May 2, 1967. More than two dozen members of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense stage an armed invasion of the California State Assembly, interrupting legislative debate in the second-floor chamber. They denounce a proposed gun control bill and the police, and then Panther chairman Bobby Seale reads from their manifesto:  “The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense believes the time has come for Black people to arm themselves against this terror before it is too late.”  After reading the manifesto, the Panthers leave the chamber. Twenty-six members of the group are quickly arrested four blocks away. The Panthers were founded in October 1966 in Oakland by the six men pictured. Top left to right: Elbert “Big Man” Howard; Huey P. Newton (Defense Minister), Sherman Forte, Bobby Seale (Chairman). Bottom: Reggie Forte and Little Bobby Hutton (Treasurer). Photos via Wikimedia Commons.
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May 2, 1967. More than two dozen members of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense stage an armed invasion of the California State Assembly, interrupting legislative debate in the second-floor chamber. They denounce a proposed gun control bill and the police, and then Panther chairman Bobby Seale reads from their manifesto:  “The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense believes the time has come for Black people to arm themselves against this terror before it is too late.”  After reading the manifesto, the Panthers leave the chamber. Twenty-six members of the group are quickly arrested four blocks away. The Panthers were founded in October 1966 in Oakland by the six men pictured. Top left to right: Elbert “Big Man” Howard; Huey P. Newton (Defense Minister), Sherman Forte, Bobby Seale (Chairman). Bottom: Reggie Forte and Little Bobby Hutton (Treasurer). Photos via Wikimedia Commons.
Zoom

May 2, 1967. More than two dozen members of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense stage an armed invasion of the California State Assembly, interrupting legislative debate in the second-floor chamber. They denounce a proposed gun control bill and the police, and then Panther chairman Bobby Seale reads from their manifesto: 

“The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense believes the time has come for Black people to arm themselves against this terror before it is too late.” 

After reading the manifesto, the Panthers leave the chamber. Twenty-six members of the group are quickly arrested four blocks away.

The Panthers were founded in October 1966 in Oakland by the six men pictured. Top left to right: Elbert “Big Man” Howard; Huey P. Newton (Defense Minister), Sherman Forte, Bobby Seale (Chairman). Bottom: Reggie Forte and Little Bobby Hutton (Treasurer). Photos via Wikimedia Commons.

March 18, 1967. 9.05 AM. LBJ welcomes state governors, including new California Governor Ronald Reagan, above, to the White House for the “White House Conference of Governors on Federal-State Relations.”  “We are here to advise and consult with each other, as public executives, on the central business of our governments—the welfare of the American people. We are here on common ground, nonpartisan ground—as elected officials charged with the obligation of using public resources for the public good.”  LBJ Presidential Library photo #A3858-22, public domain. Read the rest of his remarks here.
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March 18, 1967. 9.05 AM. LBJ welcomes state governors, including new California Governor Ronald Reagan, above, to the White House for the “White House Conference of Governors on Federal-State Relations.” 

“We are here to advise and consult with each other, as public executives, on the central business of our governments—the welfare of the American people. We are here on common ground, nonpartisan ground—as elected officials charged with the obligation of using public resources for the public good.” 

LBJ Presidential Library photo #A3858-22, public domain. Read the rest of his remarks here.

January 2, 1967.  Ronald Reagan is inaugurated as California Governor.  Photo via the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.
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January 2, 1967.  Ronald Reagan is inaugurated as California Governor. 

Photo via the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

November 8, 1966. Election Day. Ronald Reagan is elected Governor of California. He is one of eight new Republican governors—the GOP now controls 25 of the 50 states, and like California, many of these states are big and/or densely populated. Photo via the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.
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November 8, 1966. Election Day. Ronald Reagan is elected Governor of California. He is one of eight new Republican governors—the GOP now controls 25 of the 50 states, and like California, many of these states are big and/or densely populated.

