Official dipping pen of immense historical importance, used by President Johnson to sign the Civil Rights Act into law on July 2, 1964. The presidential Esterbrook pen measures 6.25″ long and features a black plastic grip with a Lucite handle imprinted with “The President—The White House.” Includes an official typed statement describing the act and a White House card bearing a calligraphic description of the pen. An actual pen used by the president for such an iconic piece of legislation is expected to have just such an official typed inclusion within the tan presentation box. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, was one of the first in attendance to receive such an official pen from LBJ.
Prior to his assassination, President Kennedy had called for legislation to end racial discrimination and segregation in public accommodations, public education, and federally assisted programs. Shortly after his death, President Johnson urged Congress to honor his memory by passing such an act, declaring, ‘We have talked long enough in this country about equal rights. We have talked for one hundred years or more. It is time now to write the next chapter, and to write it in the books of law.’ His appeal was successful and manifested itself in HR 7152, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a landmark piece of legislation that banned segregation and racial discrimination, while guaranteeing equal job opportunities. The tremendous sociopolitical impact made the Civil Rights Act a crowning achievement of the 1960s Democrats and one of the most important laws passed in the 20th century. An epochal offering of a rarely seen official bill signer pen used by LBJ on that historic day in civil rights history.
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