Today in history: The most sweeping domestic legislation in a century

Happy birthday, Civil Rights Act

President Johnson shakes hands with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. after presenting King with one of the 72 pens used to sign the Civil Rights Act of 1964 on July 2, 1964.
(Image credit: AP Photo)

On this day. 1964: A historic legislative victory for President Lyndon Johnson: Congress approved the Civil Rights Act. The Civil Rights Act — the most sweeping domestic legislation in a century — banned discrimination on the basis of race, religion, or national origin. It also gave the federal government new powers to enforce desegregation.

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