On this day, July 2, in 1964, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law. The law ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin, is considered one of the crowning legislative achievements of the civil rights movement.

Karsh photographed Johnson in 1963, during his term as 36th president of the United States. See more Lyndon Johnson by Karsh.