July 2, 1964 / Americas
The U.S. Civil Rights Act: Challenging Segregation and Employment Discrimination
The sustained civil rights movement helped secure federal legislation prohibiting discrimination in public places, employment, and other areas, expanding legal protections for equal rights.
Image unavailable. The caption and source are still available.
The story
On July 2, 1964, Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act. The law addressed discrimination in public facilities, education, federally funded programs, employment, and other areas. Its employment provisions prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, and established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. It also included voting provisions, but should not be confused with the Voting Rights Act passed the following year. The legislation was an important achievement of the civil rights movement; equality in practice still required continued enforcement and social action.
Elsewhere in the world
Nearly a century separated the constitutional abolition of slavery in 1865 and civil rights legislation in 1964; legal freedom and equality in everyday life were not achieved at the same time.
Dates and precision
July 2, 1964 Documented date
Positioned by the documented year, month or day; missing months and days are not inferred.
Representative map location
Representative coordinates · 38.9072°, -77.0369°
Coordinates locate a representative point for the story. They do not mean the event happened only here and do not represent historical borders.
Bibliography
- U.S. National Archives | Civil Rights Act (1964)
- U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission | National Origin Discrimination: Place of Birth and Ethnic Background
Sources are listed as bibliography titles, without external links. A reference does not mean every sentence or interpretation has been independently verified.