Civil Rights Act
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Civil Rights Act
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The Civil Rights Act of 1964, which ended segregation in public places and banned employment
discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin, is considered one of the
crowning legislative achievements of the civil rights movement. First proposed by President John F.
Kennedy, it survived strong opposition from southern members of Congress and was then signed into
law by Kennedy's successor, Lyndon B. Johnson. In subsequent years, Congress expanded the act
and also passed additional legislation aimed at bringing equality to African Americans, such as the
Voting Rights Act of 1965.
LEAD-UP TO THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT
Following the Civil War (1861-1865), a trio of constitutional amendments abolished slavery, made the
former slaves citizens and gave all men the right to vote regardless of race. Nonetheless, many
states-particularly in the South-used poll taxes, literacy tests and other similar measures to keep
their African-American residents essentially disenfranchised. They also enforced strict segregation
through "Jim Crow" laws and condoned violence from white supremacist groups like the Ku Klux Klan.
DID YOU KNOW?
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with at least 75 pens, which he
handed out to congressional supporters of the bill, such as Hubert Humphrey and Everett Dirksen
and to civil rights leaders, such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Roy Wilkins.
For decades after Reconstruction (1865-1877), the U.S. Congress did not pass a single civil rights
act. Finally, in 1957, it established a civil rights section of the Justice Department, along with a
Commission on Civil Rights to investigate discriminatory conditions. Three years later, Congress
provided for court-appointed referees to help blacks register to vote. Both of these bills were strongly
watered down to overcome southern resistance. When John F. Kennedy entered the White House in
1961, he initially delayed in supporting new anti-discrimination measures. But with protests springing
up throughout the South - including one in Birmingham, Alabama, where police brutally suppressed
nonviolent demonstrators with dogs, clubs and high-pressure fire hoses - Kennedy decided to act. In
June 1963 he proposed by far the most comprehensive civil rights legislation to date, saying the
United States "will not be fully free until all of its citizens are free."
THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT MOVES THROUGH CONGRESS
Kennedy was assassinated that November in Dallas, after which new President Lyndon B. Johnson
immediately took up the cause. "Let this session of Congress be known as the session which did
more for civil rights than the last hundred sessions combined," Johnson said in his first State of the
Union address. During debate on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, southerners argued,
among other things, that the bill unconstitutionally usurped individual liberties and states' rights. In a
mischievous attempt to sabotage the bill, a Virginia segregationist introduced an amendment to ban
employment discrimination against women. That one passed, whereas over 100 other hostile
amendments were defeated. In the end, the House approved the bill with bipartisan support by a vote
of 290-130.
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Civil Rights Act
The bill then moved to the Senate, where southern and border state Democrats staged a 75-day
filibuster - among the longest in U.S. history. On one occasion, Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia,
a former Ku Klux Klan member, spoke for over 14 consecutive hours. But with the help of behind-the-
scenes horse-trading, the bill's supporters eventually obtained the two-thirds vote necessary to end
debate. One of those votes came from California Senator Clair Engle, who, though too sick to speak,
signaled "aye" by pointing to his own eye. Having broken the filibuster, the Senate voted 73-27 in
favor of the bill, and Johnson signed it into law on July 2, 1964. "It is an important gain, but I think we
just delivered the South to the Republican Party for a long time to come," Johnson, a Democrat,
purportedly told an aide later that day in a prediction that would largely come true.
PROVISIONS WITHIN THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT
Under the Civil Rights Act, segregation on the grounds of race, religion or national origin was banned
at all places of public accommodation, including courthouses, parks, restaurants, theaters, sports
arenas and hotels. No longer could blacks and other minorities be denied service simply based on the
color of their skin. The act also barred race, religious, national origin and gender discrimination by
employers and labor unions, and created an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission with the
power to file lawsuits on behalf of aggrieved workers.
Additionally, the act forbade the use of federal funds for any discriminatory program, authorized the
Office of Education (now the Department of Education) to assist with school desegregation, gave
extra clout to the Commission on Civil Rights and prohibited the unequal application of voting
requirements. For famed civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., it was nothing less than a "second
emancipation."
AFTER THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT
The Civil Rights Act was later expanded to bring disabled Americans, the elderly and women in
collegiate athletics under its umbrella. It also paved the way for two major follow-up laws: the Voting
Rights Act of 1965, which prohibited literacy tests and other discriminatory voting practices, and the
Fair Housing Act of 1968, which banned discrimination in the sale, rental and financing of property.
Though the struggle against racism would continue, legal segregation had been brought to its knees.
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ReadWorks Vocabulary
Vocabulary
abolish
transitive verb
definition: to do away with; put a stop to; end.
Compulsory military service has been abolished.