Photo via the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

November 8, 1966. Election Day. As the results roll in, it is not a surprise that Democratic Congressman Jeffrey Cohelan wins his left-leaning California district, which includes Berkeley and northern Oakland. The real fight for the seat occurred five months ago, during the Democratic primary.  Robert Scheer, an editor of the leftist Ramparts magazine, had challenged Cohelan with  an explicitly anti-Vietnam War platform. Their battle for the Democratic nomination was widely perceived as a referendum on the war, and Scheer came closer than expected to beating Cohelan in the primary when he garnered 45% of the vote. It is an early sign of the anti-war movement’s gathering momentum. 
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November 8, 1966. Election Day. As the results roll in, it is not a surprise that Democratic Congressman Jeffrey Cohelan wins his left-leaning California district, which includes Berkeley and northern Oakland. The real fight for the seat occurred five months ago, during the Democratic primary.  Robert Scheer, an editor of the leftist Ramparts magazine, had challenged Cohelan with  an explicitly anti-Vietnam War platform. Their battle for the Democratic nomination was widely perceived as a referendum on the war, and Scheer came closer than expected to beating Cohelan in the primary when he garnered 45% of the vote. It is an early sign of the anti-war movement’s gathering momentum. 
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November 8, 1966. Election Day. As the results roll in, it is not a surprise that Democratic Congressman Jeffrey Cohelan wins his left-leaning California district, which includes Berkeley and northern Oakland. The real fight for the seat occurred five months ago, during the Democratic primary.  Robert Scheer, an editor of the leftist Ramparts magazine, had challenged Cohelan with  an explicitly anti-Vietnam War platform. Their battle for the Democratic nomination was widely perceived as a referendum on the war, and Scheer came closer than expected to beating Cohelan in the primary when he garnered 45% of the vote. It is an early sign of the anti-war movement’s gathering momentum. 
Zoom
November 8, 1966. Election Day. As the results roll in, it is not a surprise that Democratic Congressman Jeffrey Cohelan wins his left-leaning California district, which includes Berkeley and northern Oakland. The real fight for the seat occurred five months ago, during the Democratic primary.  Robert Scheer, an editor of the leftist Ramparts magazine, had challenged Cohelan with  an explicitly anti-Vietnam War platform. Their battle for the Democratic nomination was widely perceived as a referendum on the war, and Scheer came closer than expected to beating Cohelan in the primary when he garnered 45% of the vote. It is an early sign of the anti-war movement’s gathering momentum. 
Zoom

November 8, 1966. Election Day. As the results roll in, it is not a surprise that Democratic Congressman Jeffrey Cohelan wins his left-leaning California district, which includes Berkeley and northern Oakland. The real fight for the seat occurred five months ago, during the Democratic primary. 

Robert Scheer, an editor of the leftist Ramparts magazine, had challenged Cohelan with  an explicitly anti-Vietnam War platform. Their battle for the Democratic nomination was widely perceived as a referendum on the war, and Scheer came closer than expected to beating Cohelan in the primary when he garnered 45% of the vote. It is an early sign of the anti-war movement’s gathering momentum. 

October 15, 1966. President Johnson signs seven conservation measures which establish Guadalupe Mountain National Park in Texas, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area in Montana, and Wolf Trap Farm Park in Virginia. In addition, this legislation also increased the land at Point Reyes National Seashore in California and included the endangered species preservation act and the historic preservation act. Pictures from the Guadalupe Mountain National Park, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, and Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area are from the National Park Service. Photo from Wolf Trap Farm Park is from happy via on flickr. Photo from Point Reyes National Seashore is from ah zut on flickr.
Zoom Info
  • Camera
  • ISO
  • Aperture
  • Exposure
  • Focal Length
  • Olympus E-300
  • 100
  • f/8
  • 1/160th
  • 14mm
October 15, 1966. President Johnson signs seven conservation measures which establish Guadalupe Mountain National Park in Texas, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area in Montana, and Wolf Trap Farm Park in Virginia. In addition, this legislation also increased the land at Point Reyes National Seashore in California and included the endangered species preservation act and the historic preservation act. Pictures from the Guadalupe Mountain National Park, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, and Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area are from the National Park Service. Photo from Wolf Trap Farm Park is from happy via on flickr. Photo from Point Reyes National Seashore is from ah zut on flickr.
Zoom Info
  • Camera
  • Aperture
  • Exposure
  • Focal Length
  • Kodak Dx3900 Zoom Digital Camera
  • f/4
  • 1/350th
  • 14mm
October 15, 1966. President Johnson signs seven conservation measures which establish Guadalupe Mountain National Park in Texas, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area in Montana, and Wolf Trap Farm Park in Virginia. In addition, this legislation also increased the land at Point Reyes National Seashore in California and included the endangered species preservation act and the historic preservation act. Pictures from the Guadalupe Mountain National Park, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, and Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area are from the National Park Service. Photo from Wolf Trap Farm Park is from happy via on flickr. Photo from Point Reyes National Seashore is from ah zut on flickr.
Zoom Info
  • Camera
  • Aperture
  • Exposure
  • Focal Length
  • Canon PowerShot SD450
  • f/4
  • 1/500th
  • 12mm
October 15, 1966. President Johnson signs seven conservation measures which establish Guadalupe Mountain National Park in Texas, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area in Montana, and Wolf Trap Farm Park in Virginia. In addition, this legislation also increased the land at Point Reyes National Seashore in California and included the endangered species preservation act and the historic preservation act. Pictures from the Guadalupe Mountain National Park, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, and Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area are from the National Park Service. Photo from Wolf Trap Farm Park is from happy via on flickr. Photo from Point Reyes National Seashore is from ah zut on flickr.
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October 15, 1966. President Johnson signs seven conservation measures which establish Guadalupe Mountain National Park in Texas, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area in Montana, and Wolf Trap Farm Park in Virginia. In addition, this legislation also increased the land at Point Reyes National Seashore in California and included the endangered species preservation act and the historic preservation act. Pictures from the Guadalupe Mountain National Park, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, and Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area are from the National Park Service. Photo from Wolf Trap Farm Park is from happy via on flickr. Photo from Point Reyes National Seashore is from ah zut on flickr.
Zoom

October 15, 1966. President Johnson signs seven conservation measures which establish Guadalupe Mountain National Park in Texas, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area in Montana, and Wolf Trap Farm Park in Virginia. In addition, this legislation also increased the land at Point Reyes National Seashore in California and included the endangered species preservation act and the historic preservation act.

