Changes

===Filibuster of the Civil Rights Act of 1964===

===Filibuster of the Civil Rights Act of 1964===

Byrd joined with other [[Southern United States|Southern]] and [[Border states (Civil War)|border state]] Democrats to [[filibuster]] the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]], personally filibustering the bill for 14 hours — a move he now says he regrets.<ref>[http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0228-07.htm Byrd Says He Regrets Voting For Patriot Act], Associate Press, 2006-02-28.</ref> Despite an 83 day [[filibuster]] in the Senate, both parties in Congress voted overwhelmingly in favor of the Act, and President Johnson signed the bill into law.<ref>[http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Civil_Rights_Filibuster_Ended.htm  U.S. Senate, June 10, 1964: Civil Rights Filibuster Ended]</ref> He also opposed the [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]], but voted for the [[Civil Rights Act of 1968]]. In 2005, Byrd told the ''Washington Post'' that his membership in the [[Baptist]] church led to a change in his views. In the opinion of one reviewer, Byrd, along with other Southern and border state Democrats, came to realize that he would have to temper "his blatantly [[racial segregation|segregationist]] views" and move to the Democratic Party mainstream if he wanted to play a role nationally.<ref name="WP061905"/>

Byrd joined with other [[Southern United States|Southern]] and [[Border states (Civil War)|border state]] Democrats to [[filibuster]] the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]], personally filibustering the bill for 14 hours — a move he now says he regrets.<ref>[http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0228-07.htm Byrd Says He Regrets Voting For Patriot Act], Associate Press, 2006-02-28.</ref> Despite an 83 day [[filibuster]] in the Senate, both parties in Congress voted overwhelmingly in favor of the Act, and President Johnson signed the bill into law.<ref>[http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Civil_Rights_Filibuster_Ended.htm  U.S. Senate, June 10, 1964: Civil Rights Filibuster Ended]</ref> He also opposed the [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]], but voted for the [[Civil Rights Act of 1968]]. In 2005, Byrd told the ''Washington Post'' that his membership in the [[Baptist]] church led to a change in his views. In the opinion of one reviewer, Byrd, along with other Southern and border state Democrats, came to realize that he would have to temper "his blatantly [[racial segregation|segregationist]] views" and move to the Democratic Party mainstream if he wanted to play a role nationally.

==References==

==References==