They argued over whether the death penalty should be abolished.
The Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 abolished slavery in the British Empire.
Spanish: abolir, suprimir
forms: abolished, abolishes, abolishing
civil
adjective
definition: of or concerning citizens or the general population.
It is against one's civil rights to be barred from voting.
Serving on a jury is a civil duty.
In a civil war, citizens of the same country take sides and fight against each other.
Spanish: civil
discrimination
noun
definition: the act, or collective acts, of making invalid, unfair, or hurtful differentiations, as in
prejudice against people of minority groups.
The civil rights movement fought to bring an end to discrimination in this country.
Spanish: discriminación
emancipation
noun
definition: the act of freeing from some constraint or confinement.
segregation
noun
definition: an act of segregating, or the condition of being segregated, especially as a policy
imposing social separation according to racial or ethnic groups.
Spanish: segregación
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Definitions and sample sentences within definitions are provided by Wordsmyth. © 2015 Wordsmyth. All rights reserved.
Civil Rights Act - Comprehension Questions
Name: ___________________________________ Date: _______________
1. What ended segregration in public places and banned employment discrimination?
A. the Voting Rights Act of 1965
B. the Civil Rights Act of 1964
C. the Fair Housing Act of 1968
D. the Jim Crow laws
2. The text describes a sequence of events related to the passage of the Civil Rights
Act. What happened after the Senate voted 73-27 in favor of the Civil Rights Act?
A. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas.
B. Southern and border state Democrats staged a 75-day filibuster.
C. Johnson signed the act into law on July 2, 1964.
D. The House approved the bill with bipartisan support by a vote of 290-130.
3. Read these sentences from the text:
"Following the Civil War (1861-1865), a trio of constitutional amendments abolished
slavery, made the former slaves citizens and gave all men the right to vote regardless of
race. Nonetheless, many states-particularly in the South-used poll taxes, literacy tests
and other similar measures to keep their African-American residents essentially
disenfranchised. They also enforced strict segregation through 'Jim Crow' laws and
condoned violence from white supremacist groups like the Ku Klux Klan."
Based on evidence in the text, why might the Civil Rights Act have been necessary?
A. because resistence in many states still prevented African Americans from exercising
their rights as citizens
B. because poll taxes, literacy tests, and other similar measures were not yet
standardized
C. because women were still being discriminated against with regards to employment
D. because individual liberties and states' rights did not yet have power over federal law
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Civil Rights Act - Comprehension Questions
4. How might the Civil Rights Act have empowered African American citizens?
A. The Act essentially disenfranchised African Americans, enforced strict segregation
through "Jim Crow" laws, and condoned violence from white supremacist groups like the
Ku Klux Klan.
B. The Act allowed African American citizens to go to public places as they pleased and
obtain employment at places in which they might have been previously discriminated
against.
C. The Act prohibited literacy tests and other discriminatory voting practices, which
allowed African American citizens to vote and choose who might represent them in office.
D. The Act banned discimination in the sale, rental, and financing of property, so African
American citizens could obtain the same level of property as other citizens.
5. What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Following the Civil War, a trio of constitutional amendments abolished slavery, made
the former slaves citizens, and gave all men the right to vote regardless of race.
B. Many states once enforced strict segregation through "Jim Crow" laws and condoned
violence from white supremacist groups like the Ku Klux Klan.
C. The Civil Rights Act ended segregation in public places and banned employment
discrimination, and it is considered one of the crowning legislative achievements of the
civil rights movement.
D. In 1957, the U.S. Congress established a civil rights section of the Justice
Department, along with a Commission on Civil Rights to investigate discriminatory
conditions.
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Civil Rights Act - Comprehension Questions
6. Read these sentences from the text:
"Additionally, the act forbade the use of federal funds for any discriminatory program,
authorized the Office of Education (now the Department of Education) to assist with
school desegregation, gave extra clout to the Commission on Civil Rights and
prohibited the unequal application of voting requirements. For famed civil rights leader
Martin Luther King Jr., it was nothing less than a "second emancipation.""
Based on this evidence, what is the meaning of the word "authorized" in this excerpt?
A. took power away from
B. granted power to
C. forced or pressured
D. invited or encouraged
7. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence.
__________ constitutional amendments gave all men the right to vote regardless of
race, many states still used poll taxes, literacy tests, and other similar measures to keep
their African American citizens essentially disenfranchised.
A. Although
B. However
C. Instead
D. Therefore
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Civil Rights Act - Comprehension Questions
8. How did states keep their African American residents disenfranchised following the
Civil War?
9. List two provisions within the Civil Rights Act. Support your answer with evidence
from the text.
10. Explain how the Civil Rights Act was a "second emancipation." Support your answer
with evidence from the text.
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