Nation, upon the signing of the act on july 2, 1964. This is the copy that was put into the teleprompter. My fellow americans, im about to sign into law the Civil Rights Act of 1964. I want to take this occasion to talk to you about what that law means to every american. When hundred 88 years ago this week, a small band of valiant men began a long struggle for freedom. Needed six drafts of the speech, he did six drafts of the speech, and then added extemporaneously the word long to indicate the many decades and the slow progression towards realizing civil rights. As a culmination of the struggle of decades of. Truggle as africanamericans when it was passed, it encompassed all americans regardless of race, color, sex or national origin. Its really about the ongoing struggle in this country to. Chieve that more Perfect Union [indiscernible] tv,ext on American History author and history professor mark noll discusses his book about the role of the bible in American Public life between 1492 and 1783. That americans frequently relied on the bible to support and oppose political ideas. The Wilson Center hosted this 90 minute program. Thank you for coming out on this overcast fall afternoon. It is my pleasure to to introduce this afternoons speaker, professor mark noll, the francis professor of history at the university of notre dame where it hes the author of many books, including god and race in american politics, a short history, published in 2008. God, whichs appeared in 2002