"Constitution or Control?"

Title

Subject

The 1964 Civil Rights Bill

Description

An April 16, 1964 *Florence Herald* editorial noting that "Alabama's able senators Lister Hill and John Sparkman, and scores of other forthright Americans" were fighting the upcoming Civil Rights Bill and arguing that the Civil Rights Bill was unconstitutional because "the elements of this bill that place enforcement and grave decisions in the hands of the attorney general . . . will break down the Constitution and prevent the United States from ever returning to its three-branch government as set up by the founding fathers." According to the *Herald*, no citizen should be deprived of the right to vote "because of color, race or creed. But the civil rights bill says nothing about people deprived of voting because of color or sex but would set up federal machinery for controlling state voting and registration laws."

Creator

*Florence Herald*

Source

*Florence Herald*, Thursday, April 16, 1964, p. 2.

Publisher

Newspapers.com

Date

April, 1964

Contributor

Lee Freeman

Rights

Images are available for educational and research purposes. This image may not be reproduced for commercial purposes without the express written consent of the copyright holder. It is the responsibility of the interested party to identify the copyright holder and receive permission.

Files

Collection

Civil Rights

Citation

*Florence Herald* , “"Constitution or Control?",” Shoals Black History, accessed June 9, 2026, https://shoalsblackhistory.omeka.net/items/show/928.