Written around 1513, The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli is undoubtedly one of the most famous political treatises in history. Dedicated to Lorenzo de' Medici, ruler of Florence at the time, The Prince was published only five years after Machiavelli's death in 1532. It contains the well-known analysis of Machiavelli's politics: all politics is typically defined as the struggle to acquire and maintain energy. Within his analysis, Machiavelli (1513) writes “He who adapts his politics to the times prospers” (p. 99). This article will argue that Machiavelli's framework of political analysis – adapting policies to the times leads to prosperity which leads to gaining and maintaining power – is reflected in major American presidents during the civil rights movement. Both President John F. Kennedy and his successor, President Lyndon B. Johnson, adapted their political policies to ensure their prosperity during the height of the civil rights movement, when American society was in the process of transitioning from a 'era of racial discrimination to an era of racial discrimination. era of racial equality. The meaning of "He who adapts his policy to the times prospers", although apparently obvious, is actually part of a broader discussion regarding the concept of luck. The word "fortune", as used by Machiavelli, coincides with the contemporary notion of luck or chance. Machiavelli compares fortune to a raging torrent that destroys everything in its path if it is not controlled by embankments and dams prepared by the virtue of the governing body. For Machiavelli, virtue, otherwise called cunning or preparation, must be exercised on fortune in order to fight it and prosper. Around the time Machiavelli wrote The Prince, many believed...middle of paper......estport, CT: Praegar Publishers.United States Senate. United States Senate, Committee on the Judiciary. (2013). Civil Rights Act of 1964. Retrieved from website: http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/about/history/Civil RightsAct.cfmUnited States House of Representatives. United States House of Representatives, History, Art, and Archives. (2008). The Civil Rights Movement and Second Reconstruction, 1945-1968. Retrieved from the U.S. Government Printing Office website: http://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/BAIC/Historical-Essays/Keeping-the-Faith/Civil-Rights-Movement/Walker, S. (2012). Presidents and Civil Liberties from Wilson to Obama: A Story of Poor Keepers. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Yuill, K. (1998). The 1966 White House Civil Rights Conference. The Historical Journal, 41, 259-282. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0018246X97007723.