The Politics of Passing 1964’s Civil Rights Act

Terry Gross, host of NPR’s show, Fresh Air, interviewed Todd Purdum, the author of a recent book about the political and legal battles that were fought in order to enact the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which President Lyndon Johnson signed 50 years ago tomorrow. You can listen to the interview or read the transcript. The author describes the actions taken by civil rights activists and those who sought to prevent integration and how those actions served to galvanize ordinary Americans, as well as politicians, to make a stand. Much of the interview focuses on the political dealings in 1963 as the Ciivil Rights Act was taking shape.

courtesy of Knovation