1963 March on Washington
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Civil Rights Act of 1964
Lyndon B Johnson was
the 36th American President who served in office from November 22, 1963 to January 20, 1969. One of the important events during his presidency was the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
What was the Civil Rights Act of 1964
and what did it do??
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 enabled the federal
government to prevent racial discrimination and
segregation based on race, color, religion, or national
origin in a number of areas such as in private
businesses and public
facilities. These included restaurants, transport,
parks, swimming pools, libraries, and theaters. The law
also gave the federal government more power to bring
lawsuits to force school desegregation. The law
established the
Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and also prohibited
discrimination by private employers based on the sex of
a person. In
addition the law provided the Commission on Civil Rights
with additional powers regarding civil rights issues.
Civil Rights Act of 1964 Facts: Fast Fact Sheet
Fast, fun facts and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
about the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
What did the Civil Rights Act of 1964 do? The Civil Rights Act of 1964
ended the power of the Jim Crow laws
segregation and racial discrimination
What prompted the Civil Rights Act of 1964?
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was prompted by
the actions taken by members of the Civil
Rights Movement including the massive 1963
March on Washington.
Which area was not covered by the
Civil Rights Act of 1964?
The area of voting was not fully covered in Civil Rights Act of 1964.
This omission led to the Selma marches and
the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Facts for kids
The following fact
sheet contains interesting facts and information on Civil Rights Act of 1964
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Facts for kids
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Facts - 1: The Civil Rights Movement had gained
success with the
Montgomery Bus Boycott, the
Little Rock Nine
but the violent events surrounding the protests of the
Freedom Riders and the riots in Birmingham, Alabama
highlighted the strength of white opposition to the
de-segregation of education and transport facilities.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Facts -
2: President Kennedy was
outraged at the violence and level of brutality used in
Birmingham and
ordered his administration to prepare a new Civil Rights
Bill.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Facts - 3: Martin Luther King, Jr. and other
Civil Rights leaders, realized that President Kennedy would have difficulty pushing the new Civil Rights
Bill through Congress and organized the
March on Washington
on August 28, 1963
to rally further support and apply pressure to the government.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Facts - 4:
MLK was correct in
envisaging problems with getting the bill passed. The new
Civil Rights Bill was likely to pass the House of Representatives
where the majority of Republicans, together with Northern Democrats
supported the bill. The problem came with the Senate.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Facts - 5: In the Senate a group of
hard-line Senators wanted to block the new Civil Rights Bill
indefinitely. And they had the means to do this by using the process
called a Filibuster.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Facts - 6: Filibuster
Definition: In the United States senate, a vote cannot
be made on a bill until all all senators have finished
speaking - and during such a debate senators are allowed
to speak as long as they want to. A filibuster is when a
group of Senators refuse to stop a debate to allow a
bill to come to a vote. At the time, a 'filibuster'
could only be stopped if at least 67 Senators voted for
'cloture', meaning a motion to stop a debate and force a
vote.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Facts - 7:
A minority of Senators
were therefore able to stop the new Civil Rights Act
from being passed. Then President Kennedy was
assassinated, on November 22, 1963 and his
vice-president, Lyndon B. Johnson, became president.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Facts - 8:
President Lyndon B.
Johnson supported Kennedy's Civil Rights bill and
began to place pressure on members of Congress. In
February 1964 the bill was passed by the House of
Representatives by a majority of 290 to 130.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Facts -
9: The new Civil
Rights bill then moved to the Senate. After 87 days of
the southern filibuster the Senate ended the debate in
June 1964 when 71 senators, four more than the two
thirds that were needed, voted for cloture.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Facts - 10:
President Lyndon B.
Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law on
July 2, 1964 that would end racial discrimination
in employment, education, transportation, restaurants,
parks and other walks of life
Continued...
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Facts for kids
Facts
about the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for kids
The following fact
sheet continues with facts about Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Facts for kids
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Facts -
11: The
Civil Rights Act of 1964 contained 11 different titles
addressing the issues of Voting (I), Public
Accommodations (II), Public Facilities (III), School
Desegregation (IV), Commission on Civil Rights (V),
Discrimination by Government Programs (VI),
Discrimination by Private Employers (VII), Voters and
Fair Housing (VIII), Removal to Federal Court (IX),
Community Relations Service (X) and Criminal Contempt
(XI).
