United States President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law

Description :

Civil Rights Act (1964) is a comprehensive United States legislation. It intended to end discrimination based on race, color, religion, or national origin. This act is a remarkable law of the American civil rights movement. It is the most important United States law on civil rights. Title I of this act guarantees equal voting rights by removing registration requirements and procedures biased against minorities and the underprivileged. Title II of the act prohibits segregation or discrimination in places of public accommodation involved in interstate commerce. On July 2, 1964, United States President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law during a nationally televised ceremony at the White House.
  
When the Civil Rights Act was proposed by President John F. Kennedy in 1963, it was a highly controversial issue in the United States. President John F. Kennedy was unable to secure passage of the act in Congress. But on July 2, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson, who was his successor signed the act into law after one of the longest debates in Senate history. However, white groups in the United States opposed integration with African Americans. They responded to the act with significant protests, some racial violence, and increased support for pro-segregation candidates for public office.
 
This act became the most sweeping civil rights legislation of the century. It provides legal recourse for discrimination in schools, public facilities, and conflict resolution. Also, the voting rights section of this act was strengthened by the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In addition, this act laid the important base for several other pieces of legislation, including the Voting Rights Act of 1965.