> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://america-250.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Civil Rights Act of 1964

> Landmark legislation outlawing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

<Note>
  Signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on July 2, 1964. Often called the most significant civil rights legislation since Reconstruction.
</Note>

## What the Law Did

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Its major provisions are organized into "Titles":

* **Title II** banned discrimination in public accommodations such as hotels, restaurants, and theaters.
* **Title VI** prohibited discrimination in any program receiving federal funds.
* **Title VII** prohibited employment discrimination and created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

It also strengthened voting rights protections and authorized the federal government to enforce school desegregation.

## Background

The Act grew out of the civil rights movement, including the 1963 March on Washington and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. President Kennedy proposed the legislation in 1963; after his assassination, President Johnson made its passage a national priority. It cleared a lengthy Senate filibuster before becoming law.

## Constitutional Basis

Congress grounded the Act primarily in the **Commerce Clause** (Article I, Section 8) and the **Fourteenth Amendment's** Equal Protection Clause. The Supreme Court upheld it in *Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States* (1964).

## Source

See the full text and history at the [U.S. National Archives](https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/civil-rights-act).