President Johnson signing the act into law
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a civil rights law passed by President Lyndon B. Johnson's Democratic administration on 2 July 1964. The act enforced the constitutional right of African-Americans to vote, prevented discrimination in federally-assisted programs, allowed the government to desgregate schools and public places, and sought to create equal employment opportunity for blacks and whites. The Civil Rights Act was a major victory for the Civil Rights movement during the 1960s, as it would lead to desegregation.