Civil Rights Act of 1964

The Civil Rights Act, signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on July 2, 1964, prohibited discrimination in public places, provided for the integration of schools and other public facilities, and made employment discrimination illegal. This document was the most sweeping civil rights legislation since Reconstruction.

In a nationally televised address on June 6, 1963, President John F. Kennedy urged the nation to take action toward guaranteeing equal treatment of every American regardless of race. Soon after, Kennedy proposed that Congress consider civil rights legislation that would address voting rights, public accommodations, school desegregation, nondiscrimination in federally assisted programs, and more.

Despite Kennedy’s assassination in November of 1963, his proposal culminated in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson just a few hours after House approval. The act outlawed segregation in businesses such as theaters, restaurants, and hotels. It banned discriminatory practices in employment and ended segregation in public places such as swimming pools, libraries, and public schools.

Passage of the act was not easy. House opposition bottled up the bill in the House Rules Committee. In the Senate, opponents attempted to talk the bill to death in a filibuster. In early 1964, House supporters overcame the Rules Committee obstacle by threatening to send the bill to the floor without committee approval. The Senate filibuster was overcome through the floor leadership of Senator Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota, the considerable support of President Lyndon Johnson, and the efforts of Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen of Illinois, who convinced Republicans to support the bill.

One of the pens President Johnson used to sign this historic piece of legislation, along with pens used to sign 49 other pivotal acts of legislation between 1961 and 1965, which were given to Lawrence F. O’Brien, was on display in the “Making Their Mark” exhibit in the Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery in 2014.

The images shown below are scans of the first and signature pages of this act. Download a high-resolution version of the entire act from the National Archives’ Online Public Access Database.

Past Featured Records

Thanksgiving Proclamation
President Abraham Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Day Proclamation
In 1863, President Lincoln declared that Americans should come together for a national day of Thanksgiving on the last Thursday of November. At the time, Americans had many regional holidays for giving thanks. However, writer Sarah Josepha Hale petitioned the government to make it a single, unified national holiday. When Lincoln finally agreed, the country was in the middle of the Civil War and deeply divided.
James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act
While nearly 3,000 people were killed on 9/11, thousands more died in the years following because of their exposure to toxic dust. In 2011, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act was passed by Congress to provide healthcare to survivors and those who worked in response and recovery.
Great Seal of the United States
On July 4, 1776, just hours after adopting the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress tasked Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams with creating a national seal. As members of the First Great Seal Committee, each man proposed designs for a national emblem that reflected the independence and aspirations of the new nation. The task proved difficult, and ultimately it took more than three committees and six years to complete the final design for the Great Seal of the United States.
Spymaster-in-Chief: George Washington’s Wartime Espionage
During the Revolutionary War, a large network of colonial spies worked in secret to disrupt British forces. When George Washington took command of the Continental Army in July 1775, he strengthened intelligence efforts by planting false information and writing coded letters to gain an edge over the larger and more experienced British Army. Washington’s account book of wartime spending reveals information about these secret operations.
Snapshots of Service: The 250th Anniversary of the U.S. Navy
The U.S. Navy’s long history began on October 13, 1775, when the Continental Congress authorized ships to intercept British transports as war intensified. While the Navy’s early years are preserved in muster rolls, deck logs, and service records, the Civil War saw photography more candidly capture life in the service.