President John F. Kennedy was instrumental in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Acknowledging the increased tension across the nation as the civil rights movement (and the opposition to it) continued to gain momentum, recognizing the widespread white resistance to desegregation, and in direct response to the highly publicized murder of civil rights leader Medgar Evers, Kennedy asked Congress to draft a comprehensive civil rights bill in June 1963. Congress complied with this request, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on July 2, 1964. This landmark piece of legislation marked a significant shift in the United States. It included provisions to extend the Commission on Civil Rights, to prevent discrimination in federally assisted programs, to prohibit discrimination in public facilities and in public education, and to prohibit employment discrimination.