civil rights act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 has had probably the greatest transformative effect on American society of any single law. By prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, and national origin in places of public accommodation, in federally assisted programs, in employment, in schools, and with respect to voting rights, this huge law has had great effects on almost every part of American society. On July 2, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed it into law. This was the start of something new. It had originally been sent to Congress by President John F. Kennedy in 1963. President Johnson wanted the bill to pass as a legacy to JFK after his assassination. The purposes of this act are “to enforce the constitutional right to vote, to confer jurisdiction upon the district courts of the United States to provide injunctive relief against discrimination in public accommodations, to authorize the Attorney General to institute suits to protect constitutional rights in public facilities and public education, to extend the Commission on Civil Rights, to prevent discrimination in federally assisted programs, to establish a Commission on Equal Employment Opportunity, and for other purposes.” There are 11 titles, with some titles focusing on discrimination in specific areas of American life. This act started change. It demands equality for all in many of the most important areas of American life.
Emily D.
Emily D.