Civil Rights Act of 1964 facts for kids
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| 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 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. |
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| Enacted by | the 88th United States Congress |
| Effective | July 2, 1964 |
| Citations | |
| Public law | [http://library.clerk.house.gov/reference-files/PPL_CivilRightsAct_1964.pdf 88-352 1981 U.S.C. § 1996b] |
| Statutes at Large | 78 Stat. 241 |
| Codification | |
| Acts amended | Civil Rights Act of 1957 Civil Rights Act of 1960 |
| Titles amended | 42 |
| Legislative history | |
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| Major amendments | |
| Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972 Civil Rights Act of 1991 No Child Left Behind Act Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 |
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| United States Supreme Court cases | |
| Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. v. United States (1964) Katzenbach v. McClung (1964) Alexander v. Holmes County Board of Education (1969) Griggs v. Duke Power Co. (1971) Ricci v. DeStefano (2009) |
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The Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Pub.L. 88-352, 78 Stat. 241, enacted July 2, 1964) is a landmark civil rights and US labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It prohibited unequal application of voter registration requirements, racial segregation in schools, employment, and public accommodations.
Origins
The bill was called for by President John F. Kennedy in his civil rights speech of June 11, 1963, in which he asked for legislation "giving all Americans the right to be served in facilities which are open to the public—hotels, restaurants, theaters, retail stores, and similar establishments", as well as "greater protection for the right to vote". Kennedy was moved to action following the elevated racial tensions and wave of black riots in the spring 1963.
Johnson's appeal to Congress
The assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, changed the political situation. Kennedy's successor as president, Lyndon Johnson, made use of his experience in legislative politics, along with the bully pulpit he wielded as president, in support of the bill. In his first address to a joint session of Congress on November 27, 1963, Johnson told the legislators, "No memorial oration or eulogy could more eloquently honor President Kennedy's memory than the earliest possible passage of the civil rights bill for which he fought so long."
Images for kids
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United States President John F. Kennedy addresses the nation on civil rights on June 11, 1963
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Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X at the United States Capitol on March 26, 1964, listening to the Senate debate on the bill. The two met for only one minute.
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First page of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
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A page from an informal record of the roll call vote kept by the House Clerk on first passage of the bill by the House. Note that this document does not accurately reflect the final vote tally. For example, it erroneously records Minnesota Congressman John Blatnik as a no vote, when he in fact voted in favor of H.R. 7152.
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A map showing the each Senator's Vote on the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
See also
In Spanish: Ley de Derechos Civiles de 1964 para niños
