The Civil Rights Act was signed into law on this day in 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. His predecessor in office, John F. Kennedy, had made such legislation a key component of his 1960 campaign. Kennedy’s assassination didn’t stop that momentum; after much deliberation in Congress, the bill made its way to the White House for a signing ceremony broadcast live on national television. The act banned racial discrimination in many aspects of public life, including education, voter registration, and employment. As with many such events, LBJ used dozens of pens to write out his name and handed them to some of the hundreds in attendance. One of the first, fittingly, went to Martin Luther King, Jr.
The bill’s journey through Congress was dramatic, with major debates in both chambers and a 60-day filibuster on the Senate side. In the end, it was approved in both chambers by sizeable margins, with the first version approved 290–130 in the House of Representatives, an amended version 73–27 in the Senate, and then a second House vote that totaled 289–126.
More meaningful legislation addressing racism and discrimination followed in the next few years. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibited discriminatory practices including poll taxes and literacy tests, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968 banned discrimination in property sales, financing, and renting.
