the three misssissippi burning murders had no impact what so ever on the passage of either the civil right act of or the voting rights act of the civil rights act of passed the senate two days before the murders took place johnson who intended to symbolically sign the bill into law during the fourth of july week then put his signature on the law just hours after it was passed by the house of representatives on july the voting rights act was also passed due to pressure from the selma to montgomery marches in secrecy johnson and king had organized the marches so that they would go beyond extending voting rights and advance war on poverty legislation the claim about the three mississippi murders having a significant impact on the passage of either of these two laws is just activist folklore which got carried away