You have to fight, for the right ... to be free.

• Position: USA Yesterday - The Civil Rights Act of 1964: A Long Struggle for Freedom

THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT of 1964 outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It banned discrimination in public accommodations, such as hotels, restaurants, theaters, and retail stores. It outlawed segregation in public education. It banned discrimination in employment, and it ended unequal application of voter-registration requirements. The act was a landmark piece of legislation that opened the doors to further progress in the acquisition and protection of civil rights.

"The Civil Rights Act of 1964: A Long Struggle for Freedom" highlights the legal and legislative straggles and victories leading to its passage, shedding light on the individuals--both prominent leaders and private citizens--who participated in the decades-long campaign for equality.

Marking the 50th anniversary of the passage of the law, the exhibit features more than 200 items, including correspondence and documents from civil rights leaders and organizations, photographs, newspapers, legal briefs, drawings, and posters. The materials are drawn primarily from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Records in the Library's Manuscript Division and its Prints and Photographs Division.

In addition, audiovisual stations feature 77 clips showing dramatic events such as protests, sit-ins, boycotts, and other public actions against segregation and discrimination. Eyewitness testimony of activists and from participants who helped craft the law are included.

The exhibition includes two videos. An introductory film narrated by Julian Bond, a political and civil rights leader and professor at American University and the University of Virginia, focuses on the significance of the Civil Rights Act. The second film explores the impact of the Civil Rights Act and features interviews with Taylor Branch, author and historian; Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg; Rep. John Lewis (D.-Ga.), a leader in the civil rights movement; and Risa Goluboff, professor of law at the University of Virginia.

There are six thematic sections in the exhibition: Prologue; Segregation Era; World War U and the Post-War Years; Civil Rights Era; Civil Rights Act of 1964; and The Impact.

Prologue provides a historical backdrop for the course of race relations in the U.S. from the colonists' fight for independence (1775-83) to the first decade of the 20th century. This section covers participation of African-Americans in the Revolutionary War...