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On this day in 1960, President Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act of 1960

Clay Cane
May 6, 2024

President Eisenhower poses in his office, June 23, 1958, with black leaders with whom he discussed civil rights issues. Left to right: Lester B. Granger, executive secretary, National Urban League; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Montgomery, Al., president of the Southern Leadership Conference; E. Frederic Morrow, White House administrative officer; Eisenhower; A. Philip Randolph, AFL-CIO vice president and head of International Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters; Attorney General William Rogers; and Roy Wilkins, executive secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The callers told Eisenhower that court ordered suspension of school integration at Little Rock, AR "has shocked and outraged black citizens and millions of their fellow Americans." (AP Photo)

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On May 6, 1960, President Dwight D. Eisenhower put his signature on the Civil Rights Act of 1960. The significant legislation ushered in federal oversight of local voter registration sites and penalties for preventing individuals from registering to vote. The impetus for the bill stemmed from a wave of violent assaults on churches and Black educational institutions across the South.

Beyond laying the groundwork for more robust legal safeguards against discrimination, akin to those in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, this act extended the scope of the 1957 Civil Rights Act by outlawing bombings and local interference with federal court directives.

While not as pivotal as other civil rights measures, the passage of this act wasn’t easily secured. Southern lawmakers vehemently opposed it, leading to the longest filibuster in history, which endured for over 125 hours.

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Clay Cane is an award-winning journalist, writer, radio host, and political commentator. A graduate of Rutgers University with a degree in African-American Studies, his work on race, culture, and politics have appeared in national publications, including the Washington Post, CNN, and The Grio. Clay is a regular political commentator on MSNBC. Twitter: @claycane