On July 2, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law, marking a major victory for the Civil Rights Movement. The law banned discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in public places, employment, and education. It also strengthened voting rights and enforced desegregation. The act was a key step toward ending legal segregation in the United States and fulfilled part of the legacy of President John F. Kennedy, who had proposed the legislation before his assassination.