Civil Rights Act of 1960 facts for kids
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| Long title | An Act to enforce constitutional rights, and for other purposes. |
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| Acronyms (colloquial) | CRA |
| Enacted by | the 86th United States Congress |
| Effective | May 6, 1960 |
| Citations | |
| Public law | 86-449 |
| Statutes at Large | 74 Stat. 86 |
| Codification | |
| Acts amended | Civil Rights Act of 1957 |
| Titles amended | Title 18—Crimes and Criminal Procedure |
| U.S.C. sections amended |
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| Legislative history | |
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| Major amendments | |
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The Civil Rights Act of 1960 was a U.S. federal law that aimed to protect the voting rights of all citizens. It allowed federal officials to inspect local voter registration places. It also set penalties for anyone who tried to stop someone from registering to vote. This law mainly addressed unfair rules and practices in the South. In the South, African Americans and Mexican-American Texans had been largely prevented from voting since the late 1800s.
This was the fifth Civil Rights Act in U.S. history. It came after the Civil Rights Act of 1957, which had some weaknesses. The 1960 act was created to fix those problems and add new protections. Besides voting rights, it also made it illegal to flee a state to avoid being charged for property damage. It also helped provide free education for children of military members. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act of 1960 into law.
Contents
Why the Civil Rights Act of 1960 Was Needed
A Look Back: The Reconstruction Era
After the American Civil War ended in 1865, the Reconstruction era (1865-1877) began. During this time, efforts were made to fix the unfairness caused by slavery. Important changes were made to the U.S. Constitution. The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments were added. These amendments aimed to give African Americans the same civil rights as white Americans. They are known as the Reconstruction Amendments. This period was the start of the Civil Rights Movement.
Challenges After Reconstruction
After 1873, court decisions started to limit the power of Reconstruction laws. Many white people used threats and violence to stop African Americans from voting. The Compromise of 1877 ended the Reconstruction era. Southern politicians then largely ignored the Reconstruction laws. This led to many African American voters losing their right to vote.
The Jim Crow laws were created in the 19th century. These laws aimed to stop African Americans from voting. They also made it illegal for Black and white people to use the same public places, like schools. These laws greatly slowed down the progress made toward equality during Reconstruction.
Public Opinion and the Push for Change
In the 1950s, many people in the U.S., especially in the South, were still against desegregation and racial equality. However, by the end of the decade, activists in the Civil Rights Movement pushed Congress to pass new laws. They wanted stronger laws to protect the constitutional civil rights of African Americans.
School Segregation: Brown v. Board of Education
On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court made a very important decision. In Brown v. Board of Education, the Court ruled that racial segregation in schools was against the Constitution. This meant that separate schools for Black and white children were illegal.
After this decision, many white political leaders in the South tried to resist it. Senator Harry F. Byrd of Virginia, a powerful political figure, called the decision a serious attack on states' rights. Two years later, Senator Byrd gathered nearly 100 Southern politicians to sign the Southern Manifesto. This was an agreement to fight against school integration. He also proposed Massive resistance, a set of laws to block integration.
Many white citizens in the South also worked to prevent integration. Some sent their children to private schools. Others used threats to scare Black families.
The Civil Rights Act of 1957
By 1957, only about 20% of African Americans were registered to vote. This was because they were actively prevented from doing so. That year, President Dwight D. Eisenhower asked Congress to pass new civil rights laws. As a result, the Civil Rights Act of 1957 was passed. This was the first major federal civil rights law since 1875. President Eisenhower signed it on September 9, 1957.
The 1957 act aimed to protect the voting rights of African Americans, as stated in the 15th Amendment. However, it had some weaknesses. These weaknesses allowed people who opposed civil rights to keep preventing minorities from voting. Southern states continued to treat African Americans unfairly in voter registration, schools, public places, and jobs. Because the 1957 law didn't solve these problems, it showed that stronger civil rights laws were needed. The Civil Rights Act of 1960 helped to meet this need.
President Eisenhower's Role
Eisenhower's Support for Civil Rights
Toward the end of his time as president, Dwight D. Eisenhower publicly supported civil rights laws. On February 5, 1959, he spoke to Congress. He said that "every individual regardless of his race, religion, or national origin is entitled to the equal protection of the laws." He suggested seven ways to protect civil rights, including:
- Making laws stronger to stop people from blocking court orders in school desegregation cases.
