Civil Rights Act Of 1964 Essay

910 Words4 Pages

It started with John F Kennedy being determined to end discrimination and seek change. He once stated, “We preach freedom around the world, but are we to say to the world, and much more importantly, to each other, that this is a land of the free except for Negroes?” (Foner, Give Me Liberty! 993). Unfortunately, he was assassinated and was unable to pass the Civil Rights Act. Thankfully, Lyndon B Johnson wanted to honor his death and decided to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 became a big role in the United States. This fundamental legal document was able to reinforce protections that were in the US Constitution. It set the ground that everyone should have “full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, and privileges...without discrimination or segregation on the ground of race, color, religion, or national origin” (1964 Civil Rights Act, Title II, Section 201). This aims to end discrimination and segregation in public places along with individuals having equal access. “Title II [also] made it federal law to open hotels, restaurants, gas stations, and stadiums to all Americans without regard to their race” (Williams, The 1964 Civil Rights Act: Then and Now, 8). Title VII …show more content…

This granted Africans the right to vote. Unfortunately, poll taxes and literacy tests were later applied to minimize the votes from African Americans. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 states that they can’t “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” is given (1964 Civil Rights Act, Title I, Section 101). This shows how it had to be the same and equal to every individual taking the literacy test. This didn’t outlaw literacy tests, but it made a restriction on having them all equal to