from Facebook: Cedar Rapids Civil Rights
Today in 1957: President Eisenhower signed into law the first civil rights bill
to pass Congress since Reconstruction. (Historical period of 1865 -1877) "The
act established the Commission on Civil Rights, a 6-member bipartisan commission
with the power to "investigate allegations .. that certain citizens are being
deprived of their right to vote" as well as to study other denials of equal
protection of the laws."
"In 1957, President Eisenhower sent Congress a proposal for civil rights legislation. The result was the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the first civil rights legislation since Reconstruction. The new act established the Civil Rights Section of the Justice Department and empowered federal prosecutors to obtain court injunctions against interference with the right to vote. It also established a federal Civil Rights Commission with authority to investigate discriminatory conditions and recommend corrective measures. The final act was weakened by Congress due to lack of support among the Democrats." - Eisenhower Library
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