Civil Rights Act 1964

The landmark statute outlawing segregation and employment discrimination

Overview

Proposed by President Kennedy after Birmingham and passed under President Johnson after the longest filibuster in Senate history, the act outlawed discrimination in public accommodations, federally funded programs, and employment, and empowered the Attorney General to sue for desegregation. Its commerce clause footing became constitutional doctrine. Title VII created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the modern law of workplace discrimination. It is widely ranked the most consequential American statute of the twentieth century. A southern filibuster lasted sixty working days before cloture finally cut debate in June 1964.