The Civil Rights Act of 1964

p The Civil Rights Act of 1964

2006

Table of Contents

Abstract .2

Anatomy of Civil Rights Act of 1964 .3

Conclusion .10

References .11

Abstract

The black revolution is much more than a struggle for the rights of Negroes . It is forcing America to face all its interrelated flaws - racism , poverty , militarism , and materialism . It is exposing evils that are rooted deeply in the whole structure of our society . and suggests that radical reconstruction of society is the real issue to be faced p

- Martin Luther King Jr

King 's vision of the future centered on the ideal of one nation indivisible- a nation that would heal its racial divisions by offering justice for all . The metaphor of his dream was his way of making vivid the contrast between the constitutions promise of equality and the realities of the race relations in the America of 1963 . 1 The huge gathering before him had joined on a march on Washington to support the bill the became the civil rights bill of 1964 .He understood that if black people were to think of themselves as belonging to America , the nation must make a reality of the ideal expressed in the supreme court building- Equal justice under law (Grofman , 2000

The idea of equality is on the greatest themes in the culture of American public life . From the declaration of the American independence to the pledge of allegiance , the rhetoric of equality permeates the symbols of nationhood . Such a faith in the capacity of the law is common among the Americans (Grofman , 2000

------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------- (1 ) See also David Haibcrastam "The Second Coming of Martin Luther King " Harper 's Magazine , 235 (Aug . 1967 , 39-51

Anatomy of Civil Rights Act of 1964

The passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 featured many of the same procedural episodes as the 1960 passage , with a background of even greater national awareness , anxiety , and pressure (Grofman , 2000 . On June 20 , 1963 , Judiciary Committee Chairman Emanuel Celler brought in a civil rights bill , H .R . 7152 , which was promptly referred to the Judiciary Committee .2 As he had in 1960 , Celler expended his liberal Subcommittee No . 5 to hold hearings and mark-up on the bill , 3 until , on October 8 , the full Judiciary Committee began consideration of H .R 7152 .4

Celler 's bill , however , confronted issues in the full committee Although his subcommittee had reported out a strong bill , Celler was aware that such a bill would not survive in the Rules Committee or on the House floor , and that compromises were required for passage .5 On October 22 , however , Representative Arch Moore (R-W . Va ) moved to report H .R . 7152 to the full House without modification . Representative Celler immediately adjourned the committee meeting and turned to President Kennedy for assistance (Grofman , 2000 . The next evening , the President met with House majority and minority leaders to try to persuade them to vote against the Moore motion and to craft a compromise that could survive a full...