What are the core provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964?

• A. Expands private rights and allows segregation to continue.
• B. Prohibits discrimination in public accommodations and employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin; desegregation and enforcement.
• C. Establishes a committee for civil rights compliance with no enforcement powers.
• D. Allows segregation in education but not in public accommodations.

Answer: (B)

Discrimination in public places and in employment is illegal under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the act also creates measures to enforce and advance desegregation. It prohibits discrimination in public accommodations like hotels, restaurants, theaters, and other facilities on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It also bans employment discrimination on those same grounds and establishes mechanisms to enforce compliance, including federal enforcement and court remedies. The act further pushes desegregation of public facilities and programs and empowers federal authorities to enforce these protections.

Statements that imply segregation is still allowed or that there’s no enforcement don’t align with what the act accomplished.