Question: who pushed for the civil rights act of 1964

title: Civil Rights Act of 1964
text: Despite its lack of influence during its time , the Civil Rights Act of 1964 had considerable impact on later civil rights legislation in the United States . It paved the way for future legislation that was not limited to African American civil rights . The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 -- which has been called `` the most important piece of federal legislation since the Civil Rights Act of 1964 '' -- was influenced both by the structure and substance of the previous Civil Rights Act of 1964 . The act was arguably of equal importance , and `` draws substantially from the structure of that landmark legislation ( Civil Rights Act of 1964 ) '' . The Americans With Disabilities Act paralleled its landmark predecessor structurally , drawing upon many of the same titles and statutes . For example , `` Title I of the ADA , which bans employment discrimination by private employers on the basis of disability , parallels Title VII of the Act '' . Similarly , Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act , `` which proscribes discrimination on the basis of disability in public accommodations , tracks Title II of the 1964 Act while expanding upon the list of public accommodations covered . '' The Americans with Disabilities Act extended `` the principle of nondiscrimination to people with disabilities '' , an idea unsought in the United States before the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 . The Act also influenced later civil rights legislation , such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Civil Rights Act of 1968 , aiding not only African Americans , but also women .