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(1964) A U.S. Senate vote to launch formal debate on the House-passed Civil Rights Bill was received happily by supporters of the legislation. Victory signs, signifying rejection of Southern senators' attempts to delay debate by subjecting the bill to committee hearings. are made, from left to right: Sen. Hubert Humphrey, Sen. Philip A. Hart, key legislative leaders – the Rev. Ralph Abernathy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth. Religion News Service file photo