Quote:
Originally Posted by joethiesmanfan
Not saying that. Just saying that before the majors were integrated there was a Negro league , there were black hotel chains, etc. So to say a black person couldn't get a hotel on I-95 is a stretch to say the least. (That is no way to run a country though) is waht I said as my point after that.
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More often than not, black Americans in the early 1960s had to rely on rented rooms in private homes or the hospitality of friends if they were to travel far from their home. Hotels and motels dotted along highways and in towns provided comfortable accommodations for white Americans but black Americans had no access to these establishments.
Justice Clark wrote that in researching Congress' debate over the Civil Rights Act of 1964 the
evidence was clear the difficulties black Americans encountered in their attempts to find accommodations "had the effect of discouraging travel on the part of a substantial [large] portion of the Negro community."
The evidence was "overwhelming . . . that discrimination by hotels and motels impedes [interferes with] interstate travel" and, therefore, obstructs interstate commerce.
Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States: Supreme Court Drama
It appears the case is from Georgia going by the hotels name of "heart of atlanta" but I could have sworn and still do believe it was a florida state case.
This link isnt the SC opinion but a synopsis.
If anyone is interested in learning alil about the long stretching and evolving powers of the interstate commerce clause and how it effects state rights vs federal powers, this case synopsis provides a quick, to the point summary which is a helpful and proper starting point for such discussions.
if you ever wondered how the fed gov't can enforce it's will and sense of fairness upon individual states, this is the tool they use.