While the initial Civil Rights Amendments to the Constitution were almost exclusively supported by Republicans, our country clearly grew more moral over time and eventually the majority of Republicans and Democrats joined hands to pass the later Civil Rights Acts.
- The 14th Amendment gave full citizenship to freed slaves. Passed in 1868 with 94% Republican support in Congress.
- The 15th Amendment gave freed slaves the right to vote. Passed in 1870 with 100% Republican support and 0% Democrat support in Congress
- The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote. It passed in 1919 with 82% of Senate Republicans in favor and 41% of Senate Democrats in favor.
- The Civil Rights Act of 1957 sought to protect the voting rights of black Americans. The Bill passed the House in a 286-126 vote. 84% of Republicans voted in favor while 51% of Democrats joined them. In the Senate the Bill received 93% of Republican votes and 59% of Democratic votes.
- The Civil Rights Act of 1960 further addressed the voting rights of black Americans and established penalties for those who tried to prevent people from voting. The Bill passed the House on a 311-109 vote. 87% of Republicans voted in favor of the Act and 64% of Democrats voted in favor. In the Senate the Bill was passed with 83% of Republicans votes versus 65 percent of Democrats.
- The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended segregation and employment discrimination. 78% of Republicans and 60% of Democrats voted in favor.
- The Civil Rights Act of 1968, also known as the Fair Housing Act, initially passed the House in a 327-93 vote, with 87% support from Republicans and 68% support from Democrats. It then went to the Senate, where it was amended and voted upon, passing in a 71-20 vote in which 81% of Republicans and 66% of Democrats voted in favor.
