Civil Rights Act of 1964 Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 (CRA '64) in the United States was landmark legislation. The original purpose of the Bill was to protect black men from job (and other) discrimination, but at the last minute in an attempt to kill the bill, it was expanded to include protection for women. As a result it formed a political impetus for feminism.CRA '64 transformed American society. It prohibited discrimination in public facilities, in government, and in employment. This simple statement understates the large shift in American society that occurred as a result. The Jim Crow laws in the South were finally swept away, and it was illegal to compel segregation of the races in schools, housing, or hiring. Although initially enforcement powers were weak, they grew over the years, and such later programs as affirmative action were made possible by the Civil Rights Act.
President Lyndon Johnson signed the bill into law on July 3, 1964. Republican Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen pushed the act thourgh congress. This act divided both politcal parties and changed both's demographics. Johnson realized that supporting this bill would mean losing the South's overwhelming Democrat majority (which it did, barring some exeptions). Despite a significant majority of Republican's support for the act, the Presidential nominee Barry Goldwater voted against the act claiming, "you can't legislate morality". The Mississippi Democratic Party actually endorsed Goldwater as a result of his vote which in turn lead to the formation of the short lived Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party.
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2 Major Features of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 3 External links |
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The Senate Version, voted on by the House:Major Features of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Title I
Barred unequal application of voter registration requirements, but did not abolish literacy tests sometimes used to disqualify African Americans and poor white voters.Title II
Outlawed discrimination in hotels, motels, restaurants, theaters, and all other public accommodations engaged in interstate commerce; exempted private clubs without defining "private," thereby allowing a loophole.Title III
Encouraged the desegregation of public schools and authorized the U. S. Attorney General to file suits to force desegregation, but did not authorize busing as a means to overcome segregation based on residence.Title IV
Authorized but did not require withdrawal of federal funds from programs which practiced discrimination.