Civil Rights Act Of 1964 And Memorial Healthcare Systems

In 1964, the United States of America had passed one of its most important civil rights laws in history, the Civil Rights Act. The act bans discrimination and prejudice because of a person's color, race, national origin, religion, or sex; it first and foremost protects the rights of African-Americans and other minorities. Major features of the Civil Rights Act include the freedom to vote and use hotels, restaurants, theaters, parks, and all other public places. The law also encourages the unification of public schools and authorized the withdrawal of federal funds from programs practicing biasness. Other chief features included the prohibition of job discrimination and the creation of the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission.

The Civil Rights Act was an attempt to progress the quality of life for African Americans and other minority groups. Historical momentum for civil rights legislation grew in the mid-1940s due to the widespread black migration to northern cities. During the same time, Congress became active in the quest of civil rights, with the judicial branch of the government at its heels. Shortly afterwards, the Supreme Court joined the civil rights forces and in doing so added to the historical pressure for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. One of the most important and influential Supreme Court decision involving civil rights legislation was the 1954 ruling in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, which desegregate American public schools and paved the way for the civil rights movement.

The definite source of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was President John F. Kennedy. He began gaining support for it in a national address by urging Americans to take action to assure equal treatment for all. He then projected an act dealing with voting rights, public accommodations, desegregation of public schools, and many more items on the civil rights agendas. On July 2, 1964, President Johnson signed the bill that Kennedy had fought for, which created a major piece of civil rights legislation. Although the Civil Rights Act did not decide all problems of discrimination, it did open the door to additional progress by shrinking racial limitations on the use of public facilities, providing more job opportunities, intensification voting laws, and limiting federal funding of discriminatory programs.

Slavery, segregation, poverty, and racism have shaped the health status of African Americans throughout American history. One hundred years after the liberation Proclamation of 1863, blacks were still deprived of the right to vote in some states and received an inferior education in most. Barriers to public health services and hospital care contributed to surplus illness and death. Historically, African-Americans have used the public policy process to assist the social changes essential to win the full rights of citizenship.



This process peaked during the civil rights movement of the 1960s, when Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, probably the most progressive legislation in American history. The act outlawed discrimination in public accommodations, public schools, and health care facilities. It also made possible the Medicaid-Medicare legislation of 1965, which led to improved health status of African Americans and other racial and ethnic minority groups. The civil rights act basically promoted equality amongst the masses in every sector of the society be it education, health or accommodation.

• Felicia Byrnes
• 01/04/2009, 8:59 PM
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