Report of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders @50 #1

This February marks the fiftieth anniversary release of the “Report of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders,” requested by President Lyndon Johnson following 150 major episodes of racial violence in American cities in 1967. The report stated: “No American—white or black—can escape the consequences of the continuing social and economic decay of our major cities. Only a commitment to national action on an unprecedented scale can shape a future compatible with the historic ideals of American society. The great productivity of our economy, and a federal revenue system which is highly responsive to economic growth, can provide the resources. The major need is to generate new will—the will to tax ourselves to the extent necessary, to meet the vital needs of the nation.”