1960's Law and Justice | Civil Rights Act of 1964

A Momentous Year.

The most extensive and far-reaching civil rights act since Reconstruction won approval in Congress in 1964. This was not to say that the new law dealt with all the concerns of black Americans, In particular the question of effective measures to ensure that unrestricted voting would be available to blacks was left to another day. However, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 marked a major step forward for government involvement in preventing racial discrimination, particularly in the private sector.

The Act.

The act was divided into eleven parts or titles. Among its provisions were: an extension of the life of the Civil Rights Commission which had been established by the Civil Rights Act of 1959; prohibition against voting registrars applying different standards to black and white applicants; prohibition of racial discrimination in public education; an authorization for the executive branch to halt the...