The Crisis at Mansfield

Civil Rights Act of 1960

Like its predecessor, the Civil Rights Act of 1960 did not mention the desegregation of schools, or public accommodations. The Civil Rights Act of 1960 briefly extended the power of the Commission of Civil Rights and addressed education of children of military families, but the act did not address the desegregation of schools across the nation.[1] As a result, towns like Mansfield could continue to operate under segregated school systems even after the Brown v. Board decision which said that “separate but equal” was unconstitutional and the Jackson v. Rawdon ruling which specifically ordered Mansfield Texas to desegregate. Due to the Civil Rights Act of 1960 being watered down Congress then had to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in order to give equal rights to African Americans.

Civil Rights Act of 1960

The Civil Rights Act of 1960 gave free education to children of members of armed forces, however it did not address the segregated school system prevalent across the country. The Civil Rights Act of 1960 also produced penalties for any person trying to keep another from voting or registering to vote. Unfortunately, the Civil Rights Act of 1960 still did little in the way of giving African Americans and Mexican American voting privileges and allowed schools to remain segregated across the nation.