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The Civil Rights Act of 1964, Pub. L. No. 88-352, 78 Stat. 241 (July 2, 1964), in the United States was landmark legislation outlawing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Originally conceived to protect the rights of black men, the bill was amended prior to passage to protect the civil rights of all men and women. The Act transformed American society. It prohibited discrimination in public facilities, in government, and in employment. The "Jim Crow" Laws in the South were abolished, and it became illegal to compel segregation of the races in schools, housing, or hiring. Enforcement powers were initially weak, but they grew over the years, and later programs (such as Affirmative Action ) were made possible by the Act. LEGISLATIVE HISTORY Originally drafted by Republican Senator Everett Dirksen , the bill was promised by President John F. Kennedy in his civil rights speech of June 11 1963 , in which he asked for legislation that would provide "the kind of equality of treatment which we would want for ourselves." He then sent the bill to Congress on June 19, when it was introduced in Congress by Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield . Kennedy was unable to advance the bill, but after his death, the President Lyndon Johnson decided to use his power in Congress to pass it. Despite an 83-day filibuster in the Senate by conservatives and segregationists, both parties in Congress voted overwhelmingly in favor of the Act, and President Johnson signed the bill into law on July 2 , 1964 . Vote statistics Vote totals
By Party The Original House Version:
The Senate Version:
The Senate Version, voted on by the House:
Switches in position: "Yea" to "Nay": Earl Wilson (R-IN), Bob Wilson (R-CA), and Charlotte T. Reid (R-IL) "Nay" to "Yea": John Jacob Rhodes (R-AZ), J. Edward Hutchinson (R-MI), and Charles Weltner (D-GA). By Party and Region The Original House Version:
The Senate Version:
102 senators? WOMEN'S RIGHTS Howard W. Smith , the powerful Virginian who chaired the House Rules Committee, opposed civil rights laws for blacks, but he supported them for women. He mainly supported the rights for women with hopes that it would ensure the defeat of the bill. Unfortunately this has left the word "sex" up to much debate. Many plaintiffs have claimed to the courts that it is integral to end discrimination based on sexual orientation to ensure real equality for women. The courts and the EEOC have claimed that "sex" does not include "sexual preference." Some believe that this is interchangeable due to the fact that if you would be discriminated on the basis that you are a woman who loves a woman and not a man. The courts have ruled that an employer has a right to discriminated against gays because both men and women will be discriminated against if they prefer the same-sex. He had long been close to Alice Paul , one of the leaders of the Suffrage Movement since 1917. At her urging included gender as a protected category. He forged an alliance with Congresswoman Martha Griffiths , a liberal feminist from Michigan, to include gender as a protected category in the Civil Rights Law of 1964. Griffith and Smith defeated the liberals of the AFL-CIO who had long opposed the Equal Rights Amendment , as well as the black leaders who wanted the bill to focus on race. POLITICAL REPERCUSSIONS "We have lost the South for a generation." — Lyndon Johnson , to an aide, immediately after signing the Act. The bill divided and engendered a long-term change in the demographics of both political parties. President Johnson realized that supporting this bill would mean losing the South's overwhelming support of the Democratic Party . Although large majorities of both parties voted for the bill, there were notable exceptions. Republican senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona voted against the bill, remarking, "You can't legislate morality". Most Democrats from the Southern states opposed the bill, including Tennessee senator Albert Gore Sr. , Arkansas senator J. William Fulbright , and West Virginia senator Robert Byrd . Goldwater went on to secure his party's nomination for the presidency, and in the ensuing Election , Goldwater won only his home state of Arizona and five of the Deep South states -- four of which had not voted Republican since the disputed Presidential Election Of 1876 . This marked the end of the Solid South . MAJOR FEATURES OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964 (The full text of the Act is available online.) Title I Barred unequal application of voter registration requirements, but did not abolish literacy tests sometimes used to disqualify African Americans and poor white voters. "It shall be the duty of the judge designated pursuant to this section to assign the case for hearing at the earliest practicable date and to cause the case to be in every way expedited." Title II Outlawed discrimination in hotels, motels, restaurants, theaters, and all other public accommodations engaged in interstate commerce; exempted private clubs without defining the term "private." Title III Encouraged the desegregation of public schools and authorized the U. S. Attorney General to file suits to force desegregation. Title VII Title VII of the Act, codified as Subchapter VI of Chapter 21 of Title 42 of the United States Code, ''et seq.'', outlaws discrimination in employment in any business on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin (see ). Title VII also prohibits retaliation against employees who oppose such unlawful discrimination. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces Title VII (see ). The EEOC investigates, mediates, and sometimes files lawsuits on behalf of employees. Title VII also provides that an individual can bring a private lawsuit. An individual must file a complaint of discrimination with the EEOC within 180 days of learning of the discrimination or the individual may lose the right to file a lawsuit. Title VII only applies to employers who employ 15 or more employees for more than 19 weeks in the current or preceding calendar year. Chrapliwy V. Uniroyal is a notable early Title VII case decided in favor of the plaintiffs. In the late 1970s courts began holding that sexual harassment is also prohibited under the Act. In 1986 the Supreme Court held in '' Meritor Savings Bank V. Vinson '', 477 U.S. 57 (1986), that sexual harassment is sex discrimination and is prohibited by Title VII. Title VII has been supplemented with legislation prohibiting pregnancy, age, and disability discrimination (''See'' Americans With Disabilities Act Of 1990 ). REFERENCES
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