The Civil Rights Act Of 1964 Essay

Civil Rights Movement in the United States, was a political, legal, and social struggle to gain full citizenship rights for African Americans and to achieve racial equality. The civil rights movement was a challenge to segregation, the system of laws and customs separating blacks and whites.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 resulted from one of the most controversial House and Senate debates in history. It was also the biggest piece of civil rights legislation ever passed. The bill actually evolved from previous civil rights bills in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. The bill passed through both houses finally on July 2, 1964 and was signed into law at 6:55 P.M. EST by President Lyndon Johnson. The act was originally drawn up in 1962 under President Kennedy before his assassination. The bill originated from two others, and one of which was the Equal Opportunity Act of 1962 that never went into law. This bill made up the core of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Bureau of National Affairs 18-20).

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." - - Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was significant to African Americans because the act ended segregation in public places and ended employment prejudice based on the pigment of skin, national origin, gender, ethnicity, or/and religion. The Act was one of the most momentous events to impact African Americans on the account of bringing equality to minorities on paper and giving them opportunities to voice their political and community concerns. However, there were unforeseen consequences that added to the suffering of the community which they expressed through riots and protest marches in efforts to ensure their new protections were enforced. The advancement of the Act helped the African American civil rights group in their awareness and voice in government, made tremendous strides in their group, and contributed to other minorities to gaining equality. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 affected African Americans both positively and negatively through federalism, minority rights, and judicial review.

Through the years, America has made an overall improvement in eliminating discrimination, inequality and slavery and focusing more on inclusion, equal rights, and equal opportunity. Despite a considerable improvement, there are corporations and individuals that often revert to archaic means of treating employees, creating hostile environments. Consequently, different advocacy groups and laws still remain in effect and continue to evolve to protect the citizens and non-citizens of the USA.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is considered by some to be one of the most important laws in American history. (The Most Important Cases, Speeches, Laws & Documents in American History) This Act was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on July 2, 1964 and it is a “comprehensive federal statute aimed at reducing discrimination in public accommodations and employment situations.” (Feuerbach Twomey, 2010) Specifically, it aimed at prohibiting “discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy), and religion.” (Civil Rights Act of 1964, 2010) Additionally, it also

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination based on : Race, Color, Sex, Religion, and National Origin with respect to employment. “Specifically, it states that it shall be an unlawful employment practice for an employer” (Dressler, 2015, p. 28). “It established the concept of protected classes; those individuals who are protected from discrimination by the legal system. It prohibits discrimination in all employment practices. Title VII makes it unlawful to limit or classify employees in any way that deprives them of employment opportunities or hampers their career progression when that classification is based on their protected status” (SHRM). Title VII also established the EEOC Commission (EEOC) and applies to employers with 15 or more employees and most labor unions.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is a federal Law that prohibits employers from discriminating against employees on the grounds of sex, race, color, national origin and religion (www.aauw.org). Thus far in our lectures we have discussed the strategies used by various minority groups who have been discriminated against in violation of Title VII. There has been land mark decisions made from the hard fought fights by, African Americans, Women, Mexicans and Jewish alike. Their challenges of non-compliance and enforcement of Title VII brought successes that didn’t come without sacrifice, division and in some cases physical harm.

Ultimately, the banishment of discrimination in public areas pushed the issue of desegregation over the edge. Eisenhower facilitated the movement of multiple acts and orders ensuring the rights of minorities across the country, determining that they cannot legally be discriminated against. Eisenhower, in his Civil Rights Act of 1964, stated, “An Act 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

In case study 4, we were asked to identify and research three different laws that has help us or our colleagues. Three different laws stood out to me as being an African American man and a Uniformed Service Member were Civil Rights Act 1964, Affirmative Action Plan and the Uniformed Service Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). Each one of these laws have tried to even the playing fields for African Americans and Service members. As you read through this case, I will go in to detail of each law and relate these laws to my life experiences

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 changed life for African Americans and helped blacks gain equal rights. It helped African Americans progress towards full equality. According to the BBC, "In the 1930s, although 50% of the population of Southern towns were black, they had no vote and could not marry whites. The policy of segregation meant that blacks had to have their own schools, their own churches, their own football teams, even their own cemeteries." Segregation towards blacks really messed up the South. During 1849 to 1950 African Americans could not have the rights they wanted in the South. On the other hand, whites could and constantly put down blacks. In the South whites did not like blacks at all and would do anything they

Due to the growing power if the civil rights movement, for example, Brown vs Board of Education and Rosa Parks, the Department of Justice was finally mandated to enforce federal hate crime laws when Congress passed and President Lyndon Johnson signed into law the first federal hate crime statute, the Civil Rights Act in July 2, 1964. The law expanded protection against all types of discrimination. It was finally a criminal offense if you used or threaten to use force to willfully interfere with any person because of race, color, religion, or national origin.4 The act prohibited racial discrimination in voting, employment, and education. It also outlawed racial segregation in all public places and most private businesses. President Johnson stated regarding the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that “Its purpose is not to divide but to end division. Divisions which have lasted all too long.”5

This time period is a very important part of black history. This time period is a time known for “ ending segregation in public places and banning employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin, is considered one of the crowning legislative achievements of the civil rights movement”. So during this time period all types of segregation were banned. They were banned in many locations, including some of the following “courthouses, parks, restaurants, theaters, sports arenas and hotels”. During this time period the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission agency was created. This agency is a “federal agency that enforces civil rights laws against workplace discrimination.” A neat

When the 1964 Civil Rights Act was enacted, women became a part of the protected group along with race, color, religion, sex or national origin. According to the Archives.gov and quoting the West Encyclopedia of American Law, (Link: https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/civil-rights-act/) sex (meaning men and women) was added by Representative Howard W. Smith hoping that it would “kill the entire bill,” arguing that it was in “support of Alice Paul and the National Women’s Party with whom he had been working.” His action was supported by Martha W. Griffiths and, as we know today, the bill was enacted into law.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 empowered minorities in many different ways, most notably in prohibiting discrimination in the workplace. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act expressly prohibits discrimination in hiring, firing, promotion, pay, benefits and other aspects of employment based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin (U.S. Department of Labor, 2012). This law was seen as a major boon to minorities and women in the workforce who had, for years, been subjected to unfair hiring and remuneration practices. But, in order to ensure that there was broad fairness and that employers were abiding by the new law, some steps needed to be taken. One way to monitor employers was to force them to have a certain number of minorities and women on their workforces at all times, greatly increasing the number of minority employees. These affirmative action laws, while still controversial today, have made a huge difference in the composition of our nation's workforce and in the lives of those who have been affected.