Photograph of Martin Luther King, Jr. waving to a large crowd in Washington, D.C.

speech electrified the crowd.

A few months after the March on Washington, President Kennedy was assassinated. His vice-president, Lyndon Johnson, succeeded him. President Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The new law banned segregation in public places, and it also banned unfair treatment of workers based on their color, sex, religion, or national origin.

In Other Words

  • electrified excited

  • assassinated shot and killed

  • succeeded him became the next president

  • banned put a stop to

Before You Move On

  • 1. Main Idea and Details How did President Kennedy affect the Civil Rights Movement?

  • 2. Summarize In the 1960s, how did the Movement move forward?

  • 3. Judgment In what ways did the Movement succeed? Explain.