Pictures from the Guadalupe Mountain National Park, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, and Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area are from the National Park Service. Photo from Wolf Trap Farm Park is from happy via on flickr. Photo from Point Reyes National Seashore is from ah zut on flickr.

September 27, 1966. Hunters Point, a predominantly black section of San Francisco, erupts in a riot. Compared to Watts, or, especially, the riots to come in 1967 and 1968, the violence is relatively mild: it only lasts 128 hours, and no one is killed.  Two days later, however, LBJ tells Robert McNamara that he has received a frantic 2AM phone call from San Francisco’s mayor asking for help in finding work for the city’s young black men. (Listen to the LBJ-McNamara conversation here: this discussion begins at about 5:45.) LBJ has asked his staff to see if there might be work available around the defense industry, such as in the Navy Yards. Then, at about 6:46, LBJ describes the impact the riots are having on support for civil rights: “These people are…these old dogs won’t hunt any more.” LBJ blames rioters for “a great revulsion taking place” against civil rights. While this is especially true in the south, LBJ adds that “the Daleys are awfully bitter” and that places like Chicago and New York are also becoming less hospitable to federal civil rights actions. LBJ refers to “my Demonstration Cities bill,” which was a bill currently before Congress that proposed an ambitious plan to partner with local governments in tackling urban problems. The fight over model cities is heated, but the bill becomes law in November.   Photo via FoundSF.
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September 27, 1966. Hunters Point, a predominantly black section of San Francisco, erupts in a riot. Compared to Watts, or, especially, the riots to come in 1967 and 1968, the violence is relatively mild: it only lasts 128 hours, and no one is killed. 

Two days later, however, LBJ tells Robert McNamara that he has received a frantic 2AM phone call from San Francisco’s mayor asking for help in finding work for the city’s young black men. (Listen to the LBJ-McNamara conversation here: this discussion begins at about 5:45.) LBJ has asked his staff to see if there might be work available around the defense industry, such as in the Navy Yards.

Then, at about 6:46, LBJ describes the impact the riots are having on support for civil rights: “These people are…these old dogs won’t hunt any more.” LBJ blames rioters for “a great revulsion taking place” against civil rights. While this is especially true in the south, LBJ adds that “the Daleys are awfully bitter” and that places like Chicago and New York are also becoming less hospitable to federal civil rights actions. LBJ refers to “my Demonstration Cities bill,” which was a bill currently before Congress that proposed an ambitious plan to partner with local governments in tackling urban problems. The fight over model cities is heated, but the bill becomes law in November.  

Photo via FoundSF.

September 21, 1966. Lady Bird visits California and makes a speech in Monterey: “I wanted not only to see the natural beauty of your country but also to salute the citizens and leaders in government who have taken action to preserve this natural heritage. Your coastline, which is your immediate pride and pleasure, is also the nation’s coastline, our common western edge. What you have done with it makes all your countrymen applaud. We have misused our resources, but we haven’t destroyed them. It is late. It is fortunately not too late, and I know that the people of Monterey Peninsula know that conservation, beautification, call it what you will, is more than just one tree, or one historic building, or one scenic highway. It is a frame of reference, a way of life.” -Lady Bird Johnson, A White House Diary, New York: Dell Books, 1971, pages 465-466. Photo: Lady Bird at the Pacific Coast Highway. LBJ Presidential Library #C3188-27a.
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September 21, 1966. Lady Bird visits California and makes a speech in Monterey:

“I wanted not only to see the natural beauty of your country but also to salute the citizens and leaders in government who have taken action to preserve this natural heritage. Your coastline, which is your immediate pride and pleasure, is also the nation’s coastline, our common western edge. What you have done with it makes all your countrymen applaud. We have misused our resources, but we haven’t destroyed them. It is late. It is fortunately not too late, and I know that the people of Monterey Peninsula know that conservation, beautification, call it what you will, is more than just one tree, or one historic building, or one scenic highway. It is a frame of reference, a way of life.”

-Lady Bird Johnson, A White House Diary, New York: Dell Books, 1971, pages 465-466. Photo: Lady Bird at the Pacific Coast Highway. LBJ Presidential Library #C3188-27a.