The Civil Rights Act of 1964 : the passage of the law that ended racial segregation /

The 1964 Civil Rights Act is a landmark piece of legislation that has changed the political and social landscape of the US. Yet how it was actually passed over the deep objections of southern Congressmen remains a curiosity. This volume compiles the recollections and memos of several key figures in the passage of the 1964 Act in the Senate, providing their views on the tactics they employed and how they sought to outmaneuver their opponents to insure passage. After an editor's general introduction of the background and times that define the era, the remainder of the book consists of notes, memos, and retrospectives by Senator Hubert Humphrey, a key author of the 1964 Act; John Stewart, chief aide to Humphrey; and Joseph Rauh Jr., a key lobbyist supporting the Act. While many of these items have been published elsewhere, this volume nicely brings them together, providing scholars and those interested in the history of the Civil Rights Act a good idea of what its supporters were tactically seeking to accomplish. This book would complement collections on civil rights law and history, congressional behavior, and American politics. Accessible to general and undergraduate readers, lower-division and up. D. Schultz; University of Wisconsin--River Falls