Two Presidents, Two Parties, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964

Vanity Fair and Politico correspondent Todd S. Purdum recounted the dramatic political battle to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as told in his powerful new narrative, An Idea Whose Time Has Come: Two Presidents, Two Parties, and the Battle for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Purdum’s book is divided into three parts—the first centers on the Kennedy administration, the second part focuses on the House of Representatives, and the final act, on passage in the Senate.

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