Civil Rights Act of 1964 Silver Dollar

Issued in 2014

2014 Civil Rights Act Of 1964 Commemorative Silver One Dollar Uncirculated Reverse

2014 Civil Rights Act Of 1964 Commemorative Silver One Dollar Uncirculated Obverse

Coin Description

Reverse

Depicts three flames intertwining to symbolize three civil rights: to get an education, to vote, and to control one's own destiny. The design was inspired by the following quote by Martin Luther King, Jr.: “They get the fire hose. They fail to realize that water can only put out physical fire. But water can never drown the fire of freedom.”

Obverse

Features three people holding hands at a civil rights march. The man holds a sign that reads “We Shall Overcome.” The design symbolizes all the marches that were part of the civil rights movement.

The Story

This 2014 coin honors the Civil Rights Act, made law in 1964, on its 50th anniversary. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 greatly expanded civil rights protections. It outlawed racial segregation in public places, funded federal programs, and encouraged desegregation in public schools.

The law that required the creation of this coin was passed on December 2, 2008. The law allows surcharges for each coin that’s sold to be paid to the United Negro College Fund.

The Organization

One of the main goals of the civil rights movement was equality in education. Similarly, the purposes of the United Negro College Fund are to provide scholarships and internships for minority students and to operate services for 37 historically black colleges and universities.

The fund’s scholarships and operating funds have enabled more than 400,000 young African-Americans to earn college degrees. Those graduates include Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and many other leaders in the fields of education, science, medicine, law, entertainment, literature, the military, and politics. Many of them have also supported the movement for civil rights.

2014 Civil Rights Act Of 1964 Commemorative Silver One Dollar Uncirculated Reverse

2014 Civil Rights Act Of 1964 Commemorative Silver One Dollar Uncirculated Obverse