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Facts - 12:
Voting (I): This provision was made
to guarantee equal voting rights by removing some registration
requirements and procedures
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Facts - 13: Public Accommodations (II)
summary: Prohibits segregation or discrimination, based on race,
color, religion, or national origin, in places of private
businesses. Title II was based on the
Commerce Clause of the Constitution (Article I, Section 8, Clause
3), which gave Congress the authority to regulate interstate
commerce. (The 14th Amendment does not touch private discrimination
in public accommodations).
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Facts - 14:
Public Facilities (III) summary:
Created a cause of action for those denied equal access to public
facilities on account of race, religion color or national origin.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Facts - 15:
School Desegregation (IV)
summary: This provision gave the federal government more
power in encouraging desegregation in public schools.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Facts - 16:
Commission on Civil
Rights (V) summary: This provision gave the Civil Rights
Commission, created in the
Civil Rights Act of 1957,
additional powers to evaluate civil rights issues.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Facts - 17:
Discrimination by
Government Programs (VI) summary: This provision allowed
for federally funded programs to potentially have their
loans and grants terminated for discriminating on the
basis of color, race or national origin.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Facts - 18:
Discrimination by Private
Employers (VII) summary: This provision banned
discrimination by schools, trade unions, and
employers involved in interstate commerce or conducting
business with the federal government. It also prohibited
discrimination by private employers based on sex and
established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
(EEOC) to enforce the provision.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Facts - 19:
Voter Data (VIII): This
provision required that voting data was collected
in certain areas specified by the Commission on Civil
Rights.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Facts -
20:
Removal to Federal Court
(IX): This provision of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
made it easier to move a legal case from state to
federal court for fear of prejudiced state courts.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Facts -
21:
Community Relations
Service (X) summary: This provision established the
Community Relations Service (CRS) as part of the United
States Department of Justice to act as a "Peacemaker"
for community conflicts and tensions arising from
differences of race, color and national origin.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Facts -
22:
Criminal Contempt (XI)
summary: This provision created a criminal contempt
punishment for anyone attempting to obstruct the
provisions of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Facts -
23:
The Civil Rights Act of
1964 focused on segregation and employment
discrimination but failed to fully address voting
issues.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Facts -
24:
The
24th Amendment, ratified January 23, 1964 had helped
towards the subject of fair voting, barring Poll taxes
making it illegal to make anyone pay a tax to have the
right to vote. But there were still many problems
relating to voting,
African Americans made up almost half the population,
but only 2% were registered voters.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Facts -
25: Members of
organizations working for the Civil Rights movement,
such as the SNCC and SCLC, were subjected to extreme
acts of violence and intimidation as they intensified
their voter registration efforts in the south.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Facts -
26:
The Selma marches were
organized by leaders such as John Lewis and Dr. Martin
Luther King and resulted in the
Voting Rights Act
of 1965
being signed into law on August 6, 1965. It purpose was
to safeguard the right to vote of Black Americans and
ban the use of literacy tests.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Facts -
27:
Despite its failure to fully address voting issues, the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 was the most comprehensive
Civil Rights law that Congress had ever enacted.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Facts for kids
Civil Rights Act of 1964 - President Lyndon Johnson Video
The article on the Civil Rights Act of 1964 provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office. The following
Lyndon Johnson video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 36th American President whose presidency spanned from November 22, 1963 to January 20, 1969.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
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Interesting Facts about Civil Rights Act of 1964 for kids and schools
●
Summary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in US history
●
The Civil Rights Act of 1964, a major
event in US history
●
Lyndon Johnson from November 22, 1963 to January 20, 1969
●
Fast, fun facts about the Civil Rights Act of 1964
●
Foreign & Domestic
policies of President Lyndon Johnson
● Lyndon Johnson Presidency and
Civil Rights Act of 1964 for schools,
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