Abstract

This SURE 2020 project sought to examine the barriers and adverse effects that racial discrimination, namely through the denial to African Americans the right to use public accommodations, has posed to both interstate commerce and African Americans participation therein. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 (CRA 1964), upheld by the Supreme Court in Heart of Atlanta Motel v. U.S. (1964,) was a particular source of inquiry for this project, as well as the resultant economic effects of desegregation in the South in response to these developments.

In order to achieve this goal, a synthesis of historical, legal, and economic analysis was used to study key readings related to the subject matter, allowing for a greater interdisciplinary understanding of these subjects to emerge on a complex topic such as this. A specific methodology for interpreting case law related to the topic at hand, the Legal-Economic Nexus model, was developed.

The findings of this project indicate that while the CRA 1964’s passage may have eliminated some of the negative effects on interstate commerce associated with denying African Americans the right to utilize public accommodations, significant problems facing market participation by African Americans have been left unaddressed (or have been newly created) by the Civil Rights Movement.