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| Source:James Miller Center- President Lyndon B. Johnson, signing the 1964 Civil Right Act at the Oval Office. |
"On July 2, 1964, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act, using more than 70 pens. He handed the pens out to those at the ceremony, including Martin Luther King, Jr. and Attorney General Robert Kennedy."
From the James Miller Center
President Lyndon Johnson signing of the 1964 Civil Rights is one of the most important moments in American history. Because he signed a law that granted access to millions of Americans who were simply denied that access simply because of their race and for no other reason than that.
And what it meant was that not only do all Americans have the same constitutional rights under law, but that they have to be enforced equally for all Americans. And if the states aren't willing to do that and leave Americans in the dark because of their race, then the Federal Government will step in and enforce those laws and rights for them.
Because of the 1964 Civil Rights Act millions of African-Americans are now able to own homes, get loans from banks, get good employment. Because they're no longer denied those opportunities simply because of their race and complexion.
Which is what they were pre-1964 CRA and the broader civil rights movement of their 1950s and 1960s. The 1964 Civil Rights Act meant that Americans regardless of race, ethnicity, complexion, or gender would now be treated equally under law.
