Civil Rights Act of 1964

Civil Rights Act of 1964

On November 27, 1963, newly sworn-in President Lyndon Johnson

called for the passage of a new civil rights bill, as a tribute to the late President John F. Kennedy, who had been assassinated only weeks earlier. The resulting bill was signed into law on July 7, 1964, with a stated purpose: “To enforce the constitutional right to vote, to confer jurisdiction upon the district courts of the United States 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.” It has come to be identified with halting discrimination in public accommodations—restaurants, hotels, and other public facilities.