It’s been 60 years since the Civil Rights Act passed. What to know about the landmark law

President Joe Biden will deliver a speech Monday to commemorate the act at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library. Johnson signed the legislation into law while president.

Local government reporter

10:03 PM on Jul 26, 2024 CDT

July 2 marked the 60th anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law.

President Joe Biden will be in Austin on Monday to deliver an address at the LBJ Presidential Library celebrating the landmark law.

Here’s a brief history of the act:

What are key parts of the law?

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The Civil Rights Act most notably made it illegal to segregate based on race, color, religion or national origin in a variety of settings, including public property, schools and universities, and some private businesses.

Additionally, the law criminalized discrimination in employment practices, established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and moved civil rights cases from state courts to federal courts, limiting the ability of some local judges to protect discriminatory practices.

What was the law’s path to Johnson’s desk?

The Civil Rights Act passed the House and Senate with wide bipartisan support, particularly by members of Congress from northern states, but its path to the president’s desk was not smooth.

President John F. Kennedy first proposed the bill in June 1963, citing the need for greater protection against racial discrimination.

That summer, civil rights leaders led the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom that featured Martin Luther King Jr.’s famed “I Have a Dream” speech delivered before more than a quarter-million people on the National Mall.

The push for a new law was complicated when Kennedy was killed in Dallas that November, passing responsibility for the Civil Rights Act to Johnson, a white Southerner who called on Congress to pass civil rights legislation only five days after being sworn in as the 36th president.

Passing the law was a significant political gamble for Johnson, who had to overcome objections from Southern lawmakers and risk alienating Southern Democrats, many of whom would join the Republican Party.

What has been the law’s impact?

The Civil Rights Act is considered one of the most consequential pieces of legislation in U.S. history.

Its passage eliminated Jim Crow laws in the South that legalized racial segregation and with the Voting Rights Act taking effect the following year, opened a pathway for nonwhite citizens to more fully participate in American life.