The Civil Rights Act of 1964

What happened

On 2 July 1964 President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act, the most sweeping civil rights law since Reconstruction. It outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, banned segregation in public accommodations, and prohibited discrimination in employment.

Why it matters

The Civil Rights Act dismantled the legal framework of segregation in American public life and remains a cornerstone of the nation's civil rights law.

Sources

• National Archives. Civil Rights Act (1964) · Primary source