During the civil rights movement, the federal government was on the side of blacks. It was the state governments that resisted things like desegregation (which

During the civil rights movement, the federal government was on the side of blacks. It was the state governments that resisted things like desegregation (which the Supreme Court had found to be unconstitutional in Brown vs. Board of Education) and allowing blacks to register to vote. Having the federal government on your side is very important. The reason is simple: it has the power to enforce its will. For example, when the governor of Arkansas ordered the National Guard to prevent nine black students to attend Little Rock Central High School, President Eisenhower countermanded the order and told them to return to their barracks, then deployed elements of the 101st Airborne Division to protect the black students while they attended the school for an entire year. In contrast, Aaron Swartz had the federal government against him. He was indicted by a federal grand jury on four felony charges, which were later increased to thirteen. Unlike with the civil rights movement, he had broken federal law, and could not turn to a superior authority for justice.