Who voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964?
Asked by: Ubaldo Shanahan | Last update: June 26, 2026Score: 5/5 (43 votes)
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was opposed primarily by a coalition of Southern Democrats and a minority of Republicans, totaling 27 votes against in the Senate and 130 in the House. The opposition was largely driven by Southern senators who held a 72-day filibuster against the bill.
How many Republicans voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964?
A total of 6 Republican Senators (18%) and 34 House Republicans (20%) voted against the final passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. While a minority of the party opposed it, a high percentage of Republicans voted for the act, which passed with bipartisan support alongside significant opposition from Southern Democrats.
Which political party opposed the Civil Rights Act 1964?
When the bill came before the full Senate for debate on March 30, 1964, the "Southern Bloc" of 18 southern Democratic senators and lone Republican John Tower of Texas, led by Richard Russell (D-GA), launched a filibuster to prevent its passage.
Did more Republicans or Democrats vote for the Civil Rights Act?
A higher percentage of Republicans voted for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 than Democrats, although more Democrats voted for it in total numbers due to having a larger majority in Congress. The Act passed with bipartisan support, largely driven by Northern Democrats and Republicans, while being opposed mainly by Southern Democrats.
Did any Democrats vote against the Civil Rights Act?
Yes, a significant group of Democrats, primarily from the South, voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964, alongside a minority of Republicans. While Southern Democrats (often called "Dixiecrats") led the opposition and filibuster, the bill ultimately passed with bipartisan support, driven by Northern Democrats and a higher percentage of Republicans.
The 1964 Civil Rights Bill Explained in 8 Minutes
Who overturned the Civil Rights Act?
The Supreme Court, in an 8–1 decision, declared sections of the act unconstitutional in the Civil Rights Cases on October 15, 1883.
Who voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1960?
42 Democrats and 29 Republicans voted Aye. 18 Democrats voted Nay. No Republican Senators voted against the bill. Despite fierce opposition from Southern Democrats, the Democratic Senators from Tennessee and Texas voted in favor.
Were Republicans for or against civil rights?
A higher percentage of the Republicans and Democrats outside the South supported the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as they had on all previous Civil Rights legislation.
How many Democrats voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1957?
Legislative breakdown
6127 was brought to a floor vote in the chamber of the US House on June 18, 1957. The Republican Party voted 167 in favor, 19 against. The Democratic Party voted 119 in favor, 107 against.
Did Strom Thurmond go to the bathroom during his filibuster?
Goldwater asked Thurmond to yield the floor to him for a few minutes, and Thurmond was able to use the restroom while Goldwater made an insertion to the Congressional Record. An aide had prepared a bucket in the Senate cloakroom for Thurmond to relieve himself if the need arose, but Thurmond did not end up using it.
Who filibustered the Civil Rights Act?
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was primarily filibustered for 60 working days by a bloc of Southern Democrats and one Southern Republican, led by Senator Richard Russell (D-GA), with notable efforts from Robert Byrd (D-WV) and Strom Thurmond (D-SC). The filibuster was broken on June 10, 1964, via a cloture vote of 71 to 29.
How did Republicans get the Civil Rights Act passed?
The Senate filibuster was overcome through the floor leadership of Senator Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota, the considerable support of President Lyndon Johnson, and the efforts of Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen of Illinois, who convinced enough Republicans to support the bill over Democratic opposition.
What was the vote breakdown for the Civil Rights Act of 1968?
The House brought it to a floor vote and subsequently passed it by a total vote of 250–172. House Republicans voted 100 in favor, 84 against, and 3 present. House Democrats voted 150 in favor, 88 against, 3 present, and 4 not voting.
What political party opposed the Civil Rights Act of 1964?
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was primarily opposed by a faction of Southern Democrats, known as the "Southern Bloc," who launched a filibuster to prevent its passage. While the act passed with bipartisan support—mostly from Republicans and Northern Democrats—18 Southern Democrats in the Senate led the opposition, joined by 6 Republican senators.
Did Democrats filibuster to stop the Civil Rights Act of 1964?
Yes, a group of Southern Democrats, known as the "Dixiecrats," led a 75-day filibuster to block the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The filibuster, which lasted from March to June 1964, was part of a larger, long-term effort by Southern segregationists to prevent federal civil rights legislation, including the Civil Rights Act of 1957.
Who vetoed the Civil Rights Act?
President Andrew Johnson famously vetoed the Civil Rights Act of 1866, the first federal law designed to protect African American citizenship and rights after the Civil War. Congress subsequently overrode his veto, passing the bill into law on April 9, 1866, despite his objections regarding federal centralization.
How many Republican senators voted for the Civil Rights Act?
A total of 27 Republican senators voted in favor of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This represented a high percentage of the party's caucus—approximately 82% (27 out of 32) of Republican senators supported the final passage of the bill.
Is Charlie Kirk against the Civil Rights Act?
His more controversial positions included criticism of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Martin Luther King Jr., as well as promotion of COVID-19 misinformation, false allegations of electoral fraud in 2020, and the white genocide conspiracy theory.
Why did the Supreme Court overturn the Civil Rights Act?
The Supreme Court declared the law unconstitutional in 1883. In a consolidated case, known as the Civil Rights Cases, the court found that the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution granted Congress the right to regulate the behavior of states, not individuals.