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From the Ashes of Reconstruction to the Heart of Atlanta: The Long Battle to Integrate Public Accommodations

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Robert Brammer speaking at his Gallery Talk, “From the Ashes of Reconstruction to the Heart of Atlanta: The Long Battle to Integrate Public Accommodations”

In connection with The Civil Rights Act of 1964: A Long Struggle for Freedom Exhibition, on October 22nd, Robert provided a gallery talk, titled “From the Ashes of Reconstruction to the Heart of Atlanta: The Long Battle to Integrate Public Accommodations,” regarding Title II of the 1964 Civil Rights Act (CRA).

Robert traced the history of the CRA, starting with the Civil Rights Act of 1875, and explained why this Reconstruction-era act, which served to integrate public accommodations, was ultimately held unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States in the Civil Rights Cases of 1883.

Robert then turned to subsequent legal developments that occurred during the New Deal era, such as the courts’ broad interpretation of Congressional power under the Commerce Clause, which supported the constitutionality of several New Deal era programs, and ultimately led the Supreme Court to uphold Title II of the CRA in Heart of Atlanta Motel v. U.S., 379 U.S. 241 (1964).

The Civil Rights Act of 1964: A Long Struggle for Freedom Exhibition is open in the southwest gallery of the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress.

After visiting it, continue down the hall to see Jefferson’s Library and the Magna Carta: Muse and Mentor Exhibition (which runs until January 19, 2015).

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