GCSE · History · AQA · Spec 8145

Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1968

In 1964 racial discrimination became unlawful. So why was the fight for civil rights nowhere near over?

Weigh it up

Did two new laws transform life for black Americans?

The claim

The Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1968 transformed life for black Americans.

Place each piece of evidence to load the balance. Mark the strong ones — they count double.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 made racial discrimination unlawful.
Evidence 1: does it support or challenge the claim?SupportsChallenges
Strong evidence
The 1964 Act left much still to campaign for, particularly black Americans registering to vote.
Evidence 2: does it support or challenge the claim?SupportsChallenges
Strong evidence
The Civil Rights Act of 1968 made it illegal to discriminate in housing.
Evidence 3: does it support or challenge the claim?SupportsChallenges
Strong evidence
The new laws were not always enforced, and weak enforcement together with unchanged attitudes reduced the effect of some changes.
Evidence 4: does it support or challenge the claim?SupportsChallenges
Strong evidence
The 1964 Act has been described as a landmark moment for the civil rights movement, bringing significant change.
Evidence 5: does it support or challenge the claim?SupportsChallenges
Strong evidence
Some problems, such as poverty among black Americans, were not covered by the new laws.
Evidence 6: does it support or challenge the claim?SupportsChallenges
Strong evidence
The 1964 Act is considered one of the greatest successes of the civil rights movement.
Evidence 7: does it support or challenge the claim?SupportsChallenges
Strong evidence
Discrimination and racism against African Americans persisted after the legislation.
Evidence 8: does it support or challenge the claim?SupportsChallenges
Strong evidence

Exam line: The strongest judgements separate what changed in the LAW from what changed in people's LIVES, then say which matters more and why.

How it became law

From Kennedy to Johnson's signature

Put these four steps in the order they happened, from the early 1960s to the day the bill became law.

1 · Happened first4 · Happened last

The civil rights bill clears the Senate
19 June 1964
President Kennedy plays a key part in the civil rights movement's successes
Early 1960s
President Johnson signs the bill, and it becomes law
2 July 1964
Kennedy is assassinated, and Lyndon B. Johnson succeeds him as president

Fact or interpretation?

Which of these can be checked, and which have to be argued?

Pick a statement, then decide: is it a fact or an interpretation?

Still to sort

Fact (0)

Can be checked against the record: a date, who held office, what a law made illegal.

Where the line is: If it would simply be right or wrong when you check the record, it's a fact.

Interpretation (0)

A judgement about significance, success or someone's aims.

Where the line is: If people could reasonably argue about it, and you'd need evidence to back it, it's an interpretation.

7 of 7 still to sort.

Some of the most famous things said about the 1964 Act are verdicts, not facts. Sort them and see.

Law on paper, life on the street

So was that the end of it?

Imagine it's the day after President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act in July 1964. Racial discrimination is now against the law. A friend says: 'That's it, then. It's over.'

Which is closest to what you think right now?

My friend is right. Once discrimination was against the law, it stopped.The law would soon change what people thought, so the rest would follow.The Act made no real difference, so it wasn't worth passing.It's a big change in the law, but a law only changes lives if it's enforced and people change too, so the struggle isn't over.

How sure are you?

I'm sureI think soI'm guessing

My friend is right. Once discrimination was against the law, it stopped.

This is a common misconception

It's a natural thought, but the law and real life moved at different speeds. The new laws were not always enforced, and discrimination and racism against African Americans persisted after the legislation. A law says what should happen. It doesn't make it happen on its own.

The law would soon change what people thought, so the rest would follow.

This is a common misconception

Attitudes did not simply fall into line with the law. Unchanged attitudes, together with weak enforcement, reduced the effect of some of the changes in the law. A new Act on paper did not, by itself, change how people thought.

The Act made no real difference, so it wasn't worth passing.

This is a common misconception

That swings too far the other way. The Act made racial discrimination unlawful, a genuine change in the law, and it has been described as a landmark moment. The limits don't cancel the change. They show how much was still left to do.

It's a big change in the law, but a law only changes lives if it's enforced and people change too, so the struggle isn't over.

This matches the evidence

Exactly. The law had changed, but the laws were not always enforced, weak enforcement and unchanged attitudes reduced the effect of some changes, and racism persisted. You can hold both ideas at once: a landmark in the law, and a struggle that went on.

If you remember one thing, make it this: a law can make discrimination illegal without making it disappear.

Exam line: Say what the law changed, then say what it did not change. Both halves are part of the answer.

