It’s The Anniversary Of the 1964 Civil Rights Bill

The Senate passed it 73-27. From the June 19, 1964 New York Times:

Except for Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia, all the Democratic votes against the bill came from Southerners…

The bill passed by the Senate outlaws discrimination in places of public accommodation, publicly owned facilities, employment and union membership and Federally aided programs. It gives the Attorney General new powers to speed school desegregation and enforce the Negro’s right to vote…

The Illinois Republican [Everett Dirksen] proceeded to answer Mr.[Barry] Goldwater’s implied rebuke of yesterday when the Arizonan called the rights measure an “unconstitutional” bill.

Mr. Dirksen recalled that on June 5 last year the Republican Conference of the Senate urged the Administration to produce a program to guarantee the rights and privileges of all citizens.

He then addressed himself to Mr. Goldwater’s argument that the sections of the bill dealing with public accommodations and employment were an unwarranted extension of the commerce clause of the Constitution.

Mr. Dirksen tolled a long list of social and economic legislation that had been similarly called unconstitutional when first proposed.

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.