Lot 69
Johnson, Lyndon B. One of the pens used by President Johnson to sign The Civil Rights Act on July 2, 1964, formally ending segregation. Five hours after the bill had passed the House by a vote of 289 to 126, LBJ signed the Act into law, using 72 different pens so that the asssembled dignitaries could have a memento of the occasion. Before the nationally-broadcast signing, the President gave a brief and moving speech which said, in part: "The purpose of this law is simple. It does not restrict the freedom of any American so long as he respects the rights of others. It does not give special treatment to any citizen….It does say that those who are equal before God shall now also be equal in the polling booths, in the classrooms, in the factories, and in hotels and restaurants and movie theaters, and other places that provide service to the public." Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibited gender discrimination, which opened previously-closed doors for women. The Civil Rights Act is considered one of the ten legislative landmarks in U.S. history. Together with a bronze Lyndon Baines Johnson Inaugural Medal, 2¾ inches in diameter, in original box with brochure.
Estimated Value $1,500 - 2,000.
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