The first consequential Federal Civil Rights legislation in 85 years was
enacted by Congress on recommendation of the Administration in 1957 and
1960.
A new Civil Rights Division in the Department of Justice has already moved
to enforce constitutional rights in such areas as voting and the
elimination of Jim Crow laws.
Greater equality of job opportunity in Federal employment and employment
with Federal contractors has been effectively provided through the
President's Committees on Government Contracts and Government Employment
Practices.
The Civil Rights Commission has undertaken important surveys in the fields
of housing, voting, and education.
Segregation has been abolished in the Armed Forces, in Veterans' Hospitals,
in all Federal employment, and throughout the District of
Columbia--administratively accomplished progress in this field that is
unmatched in America's recent history.
This pioneering work in civil rights must go on. Not only because
discrimination is morally wrong, but also because its impact is more than
national--it is world-wide.