Civil Rights Legislation (AQA GCSE History)
Revision Note
What impact did the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1968 have on the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s and 1970s? - Timeline & Summary
President Lyndon B. Johnson passed the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1968, which ended the Jim Crow Laws and segregation within the United States.
The achievement of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1968 was the outcome of a century’s worth of protests, violence, and personal sacrifice from millions of African- Americans.
Many who supported Martin Luther King Jr. and the nonviolent movement believed the two acts had removed discrimination and gained vital support from white Americans to enable further progress. However, others believed the Civil Rights Acts of the 1960s took too long and did not have the impact intended.
However, both acts had limitations and left many African- Americans frustrated. Issues concerning ghettos, unemployment, living conditions, poverty, and racism continued during this period and contributed to riots in 1967 and 1968 after the assassination of King.
The Civil Rights Act, 1964
The Civil Rights Act, 1964
On July 2nd, 1964, President Lyndon. B. Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act on live television
Johnson was able to push the Civil Rights Bill through the Senate and the House of Representatives despite opposition because he:
Was an experienced politician
Gained support from Congress as he was a Southerner, from Texas
Using the memory of the assassinated President John. F. Kennedy who introduced the bill
The Civil Rights Act stopped many forms of discrimination in the US, however, it did not end discrimination
The Civil Rights Act, 1964
Successes | Failures |
|---|---|
Ended discrimination in public places such as hotels, restaurants, and theatres | No federal laws enforced the law of voter registration tests |
Furthered school desegregation | Schools still found ways to desegregate pupils |
Ended discrimination in employment as it introduced an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) | The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission only dealt with complaints |
The Voting Rights Act, 1965
The Voting Rights Act, 1965
On August 6th, 1965, President Lyndon. B. Johnson signed The Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act was quickly enacted by Congres due to
The success of the March on Selma in 1965
Pressure from Civil Rights groups
The Voting Rights Act
Ended literacy tests
The monitoring and intervention of voter registration by Federal agents if there was discrimination
The Voting Rights Act resulted in
250,000 African Americans registering to vote in 1965
The increase of number in elected African- Americans representatives
The Civil Rights Act, 1968
The Civil Rights Act, 1968
On 11th April 1968, The Civil Rights Act was passed by President Lyndon. B. Johnson
This act was passed a week after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
The Civil Rights Act of 1968, also known as the Fair Housing Act
Guaranteed native American civil rights
Banned the discrimination of housing based on race, religion, and national origin regarding the
Sale
Rental
Financing
Worked Example
In what ways did the Voting Rights Act of 1965 affect the lives of African- Americans in the 1960s?
[8 marks]
Partial answer:
One way in which the Voting Rights Act affected the lives of African- Americans in the 1960s was it stopped voting discrimination (1). One way African- Americans were discriminated against was through literacy tests (1). Literacy tests were designed to be very hard to pass and were introduced as a way of preventing African- Americans from being able to register to vote (1). This affected the lives of African- Americans because the removal of the literacy tests resulted in 250,000 African- Americans registering to vote in 1965 (1).
Exam Tip
In this style of question, you should aim to have two well-explained paragraphs about how the Voting Rights Act of 1965 affected African- Americans. You could try to focus your paragraphs on how different groups of African- Americans were affected by the Voting Rights Act. For example, your second paragraph could focus on how the Voting Rights Act saw an increase in African- Americans being elected as representatives.
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