Lyndon Johnson's Fight for Civil Rights
by Cokie Roberts
and Steve Inskeep
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President Johnson signs
the Civil Rights Act
into law,
July 2, 1964.
Morning Edition,
July 2, 2004 ·
Forty years ago today, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a bill that changed
the face of America. It opened all public accommodations -- hotels, restaurants, swimming pools --
to all Americans regardless of race, color, religion or national origin.
The bill also ended legal discrimination in employment on the basis of race or sex, and established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to enforce the law. The signing ceremony represented a personal triumph
for Johnson, who lobbied tirelessly on behalf of the bill. Recordings of the president's phone conversations
reveal his relentless campaign to wrangle lawmakers in favor of the controversial bill.
NPR's Steve Inskeep and NPR's Cokie Roberts recall Johnson's role in passing the historic act.
Related NPR Stories
July 1, 2004
'My Soul Looks Back in Wonder': Voices of the Civil Rights StruggleSpecial NPR Coverage: The March of WashingtonJune 29, 2004
J.C. Watts Commentary: Civil Rights Act Turns 40Nov. 15, 2003
White House Tapes: Eavesdropping on LBJJan. 8, 2004
Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty
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