A Very Short Fact: On this day in 1964, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 passes 73-27.
“The civil rights movement of the 1960s cemented black equality as a matter of law, although not always of practice. Attempts to register black voters from 1961 to 1965 and civil rights marches met increasingly violent responses. The use of police attack dogs, the bombing of a black church in Alabama that killed four young p. 85↵schoolgirls, Klan murders of civil rights activists in Mississippi, and police brutality against marchers in Selma, Alabama, finally repelled the nation and provided the opportunity for President Lyndon B. Johnson to demand a congressional remedy for racial injustice. Three important measures followed. The Civil Rights Act of 1964, which the Supreme Court upheld unanimously later that year, used an expansive interpretation of the commerce clause to end legal segregation in public accommodations, including entertainment venues. The act also banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, or gender and halted federal funds to any program that did not adopt anti-discrimination policies.” — From The U.S. Constitution: A Very Short Introduction by David J. Bodenhamer
[Pg. 84-85 –The U.S. Constitution: A Very Short Introduction by David J. Bodenhamer]
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