Civil Rights Act

Setting the scene

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed into law on July 2, 1964, by President Lyndon Johnson, the most sweeping civil rights legislation since Reconstruction. The act outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It was the culmination of decades of civil rights activism and the March on Washington. President Kennedy had proposed the bill in June 1963, and Johnson made its passage his priority after Kennedy's assassination.

What happened

The act's key provisions: Title II banned discrimination in public accommodations (hotels, restaurants, theaters); Title VI banned discrimination in federally funded programs; Title VII created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and banned employment discrimination; Title IV desegregated schools. The bill faced a 75-day filibuster in the Senate by Southern Democrats, the longest in history, but passed with bipartisan support after Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen provided Republican votes.

Why it still matters

The Civil Rights Act transformed American society, ending legal segregation and creating the framework for equality. It was enforced by the Justice Department and federal courts, leading to desegregation of the South. The act's inclusion of 'sex' as a protected category, added by opponents hoping to kill the bill, became the foundation for women's rights and later LGBTQ rights. The 1964 act, along with the Voting Rights Act of 1965, fulfilled the promise of the 14th and 15th Amendments a century after the Civil War.

Background

Federal power backed desegregation.