....the Republican party, that's who. Here's some of the details on who supported it...and who didn't. Republican Everett Dirkson was the Senate workhorse on getting it passed. One of our current Senators.....the Honorable Sen Robt "KKK" Byrd....filibusters for days against it. And yet, today's Democrats defend this man! And Al Gore Sr. was one who voted against it:

"The Republican Party was not so badly split as the Democrats by the civil rights issue. Only one Republican senator participated in the filibuster against the bill. In fact, since 1933, Republicans had a more positive record on civil rights than the Democrats. In the twenty-six major civil rights votes since 1933, a majority of Democrats opposed civil rights legislation in over 80 % of the votes. By contrast, the Republican majority favored civil rights in over 96 % of the votes. The Republican pro-civil rights forces were blessed with gifted leadership. Although Senate minority whip Thomas Kuchel initially managed the party's forces, it increasingly became clear to Democrats, Republicans, the press, civil rights groups, and the White House that Everett McKinley Dirksen was the key man in the entire civil rights legislative effort."

http://www.congresslink.org/civil/essay.html