Civil Rights Act of 1960
By the late 1950s, the Civil Rights Movement had been pressuring Congress to enact legislation to protect the constitutional civil rights of African Americans. The first major piece of civil rights legislation passed by Congress was the Civil Rights Act of 1957. While enforcing the voting rights of African Americans set out in the Fifteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution, the act had several loopholes. Southern states continued to discriminate against African Americans in application of voter registration and electoral laws, in segregation of school and public facilities, and in employment.
Christmas Comes But Once a Year (Mad Men)
During the Christmas party, references are made to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This piece of legislation was enacted on July 2, 1964, by the administration of Lyndon B. Johnson, who would later be elected president in his own right in November that year.