Editor's Note: This act was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on July 2, 1964. It outlawed discrimination in public places, mandated the integration of schools and other public facilities, and made employment discrimination illegal. This document was the most wide-ranging civil rights legislation since the Reconstruction Era that followed the Civil War. Excerpted here are the most important parts of the legislation.
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.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That this Act may be cited as the “Civil Rights Act of 1964”.
AN ACT
…(2) No person acting under color of law shall —
“(A) in determining whether any individual is qualified under State law or laws to vote in any Federal election, apply any standard, practice, or procedure different from the standards, practices, or procedures applied under such law or laws to other individuals within the same county, parish, or similar political subdivision who have been found by State officials to be qualified to vote;
“(B) deny the right of any individual to vote in any Federal election because of an error or omission on any record or paper relating to any application, registration, or other act requisite to voting, if such error or omission is not material in determining whether such individual is qualified under State law to vote in such election; or
“(C) employ any literacy test as a qualification for voting in any Federal election unless (i) such test is administered to each individual and is conducted wholly in writing, and (ii) a certified copy of the test and of the answers given by the individual is furnished to him within twenty-five days of the submission of his request…
TITLE I — VOTING RIGHTS
SEC. 201. (a) All persons shall be entitled to the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, and privileges, advantages, and accommodations of any place of public accommodation, as defined in this section, without discrimination or segregation on the ground of race, color, religion, or national origin.
(b) Each of the following establishments which serves the public is a place of public accommodation within the meaning of this title if its operations affect commerce, or if discrimination or segregation by it is supported by State action:
(1) any inn, hotel, motel, or other establishment which provides lodging to transient guests…
(2) any restaurant, cafeteria, lunchroom, lunch counter, soda fountain, or other facility principally engaged in selling food for consumption on the premises, including, but not limited to, any such facility located on the premises of any retail establishment; or any gasoline station;
(3) any motion picture house, theater, concert hall, sports arena, stadium or other place of exhibition or entertainment…
TITLE II — INJUNCTIVE RELIEF AGAINST DISCRIMINATION IN PLACES OF PUBLIC ACCOMMODATION
SEC. 301. (a) Whenever the Attorney General receives a complaint in writing signed by an individual to the effect that he is being deprived of or threatened with the loss of his right to the equal protection of the laws, on account of his race, color, religion, or national origin, by being denied equal utilization of any public facility which is owned, operated, or managed by or on behalf of any State or subdivision thereof, other than a public school or public college as defined in section 401 of title IV hereof, and the Attorney General believes the complaint is meritorious and certifies that the signer or signers of such complaint are unable, in his judgment, to initiate and maintain appropriate legal proceedings for relief and that the institution of an action will materially further the orderly progress of desegregation in public facilities, the Attorney General is authorized to institute for or in the name of the United States a civil action in any appropriate district court of the United States against such parties and for such relief as may be appropriate, and such court shall have and shall exercise jurisdiction of proceedings instituted pursuant to this section….
TITLE III — DESEGREGATION OF PUBLIC FACILITIES
TITLE IV — DESEGREGATION OF PUBLIC EDUCATION…
TITLE V — COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS…
SEC. 601. No person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance….
