Civil Rights Act of 1964
First page of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Long title:
An Act to enforce the constitutional
right to vote, to confer jurisdiction
upon the district courts of the United
States of America to provide relief
against discrimination in public accom-
modations, 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.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964
(Pub.L.
88-352, 78 Stat. 241, July 2, 1964) was a
landmark piece of legislation in the United
States that outlawed racial segregation in
schools, public places, and employment.
Conceived to help African Americans, the bill
was amended prior to passage to protect wo-
men, and explicitly included white people for
the first time. It also created the Equal Em-
ployment Opportunity Commission.
In order to circumvent limitations on con-
gressional power to enforce the Equal Pro-
tection Clause imposed by the Supreme
Court in the Civil Rights Cases, the law was
passed under the Commerce Clause, which
had been interpreted by the courts as a
broad grant of congressional power. Once
the Act was implemented, its effects were far
reaching and had tremendous long-term im-
pacts on the whole country. It prohibited dis-
crimination in public facilities, in govern-
ment, and in employment, invalidating the
Jim Crow laws in the southern U.S. It became
illegal to compel segregation of the races in
schools, housing, or hiring. Powers given to
enforce the bill were initially weak, but were
supplemented during later years.
Origins
John F. Kennedy addresses the nation about
Civil Rights on June 11, 1963
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Civil Rights Act of 1964
1
The bill was introduced by President John F.
Kennedy in his civil rights speech of June 12,
1963,[1]
in which he asked for legislation