Now write your verdict

Turn your balance into a judgement

How far did the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1968 change life for black Americans? Write a short answer that weighs both sides and ends with your judgement. [8 marks]

Your answer

0 words · your answer stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

The mark scheme

Gets the change each Act made right: 1964 for racial discrimination in general, 1968 for housing. (2 marks)
Uses a verdict on the 1964 Act and flags it as a verdict ('has been described as…'). (1 mark)
Develops at least two DIFFERENT limits with specific detail (voting, enforcement, poverty, everyday racism). (2 marks)
Shows how two limits worked together, not just side by side. (1 mark)
Finishes with a direct answer to 'how far' that follows from the weighing, not a new point. (2 marks)

Model answer

In the law, the change was real. Discrimination on grounds of race became unlawful in 1964, and four years later a second Act reached into housing. Many people see 1964 as a landmark, one of the movement's greatest triumphs, though that is a judgement rather than a fact. In people's daily lives, far less changed. Campaigners were left with much still to fight for, above all getting black Americans registered to vote. The laws were not always enforced, and with attitudes unchanged, some of the changes had less effect than they promised. Poverty lay outside what the laws covered, and racism carried on. Overall, I think the Acts changed what the law said far more than they changed everyday life, because a law that is not always enforced, and that leaves problems like poverty untouched, cannot end discrimination on its own.

A top answer does three things: it gives what the Acts changed, gives what they left unchanged, and then decides which matters more for the question asked.

Exam line: Weigh the evidence, don't just list it. Your final sentence should say which side is heavier and why.

WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED

A quick recap of today's lesson.

2 July 1964

The day the Civil Rights Act became law. It changed the law; it did not end the struggle.

What you need to know

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 made racial discrimination unlawful. The Civil Rights Act of 1968 made it illegal to discriminate in housing.
Johnson succeeded Kennedy after Kennedy's assassination. The bill cleared the Senate on 19 June 1964 and became law with Johnson's signature on 2 July 1964.
Calling the 1964 Act 'a landmark' or 'one of the movement's greatest successes' is an interpretation, so treat it as a judgement you support, not a plain fact.
The Acts did not end the struggle: voter registration was still to be won, the laws were not always enforced, attitudes did not change, poverty was not covered and racism persisted.

The big picture

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 made racial discrimination unlawful, and the Civil Rights Act of 1968 made it illegal to discriminate in housing. Lyndon B. Johnson, president after Kennedy's assassination, signed the 1964 Act into law on 2 July 1964; it has been described as a landmark. But changing the law is not the same as changing lives: voter registration was still to be won, the laws were not always enforced, poverty was not covered and racism persisted. Your job is to weigh both sides and reach a judgement.

Key points

11964 Act: racial discrimination became unlawful.

21968 Act: discrimination in housing became illegal.

3Kennedy is credited with a key part in the early-1960s successes; Johnson was president when the 1964 Act became law.

4'Landmark' and 'greatest success' are verdicts on the Act. Say so when you use them.

5A law on paper is not a change in everyday life: weak enforcement and unchanged attitudes reduced the effect of some changes.

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Worked example

Problem

Write ONE balanced sentence about the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that uses a fact, an interpretation and a limit, and makes it clear which part is the interpretation.

⚠ Watch out

Saying President Kennedy passed the Civil Rights Act. Kennedy is credited with a key part in the early-1960s successes, but it was Johnson who was president when the Act became law, signing it on 2 July 1964.

🧠

Memory hook

What the Acts left to fight: V-E-P-R, 'Very Everyday Problems Remained': Voter registration, Enforcement (weak, with unchanged attitudes), Poverty, Racism.

✓

Check yourself

A law can change in a single day, but life often changes much more slowly. Using two pieces of evidence about the 1964 Act, explain why.

Flashcards

(12)

What did the Civil Rights Act of 1964 make unlawful?

Racial discrimination.

What did the Civil Rights Act of 1968 make illegal?

Discrimination in housing.

Who was president when the 1964 Civil Rights Act was passed?

Lyndon B. Johnson.

On what date did the civil rights bill clear the Senate?

19 June 1964.

When, and how, did the 1964 bill become law?

On 2 July 1964, with President Johnson's signature.

How did Johnson come to be president?

He succeeded Kennedy after Kennedy's assassination.

What part is President Kennedy credited with in the civil rights story?

He was instrumental in the civil rights movement's successes in the early 1960s.

Is 'Johnson carried Kennedy's commitment to civil rights forward' a fact or an interpretation?

An interpretation: a judgement about Johnson's aims. The fact beneath it is that he succeeded Kennedy.

Give two verdicts that have been given on the 1964 Act.

A landmark moment that brought significant change; one of the civil rights movement's greatest successes.

Which issue did the 1964 Act leave campaigners with most to fight for?

Getting black Americans registered to vote.

Which two things together reduced the effect of some of the new laws?

Weak enforcement and unchanged attitudes.

Give an example of a problem the new civil rights laws did not cover.

Poverty.

Tap any card to flip it, or use Study as deck to go through them one at a time. In the full lesson these run as a spaced-repetition deck — you rate each card Hard, Good or Easy and the tricky ones keep coming back until they stick.

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Did two new laws transform life for black Americans?

From Kennedy to Johnson's signature

Which of these can be checked, and which have to be argued?

So was that the end of it?

Turn your balance into a judgement

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