Gerald Ford and Civil Rights
Gerald Ford's brief tenure as President was filling out Richard Nixon's second term from August 9, 1974 until his loss to Jimmy Carter in the 1976 election. Ford was selected initially as Nixon's vice-president to fill out the term of Spiro Agnew. He was selected because of his reputation for honesty, but that was damaged after he gave Nixon a controversial Presidential Pardon.
Civil rights did not figure as a prominent issue during Ford's term in office. Much of desegregation had already been addressed in previous administrations, although racial tension was still present. Ford followed the policies of his predecessor. He did break new ground when he appointed William Coleman as Secretary of Transportation, the second African-American to serve in a presidential cabinet and the first appointed in a Republican administration.
One issue which Ford addressed was the Equal Rights Amendment, which he strongly supported. He issued Presidential Proclamation no. 4383 in 1975 which read:
"In this Land of the Free, it is right, and by nature it ought to be, that all men and all women are equal before the law. Now, therefore, I, Gerald R. Ford, President of the United States of America, to remind all Americans that it is fitting and just to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment adopted by the Congress of the United States of America, in order to secure legal equality for all women and men, do hereby designate and proclaim August 26, 1975, as Women's Equality Day."
As president, Ford supported "a federal constitutional amendment that would permit each one of the 50 States to make the choice" on the issue of abortion. This had also been his position as House Minority Leader in response to the 1973 Supreme Court case of Roe v. Wade, which he opposed. Ford came under criticism for a 60 Minutes interview his wife Betty gave in 1975, in which she stated that Roe v. Wade was a "great, great decision". During his later life, Ford would identify as pro-choice.
Civil rights did not figure as a prominent issue during Ford's term in office. Much of desegregation had already been addressed in previous administrations, although racial tension was still present. Ford followed the policies of his predecessor. He did break new ground when he appointed William Coleman as Secretary of Transportation, the second African-American to serve in a presidential cabinet and the first appointed in a Republican administration.
One issue which Ford addressed was the Equal Rights Amendment, which he strongly supported. He issued Presidential Proclamation no. 4383 in 1975 which read:
"In this Land of the Free, it is right, and by nature it ought to be, that all men and all women are equal before the law. Now, therefore, I, Gerald R. Ford, President of the United States of America, to remind all Americans that it is fitting and just to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment adopted by the Congress of the United States of America, in order to secure legal equality for all women and men, do hereby designate and proclaim August 26, 1975, as Women's Equality Day."
As president, Ford supported "a federal constitutional amendment that would permit each one of the 50 States to make the choice" on the issue of abortion. This had also been his position as House Minority Leader in response to the 1973 Supreme Court case of Roe v. Wade, which he opposed. Ford came under criticism for a 60 Minutes interview his wife Betty gave in 1975, in which she stated that Roe v. Wade was a "great, great decision". During his later life, Ford would identify as pro-choice.