Civil Rights Act of 1957
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 lack of support among the Democrats.
Cabinet Paper – The Civil Rights Program - Letter and Statement by the Attorney General, April 10, 1956 [19 pages]
Press Release, Statement of the Attorney General on the Proposed Civil Rights Legislation Before The Subcommittee on Constitutional Rights of the Senate Judiciary Committee, February 14, 1957 [22 pages]
Fact Paper - The Administration and Civil Rights Legislation, March 27, 1957
Memorandum, E. Frederic Morrow to Sherman Adams, July 12, 1957 [E. Frederic Morrow Records, Box 9, Civil Rights Bill]
Letter, Val Washington (RNC) to DDE, July 18, 1957
Press Release, Republican National Committee, August 7, 1957
Letter, William P. Rogers to Joseph P. Martin, August 9, 1957
Press Release by Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, August 30, 1957
Civil Rights Act of 1957
Report, Executive Branch Cooperation with the Commission on Civil Rights, February 27, 1959 (outlines the Commission’s authority, duties, responsibilities and actions) [19 pages]
Pamphlet, The Commission on Civil Rights
Photograph, President Eisenhower signing Civil Rights Bill, September 9, 1957
For a listing of collections at the Eisenhower Presidential Library with materials pertaining to this topic, please see: Civil Rights Act of 1957 Subject Guide.
