Why the federal government responded differently to different civil rights protests

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McAdam discusses how and why the federal government responded differently to different civil rights protests:  in Birmingham in 1961, the federal government intervened to protect protestors from violence; in In Albany in 1962 (as we saw in the documentary!), the federal government did not intervene despite mass arrests of peaceful demonstrators.  What explains the differing federal reactions to these two moments?  (These cases are discussed on 171; McAdam’s larger point is explained across 170-171).