TITLE VI — NONDISCRIMINATION IN FEDERALLY ASSISTED PROGRAMS
SEC. 705. (a) There is hereby created a Commission to be known as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which shall be composed of five members, not more than three of whom shall be members of the same political party, who shall be appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. …
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
SEC. 801. The Secretary of Commerce shall promptly conduct a survey to compile registration and voting statistics in such geographic areas as may be recommended by the Commission on Civil Rights. Such a survey and compilation shall, to the extent recommended by the Commission on Civil Rights, only include a count of persons of voting age by race, color, and national origin, and determination of the extent to which such persons are registered to vote, and have voted in any statewide primary or general election in which the Members of the United States House of Representatives are nominated or elected, since January 1, 1960. Such information shall also be collected and compiled in connection with the Nineteenth Decennial Census, and at such other times as the Congress may prescribe. The provisions of section 9 and chapter 7 of title 13, United States Code, shall apply to any survey, collection, or compilation of registration and voting statistics carried out under this title: Provided, however, That no person shall be compelled to disclose his race, color, national origin, or questioned about his political party affiliation, how he voted, or the reasons therefore, nor shall any penalty be imposed for his failure or refusal to make such disclosure. Every person interrogated orally, by written survey or questionnaire or by any other means with respect to such information shall be fully advised with respect to his right to fail or refuse to furnish such information. …
TITLE VIII — REGISTRATION AND VOTING STATISTICS
TITLE IX — INTERVENTION AND PROCEDURE AFTER REMOVAL IN CIVIL RIGHTS CASES…
TITLE X — ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMUNITY RELATIONS SERVICE…
TITLE XI — MISCELLANEOUS…
By Original legislation from the U.S. Congress, adapted by Newsela staff
SEC. 703. (a) It shall be an unlawful employment practice for an employer —
(1) to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual, or otherwise to discriminate against any individual with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of such individual’s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin; or
(2) to limit, segregate, or classify his employees in any way which would deprive or tend to deprive any individual of employment opportunities or otherwise adversely affect his status as an employee, because of such individual’s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
(b) It shall be an unlawful employment practice for an employment agency to fail or refuse to refer for employment, or otherwise to discriminate against, any individual because of his race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, or to classify or refer for employment any individual on the basis of his race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
(c) It shall be an unlawful employment practice for a labor organization—
(1) to exclude or to expel from its membership, or otherwise to discriminate against, any individual because of his race, color, religion, sex, or national origin;
(2) to limit, segregate, or classify its membership, or to classify or fail or refuse to refer for employment any individual, in any way which would deprive or tend to deprive any individual of employment opportunities, or would limit such employment opportunities or otherwise adversely affect his status as an employee or as an applicant for employment, because of such individual’s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin; or
(3) to cause or attempt to cause an employer to discriminate against an individual in violation of this section.
(d) It shall be an unlawful employment practice for any employer, labor organization, or joint labor-management committee controlling apprenticeship or other training or retraining, including on-the-job training programs to discriminate against any individual because of his race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in admission to, or employment in, any program established to provide apprenticeship or other training. …
TITLE VII — EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY DISCRIMINATION BECAUSE OF RACE, COLOR, RELIGION, SEX, OR NATIONAL ORIGIN
The End.
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Editor's Note: The Civil Rights Act was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on July 2, 1964. It made discrimination in public places unlawful. It required schools and other public places to be integrated. It made job discrimination unlawful. Here are some of the most important parts of the legislation.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 gives everyone the right to vote.
This act makes discrimination unlawful.
The act will give the Attorney General power to stop discrimination. The Attorney General's job is to enforce the law in the United States. Under this act, he has the power to protect the rights of everyone in public spaces.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 will extend the Commission on Civil Rights. A commission is a committee. The group will work to make sure people are being treated equally.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prevents discrimination in government programs.
This act creates a Commission on Equal Employment Opportunity.
AN ACT
Under the law, the same guidelines or practices are required for everyone.
A person who makes a mistake when registering, or signing up, to vote is still allowed to vote.
Reading and writing tests are not needed when signing up to vote.
TITLE I — VOTING RIGHTS
Everyone is allowed to use the same goods, services, and equipment. Everyone has the same rights.
All people are allowed to stay in any inn, hotel, or motel. It does not matter what race, gender, religion or ethnicity they are.
Everyone is allowed to eat in any restaurant or cafeteria. They are also allowed to go to any movie theater, concert hall, or sports field.
TITLE II — NO DISCRIMINATION
All people deserve equal treatment no matter what race, color, church, or background. All people are allowed to use the same buildings. If the Attorney General gets a complaint about not being allowed use of public buildings, the Attorney General can take action. He can make sure that action is taken. He can desegregate the public places.
