Episode 39
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?
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Be on the Show!
What would you put in a US time capsule? We're creating a virtual one on the podcast very soon, and we want to hear from you. Visit https://www.speakpipe.com/AmericaAHistory right now to record your contribution... and you might just make it on the show.
