As part of his vision for a Great Society, on July 2, 1964, President Johnson signed into law The Civil Rights Act of 1964, guaranteeing freedoms and rights for all Americans. - See more at: http://www.lbjlibrary.org/lyndon-baines-johnson/timeline#sthash.DlOAbqQQ.dpuf
Below- Watch the documentary with original footage Birth Struggle of the 1964 Civil Rights Act (55:00 min)
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This documentary from the CBS News Archives examines the stormy passage of civil rights bill H.R. 7152 through the House of Representatives. The program, filmed in 1964, begins with a report on the controversial bill’s history, from its introduction by John F. Kennedy to the eve of its debate on the Senate floor. Following that report, Eric Sevareid moderates as Senators Hubert Humphrey and Strom Thurmond engage in a live television debate on the bill’s merits. Footage of John and Robert Kennedy, Justice Department officials Nicholas Katzenbach and Burke Marshall, President Lyndon Johnson, and the racial clashes of the early 1960s captures the tension and drama surrounding the most comprehensive civil rights law since Reconstruction. Produced by CBS NEWS. (55 minutes, b&w)