What is the Civil Rights Act?

DISCLAIMER: there may be small patches of slightly weird sound in this episode. Please bear with us!

On July 2nd 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed one of the most transformative and, for its time, controversial pieces of legislation into American law - the Civil Rights Act.

So, on its 60th anniversary, we discuss exactly what it is, the impact it's had, and how exactly it came to be, as Liam asks... what is the Civil Rights Act?

To answer this question, he is joined by two super special guests:

• Dr. Nicholas Grant, a historian of twentieth century United States at the University of East Anglia
• Dr. Althea Legal-Miller, a Senior Lecture in American History and Culture at Canterbury Christ Church University

Check out these additional resources:

BOOK: Winning Our Freedoms Together: African Americans and Apartheid, 1945-1960 by Nicholas Grant

ARTICLE: Lester Maddox Obituary via The New York Times

WEBSITE: Brown v Board of Education

WEBSITE: The Greensboro Sit-In

WEBSITE: The Civil Rights Act of 1957

WEBSITE: The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee

WEBSITE: The Voting Rights Act of 1965

WEBSITE: Shelby County v Holder (2013)

If you enjoy this episode, why not listen back to these:

What Do We Get Wrong About the Civil Rights Movement?

What Challenge Does Black Lives Matter Present to America?

What is the Civil Rights Act?

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