The Civil Rights Act of 1964: A Long Struggle for Freedom
Senator Everett Dirksen’s (R-IL) Amendments to Title VII
Senator Everett Dirksen (1896–1969), Republican from Illinois and Senate minority leader, comments on his amendments to Title VII, the employment section of the civil rights bill. The interview for The Great Divide: Civil Rights and the Bill, broadcast on ABC, May 22, 1964, was recorded earlier that week. After a compromise with Democratic Party leaders in the Senate, Dirksen was instrumental in persuading fellow Republicans to support the bill, and the filibuster that had held up passage ended.
Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division. Courtesy of ABC News VideoSource
