July 2 - The Civil Rights Act is Signed

This Day in History: 2 July 2020

 

2 July 1964

 

56 years ago, today, the historic Civil Rights Act was signed by US President Lyndon B. Johnson in a nationally televised ceremony at the White House. Racial segregation was ruled by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional ten years prior to the act. The time that followed saw great progress for the African American civil rights movement, with many non-violent demonstrations winning thousands of supporters to the cause. Other memorable landmarks in the struggle included the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955, inspired by Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream' speech in 1963.

 

As the civil rights movement grew, President John F. Kennedy pledged to pass a new civil rights bill in his successful 1960 presidential campaign. After he was assassinated, Lyndon B. Johnson vowed to carry out Kennedy's proposals for civil rights reform. The Civil Rights Act fought against tough opposition in the House and stirred a heated debate in the Senate before being approved. The act prohibited racial discrimination in employment and education, as well as outlawing racial segregation in public places such as schools, buses, parks and swimming pools. It also laid important foundations for other pieces of legislation, including the Voting Rights Act of 1965, that set strict rules for protecting the rights of African Americans to vote. Simultaneously, the new legislations have been used to enforce equal rights for women, minorities and the LGBT community.

 

Want to find out more about the Civil Rights Act and the civil rights movement? Click here for more on the historic Civil Rights Act, or here for more information generically on the movement.