Expert: Lane - 8/6/2009

Question
Regarding the 1964 Civil Rights Act, I am interested in knowing which political party was dominant influence in its passage. I know that both JFK and Johnson pushed for it, but also there was southern opposition to it largely in the south from both parties. Which party ultimately committed more votes to its passage in Congress? Thank you.

Answer
David,

Thank you for your question. The civil rights segment of American history is one of the most intriguing and controversial and, more than America was divided along party lines, she was divided along geographical lines. The Southern United States was still a racist stronghold while, in the North, vehement opposition was forming and a push for equal rights was becoming more and more insistent.

In 1964 the Civil Rights Act of that year was passed. The majority of southern congressmen and senators voted against the bill while the majority of lawmakers in the North voted for it. That being said, there were still some differing opinions in each geographical region and in each party. Here are the raw voting numbers for your consideration, broken down by region (southern denoting the states that were considered the Confederacy during the Civil War, northern denoting all others) and party in the "yea-nay" format:

The original House version:

Southern Democrats: 7-87   (7%-93%)
Southern Republicans: 0-10   (0%-100%)
Northern Democrats: 145-9   (94%-6%)
Northern Republicans: 138-24   (85%-15%)

The Senate version:

Southern Democrats: 1-20   (5%-95%)
Southern Republicans: 0-1   (0%-100%)
Northern Democrats: 45-1   (98%-2%)
Northern Republicans: 27-5   (84%-16%)

I hope I was able to answer your question. If not, please do not hesitate to ask a follow-up. Thank you and have a great day.

Lane