Which 1964 U.S. law outlawed discrimination in public accommodations based on race, color, religion, or national origin?

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed discrimination in public accommodations based on race, color, religion, or national origin.

President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act on July 2, 1964. The law prohibited segregation and discrimination in hotels, restaurants, theaters, and other public accommodations, and it barred discrimination in employment. It also strengthened the federal government's ability to enforce desegregation in schools and protect equal access to public facilities.

The act emerged from decades of activism, litigation, boycotts, demonstrations, and organizing by Black Americans and their allies. The Birmingham campaign, the March on Washington, and the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy all shaped the political environment surrounding the bill. Senate debate lasted a record-setting period before a bipartisan coalition secured passage.

The law is often confused with the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which targeted barriers to voting. The Fair Housing Act of 1968 addressed discrimination in housing. Together, these laws formed major parts of the federal civil-rights framework.