The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is the result of one of the most contentious House and Senate debates in history. It was also the largest piece of civil rights legislation ever passed. The bill actually evolved from earlier civil rights bills of the late 1950s and early 1960s. The bill finally passed through both houses on July 2, 1964, and was signed into law at 6:55 pm EST by President Lyndon Johnson. The act was originally drafted in 1962 under President Kennedy before his assassination. The bill originated from two other bills, one of which was the Equal Opportunity Act of 1962, which never became law. This bill formed the core of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Bureau of National Affairs 18-20). There were many groups involved in the process of crafting the bill and helping it become a law. The major groups for passing the bill were the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the AFL-CIO industrial unions, many church groups, the White House, the Department of Justice, and many Northern Democrats and Republicans. The main groups opposed to the bill were the Coordinating Committee for American Fundamental Liberties, funded largely from Mississippi, and the Southern Democratic caucus (Bickel 17). These groups expressed their opinion and helped representatives decide how to vote. The numerous groups involved crossed party lines to discuss and vote on a bill to improve America. Any bill that becomes law must pass through the House of Representatives and the Senate with an affirmative vote. The civil rights bill easily passed the House with Northern Democrats and Republican supporters obtaining a vote of 290 to 130. Lyndon Johnson declared after the bill passed through the House that it was, "...half paper ... ....Rican-American and Civil Rights Research, 1900-1990. NewYork University Press, 1991.Eagles, Charles W. The Civil Rights Movement in America. Univ. of Mississippi Press, 1986. Encyclopedia Britannica. “Civil Rights Act of 1963.” Volume 3: Ceara-Delva, 1998. 15th edition, Chicago. 172-174. Kenworthy, E. W. “Civil Rights Act Passed by House 290 to 130; Difficult Senate Seen Right." New York Times February 10, 1964. Layman, Richard. “Civil Rights Act of 1964.” American Decades: 1960-1969. Pub. By Gale Research, Inc. 1995. 78-83. “Now It Begins to talk." Time February 21, 1964: 22. "Now we will also be equal." Newsweek July 13, 1964: 17. "Summary of Bill of Rights Provisions." New York Times February 10, 1964. "The Skipper and the Ship." Time February 14, 1964: 13. "The Courted and the Courted." Time July 10 1964: 26.