Question

In what ways do you think 1964 changed American politics? In what ways have we progressed from 1964?

Answer 1

Johnson championed his passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, also advocating a series of anti-poverty programs collectively known as the Great Society. Goldwater espoused a low-tax, small-government philosophy, and opposed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Democrats successfully portrayed Goldwater as a dangerous extremist, most famously in the "Daisy" television advertisement. The Republican Party was divided between its moderate and conservative factions, with Rockefeller and other moderate party leaders refusing to campaign for Goldwater. Johnson led by wide margins in all opinion polls conducted during the campaign.

What Did the Civil Rights Act of 1964 Do?
In 11 titles, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 sought to improve access to voting, public
accommodations, and employment as well as improve the overall status of individ-
uals discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, and national
origin. Of the 11 titles, the most well known is Title VII, which prohibits employ-
ment discrimination on the basis of membership in one of the five protected classes
listed above. We summarize the purpose of all 11 titles in Table 1, and we describe
each title in more detail below.
Title I relates to voting rights; it bans the use of literacy tests, the inconsistent
application of voting requirements, and the use of immaterial errors and omissions
to disenfranchise eligible voters. Although Title I appeared to be an encouraging step
in the protection of voting rights, according to Sudeep (2013), Title I “failed to create
long-term change; barring certain types of discriminatory voting practices simply led
to a modification of methods—Southern voting officials would do everything from
ignore court orders to freeze voting rolls by closing registration offices” (p. 271).
The failure of Title I to bring about meaningful change in Southern voting practices
led Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Title II bans discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, or national ori-
gin by businesses that provide public accommodations, including, but not limited
to, hotels, restaurants, and theaters. Title II exempts businesses not engaged in in-
terstate commerce as well as private clubs. Private business owners immediately
challenged the constitutionality of Title II, but the Supreme Court found Title II
within Congress’ regulatory power under the Interstate Commerce Clause (U.S.
Constitution, article I, § 8, cl. 3) in the companion cases Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc.
v. United States (1964) and Katzenbach v. McClung (1964).
Title III prohibits states, counties, and municipalities from denying individuals
access to public facilities based on their race, color, religion, or national origin.