July 3, 1964 - Civil Rights Act - a podcast by Stephen Hammond

President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the U.S. Civil Rights Act. President John F. Kennedy’s 1960 campaign for a new American civil rights act met with such heavy opposition from Southern Democrats, it was stymied for several years. Still, in a national speech on June 11, 1963, President Kennedy outlined the need for African Americans to receive legal protection. When Kennedy was assassinated five months later, it was up to Lyndon B. Johnson to decide if he wanted to push forward with the new proposed law. Johnson, a Texas Democrat, had helped with the Civil Rights Act of 1957, but Kennedy’s law went much further. However, in the end Johnson became a champion of the cause. Passage of the Act was a breeze in the House of Representatives in comparison to the Senate, where Southerners were infamous for using procedures to kill most civil rights legislation. Johnson’s long-time friend and mentor, Senator Richard B. Russell, filibustered the bill along with 18 other Democratic Southerners. But Johnson was highly skilled at parliamentary procedure and he used every tactic in the book. In the end, 73 senators voted in favour of the bill while 27 opposed it. Thus, on July 3, 1964, President Johnson signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1964, giving African Americans the protections they required to vote and access public facilities such as restaurants and hotels.

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