Leading Legislation

• Johnson enacted legislation that was unfinished business when President Kennedy was assassinated, including signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This act opened public facilities to all Americans, regardless of their race, color, religion or national origin. Johnson also signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which prohibits discrimination in housing sales, rental and financing. In 1965, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act, which cemented equal voting rights for blacks.
  
  

Significant Developments

• A memorable development during Johnson's presidency was the 1966 formation of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale. Also, in 1967, Thurgood Marshall became the first black justice appointed to the Supreme Court.
  
  

Notable Losses

• Two of the most influential black leaders and orators in U.S. history were assassinated during this time frame: Malcolm X, formerly a Nation of Islam minister and national spokesman, in 1965; and Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., who represented the voice of the civil rights era for many, in 1968.