Date of Original
1957

Subject
United States. Civil Rights Act of 1957
Civil rights--Law and legislation--United States
African Americans--Civil rights--United States
United States Commission on Civil Rights
African Americans--Suffrage
United States. Dept. of Justice. Civil Rights Division

People
Brownell, Herbert, Jr., 1904-1996
Morrow, E. Frederic (Everett Frederic), 1909-
Adams, Sherman, 1899-1986
Washington, Val J., 1903-1995
Brownell, Herbert, Jr., 1904-1996--Correspondence
Morrow, E. Frederic (Everett Frederic), 1909- --Correspondence
Adams, Sherman, 1899-1986--Correspondence
Washington, Val J., 1903-1995--Correspondence

Location
United States, 39.76, -98.5

Medium
texts (document genres)
black-and-white photographs
letters (correspondence)
reports
press releases
legislative acts

Type
Text

Description
The online collection includes Attorney General Herbert Brownell, Jr.'s cabinet paper outlining the administration's civil rights agenda; a press release about the proposed civil rights legislation (which would later become the Civil Rights Act of 1957); a fact paper about the administration's civil rights program; a memo from E. Frederic Morrow, Eisenhower's Administrative officer for special projects and an African American, to Chief-of-Staff Sherman Adams; a letter from Republican National Committee Director of Minorities Val J. Washington urging Eisenhower not to compromise on civil rights legislation; a press release from Washington containing a letter to Lyndon B. Johnson on his criticism of Nixon's comments on the Senate's stance on the administration's civil rights legislation; a letter from Attorney General William P. Rogers outlining the amendments made to the proposed civil rights legislation by the Senate; press release from Representative Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. making congratulations about the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957; the act itself; a February 27, 1959 report from the Executive Branch in cooperation with the Commission on Civil Rights outlining the Commission's authority, duties, responsibilities and actions); a pamphlet of The Commission on Civil Rights; and a photograph of President Eisenhower signing the bill.
"In 1957, President Eisenhower sent Congress a proposal for civil rights legislation. The result was the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the first civil rights legislation since Reconstruction. The new act established the Civil Rights Section of the Justice Department and empowered federal prosecutors to obtain court injunctions against interference with the right to vote. It also established a federal Civil Rights Commission with authority to investigate discriminatory conditions and recommend corrective measures. The final act was weakened by Congress due to the lack of support among the Democrats."--Eisenhower Library Web page.
The Civil Rights Digital Library received support from a National Leadership Grant for Libraries awarded to the University of Georgia by the Institute of Museum and Library Services for the aggregation and enhancement of partner metadata.

Metadata URL
https://www.eisenhowerlibrary.gov/research/online-documents/civil-rights-act-1957

Contributing Institution
Dwight D. Eisenhower Library

Rights