Which 1964 federal law outlawed segregation in public accommodations and employment discrimination?

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed segregation in public accommodations and employment discrimination.

President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the act on July 2, 1964, after a lengthy congressional debate. The law prohibited discrimination in public places such as hotels, restaurants, and theaters, and it barred employment discrimination by covered employers on grounds including race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

The act emerged from decades of organizing, litigation, boycotts, voter-registration campaigns, and mass demonstrations. The Birmingham campaign and the March on Washington helped build national support, while civil rights leaders and legislators pressed the federal government to enforce equal treatment.

The legislation did not end every form of discrimination, but it established major federal enforcement mechanisms. Title II addressed public accommodations, Title VI addressed federally assisted programs, and Title VII created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 followed the next year and focused specifically on barriers to voting.