Fifty years ago, on July 2, 1964, one of the biggest legal barriers to equal opportunity in America was toppled when President Lyndon Johnson signed into law the most sweeping civil rights legislation since the Reconstruction era.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed discrimination in such areas as voting, public restaurants, employment, and education on the basis of such characteristics as race, color, religion, national origin, and sex. It was a pivotal moment in our nation’s struggle to form “a more perfect union” and transformed the face of America.
“To enforce the constitutional right to vote…to provide injunctive relief against discrimination in public accommodations…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.” Civil Rights Act of 1964 (View the entire statute.)
- Free At Last: The U.S. Civil Rights Movement
- The Civil Rights Act of 1964: How a landmark bill became law
- Marking the 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act at the LBJ Presidential Library
- LBJ Library to Host Civil Rights Summit to Mark 50th Anniversary of Civil Rights Act of 1964
- Commemoration of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
- The Civil Rights Act of 1964
- Civil Rights Act at 50
- Attorney General Eric Holder Delivers Remarks at the African American History Month Celebration Marking the 50th Anniversary of 1964 Civil Rights Act
