil rights legislation. Washington describes the bill as a moderate measure intended to protect constitutional rights and argues that there should be little room for compromise. He criticizes southern opponents of the legislation, contending that their objections depended upon continuing to ignore the civil rights of Black Americans.

Writing from his perspective as a Black Republican, Washington emphasizes that he was not a radical or extremist but had consistently sought equal rights through lawful processes. He notes that many African Americans had worked patiently within the Republican Party in hopes of changing discriminatory traditions that denied them full citizenship. Washington appeals directly to Eisenhower’s leadership, arguing that the president should not compromise basic rights because of political pressure or prejudice. He concludes by emphasizing that Black Americans deserved an equal share in both the benefits and responsibilities of American life. The letter demonstrates the political pressure Eisenhower faced from African American Republicans and civil rights advocates as Congress debated what would become the Civil Rights Act of 1957.