A History of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

The 1960s were a decade of change and social unrest. During this time, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have A Dream” speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington. As a result of the various protests and general civil unrest, Congress was given the task of creating a civil rights bill by President Kennedy. Kennedy would not live to see the bill be enacted, but the Civil Rights Act of 1964 would be signed into law by President Johnson.

In addition to the various protections provided for in the Act, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 created the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The EEOC, as it came to be known, was given very limited abilities to punish employers that violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Fortunately, Congress saw fit to remedy this situation and in 1972 gave the EEOC the ability and the authority to sue employers found in violation of the Civil Rights Act. As a result, the EEOC was no longer a “toothless tiger” but a real tiger that took its job seriously. Since 1972, the EEOC has investigated numerous instances of employment discrimination and gone many employers for violations.

During President Carter's administration, the EEOC got even more power. During the 1980s, however, there was a political shift in Washington. The powers that be no longer wanted or expected the EEOC to take on cases where large groups of people were the victims of discrimination. Instead, the EEOC was charged with fighting the employers of individuals who had been the victims of discrimination.

Contact a Houston Employment Lawyer

If you have been the victim of discrimination, contact the Houston employment lawyers of the Ross Law Group at 713-482-6910.