Describe the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Why was it necessary, given that the Fourteenth Amendment was enacted decades before?

What will be an ideal response?

Answer: An ideal response will:
1. Describe the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as prohibiting racial discrimination in public accommodations involving interstate commerce.
2. Explain how the South had successfully avoided the promises of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments through various mechanisms including Jim Crow laws and literacy tests. Since it appeared that the South would never rescind these laws itself, Congress stepped in to pass this landmark piece of legislation.