Civil Rights Act, 1957

What was the Civil Rights Act of 1957?

The Civil Rights Act of 1957 allowed the government to prosecute states who interfered with people's right to vote.

When was the 1957 Civil Rights Act made into law?

It became law on 9th September, 1957.

Who signed the 1957 Civil Rights Act?

President Dwight D Eisenhower signed the act into law.

Why was the 1957 Civil Rights Act created?

There are 2 main reasons why the Civil Rights Act of 1957 was introduced:

• ❖ President Eisenhower supported the act because of the success of both the civil rights movement and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. However, President Eisenhower was unwilling to fully support civil rights.
• ❖ The success of these events put President Eisenhower under more pressure to introduce the act.

What did the 1957 Civil Rights Act introduce?

The Civil Rights Act of 1957 introduced 2 main changes:

• ❖ It set up a federal Civil Rights Commission which could investigate racial discrimination.
• ❖ It set up a system whereby the federal government could prosecute states that interfered with people's right to vote.

What were the limitations of the 1957 Civil Rights Act?

The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was limited in 3 main ways:

• ❖ Court cases were unlikely to find in favour of African Americans due to racism - the majority of judges and jury members were white. The Dixiecrats amended the bill to include juries in the court cases rather than just using judges.
• ❖ Dixiecrats forced the bill to be amended to weaken the federal government's ability to interfere with individual state laws.
• ❖ Due to the limitations of the law, its impact was diminished.

What was the impact of the 1957 Civil Rights Act?

The Civil Rights Act of 1957 had 3 main consequences:

• ❖ It was the first time the federal government had brought in civil rights legislation for 82 years, which was a major step forward for the civil rights movement.
• ❖ Civil rights organisations and protesters were frustrated by the limitations of the act and were determined to step up campaigning for greater change.
• ❖ It could be seen as the stepping stone to the Civil Rights Act of 1960.