On June 19, 1964, one year from the day President John F. Kennedy introduced it, the Civil Rights Act won final approval in the United States Senate, clearing the way two weeks later for President Lyndon Johnson’s signature. The vote in the Senate was 73 to 27, several votes clear of the two-thirds needed to break a filibuster by Southern Democrats. Because of the split in his own party, Johnson needed overwhelming support among Republicans to pass the bill. They delivered in the final tally, with 27 Republican senators voting for the legislation, against just 6 opposing it. It was a bipartisan achievement, not unusual in an era when such coalitions were needed to pass important legislation.
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