An Idea Whose Time Has Come

The story of the behind-the-scenes political battle to pass the 1964 Civil Rights Act: “Excellent . . . a highly readable play-by-play.” — The Atlantic It was a turbulent time in America—a time of sit-ins, freedom rides, a March on Washington, and a governor standing in the schoolhouse door—when John F. Kennedy sent Congress a bill to bar racial discrimination in employment, education, and public accommodations. Countless civil rights measures had died on Capitol Hill in the past.