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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. |
|---|---|
| Enacted by | the 88th United States Congress |
| Effective | July 2, 1964 |
| Citations | |
| Public law | 88-352 |
| Statutes at Large | 78 Stat. 241 |
| Codification | |
| Acts amended | |
| Titles amended | Title 42—The Public Health and Welfare |
| Legislative history | |
| |
| Major amendments | |
| United States Supreme Court cases | |
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Pub. L. 88–352, 78 Stat. 241, enacted July 2, 1964) is a landmark civil rights and labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex,[a] and national origin.[4] It prohibits unequal application of voter registration requirements, racial segregation in schools and public accommodations, and employment discrimination. The act "remains one of the most significant legislative achievements in American history".[5]
Initially, powers given to enforce the act were weak, but these were supplemented during later years. Congress asserted its authority to legislate under several different parts of the United States Constitution, principally its enumerated power to regulate interstate commerce under the Commerce Clause of Article I, Section 8, its duty to guarantee all citizens equal protection of the laws under the 14th Amendment, and its duty to protect voting rights under the 15th Amendment.
The legislation was proposed by President John F. Kennedy in June 1963, but it was opposed by filibuster in the Senate. After Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, President Lyndon B. Johnson pushed the bill forward. The United States House of Representatives passed the bill on February 10, 1964, and after a 72-day filibuster, it passed the United States Senate on June 19, 1964. The final vote was 290–130 in the House of Representatives and 73–27 in the Senate.[6] After the House agreed to a subsequent Senate amendment, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed into law by President Johnson at the White House on July 2, 1964.
- ^ "H.R. 7152. Passage". GovTrack.us. Archived from the original on December 6, 2020. Retrieved October 3, 2013.
- ^ "HR. 7152. Passage". GovTrack.us. Archived from the original on December 6, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
- ^ "H.R. 7152. Civil Rights Act of 1964. Adoption of a Resolution (H. RES. 789) Providing for House Approval of the Bill As Amended by the Senate". GovTrack.us. Archived from the original on September 10, 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
- ^ "Transcript of Civil Rights Act (1964)" Archived April 18, 2021, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 28, 2012.
- ^ "U.S. Senate: Landmark Legislation: The Civil Rights Act of 1964". www.senate.gov. Archived from the original on April 16, 2019. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
- ^ "HR. 7152. Passage. Senate Vote #409 – Jun 19, 1964". GovTrack.us. Archived from the original on December 6, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
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