TITLE III — NO SEGREGATION
Nobody should be excluded because of race, color, or background. No person should be denied benefits because of race, color, or background. No person should be subjected to discrimination under any government program or activity.
TITLE VI — NO DISCRIMINATION IN GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is made up of five members chosen by the President. This group will be created by this Act. The group will help to fight discrimination in business.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
The Secretary of Commerce collects voting numbers and statistics. This is to see how people are voting by race, color, and background. These numbers will help to see whether there is discrimination in voting practices around the country.
When signing up to vote or voting, no one needs to tell anyone else about his race, religion, or background. People are also not required to tell anyone else how they voted or why. Everyone has the right to not answer these questions.
TITLE VIII — REGISTRATION AND VOTING
By Original legislation from the U.S. Congress, adapted by Newsela staff
Published: 06/22/2016 Word Count: 617
Recommended for: Middle School - High School
Text Level: 5
Standards (5):
A boss, company or work group cannot do any of the following because of someone's race, whether they are male or female, what religion they follow or where they are from:
They cannot hire or fire someone.
Companies cannot pay people different amounts of money.
Bosses cannot deny their workers the chance at work or a better job.
Companies are not allowed to refuse to recommend someone for a job.
Unions, or groups that fight for the rights of workers, cannot prevent people from becoming members.
Bosses are not allowed to judge workers based on their appearance.
TITLE VII — EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
The End.
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Primary Sources: Civil Rights Act of 1964
U.S. History
President Lyndon B. Johnson (center) meets with civil rights leaders (from left) Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Whitney Young and James Farmer at the White House in January 1964. Yoichi Okamoto, Wikimedia Commons
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Discuss the meaning of the American creed that calls on citizens to safeguard the liberty of individual Americans within a unified nation, to respect the rule of law, and to preserve the Constitution.
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When the “Civil Rights Act of 1964” was established, several changes were introduced. Choose three or more of these changes and explain why these are important and how they will help citizens. Use evidence from the article to support your claim.
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Which of the following answer choices BEST describes the main ideas of the Civil Rights Act?
The Civil Rights Act will increase the power of the Attorney General and the Commission on Civil Rights. The Attorney General may take legal action in a district court.
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A
The Civil Rights Act is intended to enforce the right to vote. Surveys of voters will be done in order to ensure that this is happening, though people do not have to answer questions.
B
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Correct Answer D
The Civil Rights Act is the largest civil rights legislation in almost 100 years. It is being created because laws are very different for men and women and this is not fair.
C
The Civil Rights Act is intended to stop discrimination in many aspects of public life, such as applying for a job or voting. People cannot be treated unfairly based on race, color, religion, gender or ethnicity.
D
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In this Lesson Spark, students will read excerpts from the Civil Rights Act, which was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.
Equal Opportunity for All
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In your own words, summarize the goal and intent of this act.
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In your own words, summarize the goal and intent of this act.
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On July 2, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Civil Rights Act, which guaranteed many civil rights for people in the United States.
The law enforced the constitutional right to vote for all citizens. It made discrimination illegal in public places, such as restaurants, hotels and theaters. Employers could no longer discriminate in their hiring or firing decisions based on race, ethnicity, religion or gender. If a person complained of unequal treatment, the Attorney General had the authority to take legal action.
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What was the Civil Rights Act of 1964?
What did the law enforce?
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Background Knowledge: Show students the video of President Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act into law to provide context about the time period and the challenges faced by African-Americans during this time.
Before Reading
As you read, use the annotations tool to summarize, in 2-3 sentences, each section of the Civil Rights Act. Be sure to include why this section is significant.
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Primary Source Analysis: Direct students to work with a partner to complete the Primary Source Analysis worksheet. Students should circulate throughout the classroom and share their responses with other groups.
Discussion Prompt: Is the Civil Rights Act still relevant today? Why or why not? Consider the act's connection to your life and to others' lives.
After Reading
Which part of the Civil Rights Act do you find the most significant or powerful? Why?
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By Original legislation from the U.S. Congress, adapted by Newsela staff
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