- Giving the Federal Bureau of Investigation more power to look into crimes involving damage to schools or churches.
- Allowing the Attorney General to check federal election records.
- Helping agencies with changes needed for school desegregation.
- Providing education for children of armed forces members.
- Thinking about creating a group to ensure fair job opportunities in government contracts.
- Extending the Civil Rights Commission for two more years.
Speaking Out for Equality
In his annual State of the Union speech on January 7, 1960, Eisenhower talked about the need for more civil rights laws. He said that some citizens were still denied their right to vote, even though the Constitution guaranteed it. He believed protecting this right was a top priority. He hoped Congress would show the world that the U.S. government was working for equality for all its people.
When he signed the Civil Rights Act of 1960, President Eisenhower called it a "historic step forward." He highlighted important parts of the law. He believed it would help stop harmful acts and make the 15th Amendment truly meaningful for everyone.
How the Law Was Passed
In the House of Representatives
The bill, H.R. 8601, started in the House of Representatives. It was handled by the House Judiciary Committee, led by Representative Emanuel Celler. The bill was first introduced on August 10, 1959. The Judiciary Committee quickly approved it. However, the Rules Committee tried to stop the bill from being voted on by the full House. This caused the bill to be stuck for six months. To get things moving, Celler used a special process to bypass the Rules Committee.
After some changes, the House of Representatives approved the bill on March 24, 1960. The vote was 311 in favor and 109 against.
In the Senate
The bill then moved to the Senate on March 24, 1960. The Senate's Judiciary Committee also faced challenges. Southern Democrats often worked together to block civil rights laws. This made it hard for supporters to add stronger parts to the bill.
After adding more changes, the Senate approved the bill on April 8, 1960. The vote was 71 in favor and 18 against. Even with strong opposition from Southern Democrats, some Democratic Senators from Tennessee and Texas voted for the bill. The House of Representatives then approved the Senate's changes on April 21, 1960. Finally, President Eisenhower signed the bill into law on May 6, 1960.
What the Civil Rights Act of 1960 Did
Title I: Stopping Obstruction of Court Orders
This part of the law made it illegal to purposely interfere with court orders. If someone was found guilty of this, they could face fines or prison time. This was meant to help enforce court decisions, like those about school desegregation.
Title II: Dealing with Property Damage and Threats
Title II made it illegal to flee a state to avoid being charged for damaging a building or property. It also addressed the illegal use or possession of explosives. It made it a crime to transport or possess explosives with the intent to damage property. Spreading false threats about damaging property with fire or explosives also became illegal.
Title III: Protecting Federal Election Records
This section required that all election records be kept safe. This included records related to poll taxes or other voting matters. It made it illegal for an election official to fail to keep these records. It also made it a crime to intentionally change, damage, or destroy election records.
Title IV: Expanding the Civil Rights Commission
This part of the law gave members of the Civil Rights Commission the power to give oaths or take statements from witnesses. This helped them in their investigations.
Title V: Education for Military Children
Title V made sure that children of armed forces members could get a free education. This was for cases where they lived on federal property and local schools couldn't provide that education.
Title VI: Protecting Voting Rights
This was a very important part of the law. It stated that people with the legal right to vote should not be denied that right because of their race or color. It also allowed courts to appoint "voting referees." These referees would investigate and report on cases where voting rights were being violated. The law also clearly defined "vote" to include the entire process: registering, casting a ballot, and having that ballot counted.
Title VII: Separability
This section simply stated that if one part of the law was found to be invalid, the rest of the law would still remain in effect.
What Happened Next
The Civil Rights Act of 1960 was the fifth civil rights law in the U.S. It showed a growing focus on civil rights. It helped pave the way for even stronger laws in 1964 and 1965. Before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965, the acts of 1957 and 1960 were not fully effective in establishing civil rights. The later laws had stronger ways to protect many different civil rights. The 1957 and 1960 acts mainly focused on voting rights.
The 1960 act dealt with race and color, but it did not cover discrimination based on national origin. President Eisenhower had asked for this in his message to Congress. He also wanted to extend the life of the Civil Rights Commission. While the 1960 act didn't do this, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 later did. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 helped achieve the goals President Eisenhower suggested in 1959. These two laws, along with the Civil Rights Act of 1968, helped end government-supported racial discrimination and protect legal equality in the United States.
See also
