The Civil Rights Act of 1964: On This Day, July 2

President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 on July 2, 1964. Title VII of the act banned discrimination based on sex, race, color, religion, or national origin.

The March on Washington and other widespread, grassroots activites; the murders of civil rights workers and attacks on African American people and organizations; and the assassination of President Kennedy all played a role in moving the act toward passage. You can see a fictionalized view of this crucial era, All the Way, starring Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston as LBJ, on HBO.

Or review the history through our Civil Rights Act timeline and The Civil Rights Act of 1964: Legislating Equality, a special issue of History Now.