Before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, segregation in the United States was commonly practiced in many of the Southern and Border states. This segregation, although it was supposed to be separate but equal, was not at all. Southern blacks were repeatedly discriminated against while the laws did nothing to protect their individual rights. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 freed the nation from this legal segregation and paved the way for equality and integration. The passage of this law, while forever altering the relationship between blacks and whites, remains one of the greatest political battles in history. Race unrest in the summer of 1963 reached its peak following the Civil War. President Kennedy addressed the situation at the end of the Eisenhower years, at a time when tensions were rapidly increasing. In the summer of 1963, however, after a series of violent demonstrations in the South, particularly in Birmingham, Alabama, President Kennedy pushed for a very strong civil rights bill in Congress. The first of its kind since the Civil War, this bill dramatically called for an end to all segregation in all public places. In the eyes of leaders of the civil rights movement, this bill was long overdue. Kennedy's crusade began slowly, to the dismay of many civil rights leaders, in February 1963. He began by sending the United States Congress a "Special Message on Civil Rights," stating: Our Constitution is color blind, ... but the country's practices do not always conform to the principles of the Constitution... Equality before the law has not always meant equal treatment and opportunity. And the harmful, wasteful, and unjust results of racial discrimination and segregation still appear in virtually every aspect of national life, in virtually every part of the nation (Loevy, 5). Kennedy received praise for these strong and moving words, but was criticized for his words. weak legislative proposals to remedy the situation. In May 1963, however, his proposal changed significantly, after two men from opposing positions set the civil rights movement in intense motion. Martin Luther King, despite advice to do otherwise, began massive protests in the streets of Birmingham. To combat these protests, Police Commissioner “Bull” Conner used any means, including dogs, fire hoses, and electric cattle prods on protesters. Making newspapers and television... half paper... is something on a social but also political level. This bill sets the precedent for using a cloture to stop a filibuster in the Senate. Similar votes in 1966 and 1968, with bills for equal voting rights and equal housing guarantees respectively, were used to stop Southern filibusters. The Civil Rights Act also demonstrated that mass demonstrations and protests peaceful feel in Washington DC Martin Luther King and the Leadership Conference started from nothing and achieved everything. From the segregated South, those who fought for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 changed the course of American history and freed the nation from inequality under the law. Works Cited Berman, Daniel M., A Bill Becomes a Law, The Macmillan Company, New York: 1966.Levy, Peter B., The Civil Rights Movement, Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut, 1998. Web. June 24, 2015 .https://www.questia.com/read/10045885/the-civil-rights-movementLoeby, Robert D.,To End All Segregation, University Press of America, Maryland: 1990.Whalen, Charles and Barbara, The Longest Debate, Seven Locks Press, Washington DC:1985. Network. July 3