The Civil Rights Act of 1964
Before July of 1964 segregation was still commonly practiced in the America, especially in the southern states. Even though it was supposed to be separate but equal, it was far from that. But the Civil Rights Act got rid of this legal segregation. It opened the path to equality amongst blacks and whites but ended up being one of the most controversial debates in America.
Every year, from 1945 until 1957, Congress considered and failed to pass a civil rights bill. Congress finally passed limited Civil Rights Acts in 1957 and 1960, but these acts only offered moderate gains. Although the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments outlawed slavery, provided for equal protection under the law, guaranteed citizenship, and protected the right to vote, individual states continued to allow unfair treatment of minorities and passed Jim Crow laws allowing segregation of public facilities. After so many racial incidents and innocent deaths to the black community, civil rights
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One of the crucial parts of act was the end of the Poll Tax on January 23, 1964. Picture this, you’re finally old enough to vote in your first election but do you have the money to vote? That was the case not too long ago. People in many states had to pay a fee to vote national elections. The second important part of the act was the Smith Amendment, which added the word sex behind religion to address gender inequality. “Given this political legacy, it is often said that Smith may have added his amendment as a means of weakening and dividing the political coalition behind the Civil Rights Act” (Library of Congress). Most thought his intention was to kill the bill, but he wanted white women to have the same protection as white men. Even though the Civil Rights Act of 1964 wasn’t perfected to the tee, it was successful with starting the fight to end discrimination and