LBJ and the Civil Rights Act 1964

Question 1

Civil Rights Commission findings (1961)

Answer 1

-57% of African American housing judged to be unacceptable
-African American life expectancy was 7 years less than whites
-African American infant mortality was twice as great as whites
African Americans found it all but impossible to get mortgages from mortgage lenders
-Property values would drop a great deal if an African American family moved into a neighbourhood that was not a ghetto

Question 2

What did the CRA 1964 introduce?

Answer 2

-The right to end segregation in the South
-Prohibited segregation in public places
-Equal employment commission created
-Federal funding would be given to segregated schools
-Any company that wanted federal funding had to have a pro civil rights charter

Question 3

Why was the act significant?

Answer 3

-Advance American society
-Media attention
-Covers social, political, economic+ culture
-Ends segregation (loses the South)

Question 4

What criticisms were there of the act?

Answer 4

-The act did not go far enough
-Laws and legal rulings were pointless + were never enforced