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| Long title | An Act to provide means of further securing and protecting the civil rights of persons within the jurisdiction of the United States. |
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The Civil Rights Act of 1951 was the first federal civil rights legislation passed by the United States Congress since the Civil Rights Act of 1875. The legislation, passed with support from the Progressive Union and Republican Parties, would establish the desegregation of the Federal Government and Federal Government facilities, as well as the establishment of a committee to enforce Voting Rights in the southern United States.
History[]
Background[]
The Progressive Union's rise to prominence primarily came from making inroads with African American communities within large urban cities. As a result of this, the Progressive Union began to shift from an agrarian white coalition of Burton Wheeler to a more urban-focused campaign as seen with the candidacy of Robert Wagner. As a result of this shift with the Progressive Union coalition, there was more pressure from Black constituencies for the Progressive Union to do more. Prominent African American newspapers such as The Chicago Defender would call on the Wagner administration to codify voting rights and other protections into federal law. As a result, members of the Progressive Union in Congress had begun pushing for a new Civil Rights Act to protect African Americans.