What Americans Thought of the Civil Rights Act at the Time

After almost a decade of protests, marches, sit-ins and other activities undertaken by the civil rights movement in the United States, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed into law on July 2. The Act expanded upon the first two variants of the law from 1957 and 1960 and, for the first time, used language that outlawed discrimination because of "race, color, religion, sex, or national origin" in public accommodation, facilities and education as well as in employment contexts. As historical Gallup polling shows, a majority of U.S. Americans surveyed agreed on the necessity of the law - with some caveats.

In a September 1964 survey, 59 percent approved of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, while almost one third disapproved of it. When asked how strict the law should be implemented a month later, only 23 percent were for strict enforcement while 62 percent of survey participants favored a gradual adoption. What that meant in practice or which sections of the act respondents thought should be fully implemented when is unclear since no further questions were asked on this topic at the time.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 would go on to see major amendments at several points in time. Some additions to the federal law include the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972, which strengthened the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Civil Rights Act of 1991, broadening the scope of protections, especially concerning women's rights to sue for sexual discrimination and harassment in the workplace.