Current:Home > StocksCelebrating July 2, America's other Independence Day -StockHorizon
Celebrating July 2, America's other Independence Day
View
Date:2025-04-14 15:25:18
With Thursday's Supreme Court ruling striking down affirmative action in college admissions, it has been a landmark week. Commentary now from historian Mark Updegrove, president of the LBJ Foundation in Austin, about a similarly momentous day in American history:
Fifty-nine years ago today, legal apartheid in America came to an abrupt end. President Lyndon Johnson addressed the nation from the East Room of the White House:
"I am about to sign into law the Civil Rights Act of 1964 …. Let us close the springs of racial poison."
Afterward, ours was a changed nation, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. The back of Jim Crow, with its false promise of "separate but equal" public accommodations, was broken, as America fulfilled its most sacred ideal: "All men are created equal."
Since then, the Civil Rights Act has become as fundamental to our national identity as any of our founding documents, deeply rooted in the fabric of a nation that strives to be "more perfect" and to move ever forward.
In a deeply-divided America, where faith in government has ebbed, and affirmative action is under siege, it's worth reflecting on the fruition of the Civil Rights Act as a snapshot of our country at its best ...
A time when Martin Luther King and an army of non-violent warriors put their bodies on the line to expose the worst of bigotry and racial tyranny ...
When a bipartisan Congress – Democrats and Republicans alike – joined together to overcome a bloc of obstructionist Southern Democrats who staged the longest filibuster in Senate history, and force passage of the bill ...
And when a President put the weight of his office behind racial justice, dismissing adverse political consequences by responding, "What the hell's the presidency for?"
Why did Johnson choose to sign the Civil Rights Act on July 2, instead of doing so symbolically on July 4, as Americans celebrated Independence Day? He wanted to sign the bill into law as soon as possible, which he did just hours after it was passed.
And that separate date makes sense. The signing of the Civil Rights Act deserved its own day. Because for many marginalized Americans, July 2 was Independence Day, a day when every citizen became equal under the law.
And that's something we should all celebrate.
For more info:
- LBJ Foundation
- LBJ Presidential Library
- CBS News coverage: The Long March For Civil Rights
Story produced by Robert Marston. Editor: Karen Brenner.
See also:
- Civil Rights Act: A proud memory for W.H. aide ("CBS Evening News")
- 50 years after Civil Rights Act, Americans see progress on race
- Voices of today's civil rights movement
- What is white backlash and how is it still affecting America today?
- CBS News coverage: The long march for civil rights
- In:
- Lyndon Johnson
- Civil Rights
veryGood! (754)
Related
- Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
- The Book Report: Washington Post critic Ron Charles (April 28)
- Nearly 50 years later, Asian American and Pacific Islander month features revelry and racial justice
- Claudia Oshry Reveals How Ozempic Caused Hair Loss Issues
- Sonya Massey's father decries possible release of former deputy charged with her death
- E. coli outbreak: Walnuts sold in at least 19 states linked to illnesses in California and Washington
- Former USWNT star Carli Lloyd pregnant with her first child
- Florida Says No to Federal Funding Aimed at Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
- RJ Davis' returning to North Carolina basketball: What it means for Tar Heels in 2024-25
Ranking
- The Super Bowl could end in a 'three
- Barbra Streisand explains Melissa McCarthy Ozempic comment: 'Forgot the world is reading'
- Is pot legal now? Despite big marijuana news, it's still in legal limbo.
- 'Harry Potter' star Daniel Radcliffe says J.K. Rowling’s anti-Trans views make him 'sad'
- Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie return for an 'Encore,' reminisce about 'The Simple Life'
- Ex-Tesla worker says he lost job despite sacrifices, including sleeping in car to shorten commute
- Kansas tornado leaves 1 dead, destroys nearly two dozen homes, officials say
- Potential shooter 'neutralized' outside Wisconsin middle school Wednesday, authorities say
Recommendation
What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
'An Officer and a Gentleman' actor Louis Gossett Jr.'s cause of death revealed
Google and Apple now threatened by the US antitrust laws helped build their technology empires
The Daily Money: Will the Fed make a move?
Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
Live Nation's Concert Week is here: How to get $25 tickets to hundreds of concerts
6-year-old girl goes missing along Michigan river where 7-year-old drowned the day before
Dance Moms' JoJo Siwa and Kalani Hilliker Reveal Why They’re Still Close to Abby Lee Miller