{"id":10254,"date":"2017-06-16t11:59:44","date_gmt":"2017-06-16t18:59:44","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/?p=10254"},"modified":"2017-06-16t12:06:52","modified_gmt":"2017-06-16t19:06:52","slug":"civil-rights-act-1964-apush","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/ap\/civil-rights-act-1964-apush\/","title":{"rendered":"the civil rights act of 1964: apush topics to study for test day"},"content":{"rendered":"

the civil rights act of 1964 is one of the landmark pieces of legislation that defined the years following its passage. however, the legacy of this piece of legislation is complex. read on to learn more about this monumental policy for the apush exam. <\/p>\n

what did the civil rights act do?<\/h2>\n

the civil rights act of 1964 sought to undo the damage<\/a> of jim crow policies, outlawing segregation in public spaces and employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, or national origin \u2013 commonly referred to as \u201cprotected classes\u201d in legal debates. <\/p>\n

i wrote a post about the great migration<\/a> that helps put the civil rights act into context. as african americans fled the brutal (politically and physically) policies in the south, they found de facto policies of segregation in the north and west, including redlining<\/a> and restrictive covenants that limited their ability to buy a home and get a piece of the american dream. <\/p>\n

this sense of irony \u2013 the place that courted black labor was just as segregated and violent as the place they had left \u2013 was a large motivator for the civil rights movement. the civil rights act, and the voting rights act of 1965, were concrete pieces of legislation that were intended to make the ideals of american democracy real for african americans.<\/p>\n

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the 1963 march on washington was pivotal moment in the civil rights movement.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

how did the civil rights act get passed into law?<\/h2>\n

if you need a refresher on how bills become law, i suggest you check out one of my favorite videos from schoolhouse rock: \u2018i\u2019m just a bill.\u2019<\/a> (i also dare you not to have it stuck in your head for the rest of the week.) i\u2019m just going to give you some of the specifics about this particular bill.<\/p>\n

lyndon b. johnson, democratic successor to jfk, threw his political weight behind the bill. some doubted the wisdom behind this move following the assassination of jfk the november before; senator richard russell, jr., (d-ga) went so far as to threaten that johnson\u2019s support \u201c[would] not only cost [him] the south, it will [him] you the election.\u201d<\/a> by votes of 290-130 in the house and 72-27 in the senate, the civil rights act became law on july 2, 1964. <\/p>\n

what happened after the civil rights act was law?<\/h2>\n

however, the work of the civil rights movement was not done. activists throughout the south \u2013 notably fannie lou hamer, a mississippi freedom democratic party organizer \u2013 put the democratic party under considerable pressure to address the realities of life in the jim crow south (a recognition that would make former dixiecrats abandon the democratic party up until today). <\/p>\n