Civil Rights Act
Encyclopedia
Civil Rights Act may refer to several acts
in the history of civil rights
in the United States
, including:
Act (document)
An act is an instrument that records a fact or something that has been said, done, or agreed. Acts generally take the form of legal instruments of writing that have probative value and executory force...
in the history of civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, including:
Federal legislation
- Civil Rights Act of 1866Civil Rights Act of 1866The Civil Rights Act of 1866, , enacted April 9, 1866, is a federal law in the United States that was mainly intended to protect the civil rights of African-Americans, in the wake of the American Civil War...
, extending the rights of emancipated slaves - Civil Rights Act of 1871Civil Rights Act of 1871The Civil Rights Act of 1871, , enacted April 20, 1871, is a federal law in force in the United States. The Act was originally enacted a few years after the American Civil War, along with the 1870 Force Act. One of the chief reasons for its passage was to protect southern blacks from the Ku Klux...
, also known as the Ku Klux Klan Act, prohibits ethnic violence against blacks - Civil Rights Act of 1875Civil Rights Act of 1875The Civil Rights Act of 1875 was a United States federal law proposed by Senator Charles Sumner and Representative Benjamin F. Butler in 1870...
, prohibiting discrimination in "public accommodations"; found unconstitutional in 1883 as congress could not regulate conduct of individuals - Civil Rights Act of 1957Civil Rights Act of 1957The Civil Rights Act of 1957, , primarily a voting rights bill, was the first civil rights legislation enacted by Congress in the United States since Reconstruction following the American Civil War.Following the historic US Supreme Court ruling in Brown v...
, establishing the Civil Rights Commission - Civil Rights Act of 1960Civil Rights Act of 1960The Civil Rights Act of 1960 was a United States federal law that established federal inspection of local voter registration rolls and introduced penalties for anyone who obstructed someone's attempt to register to vote or to vote...
, establishing federal inspection of local voter registration polls - Civil Rights Act of 1964Civil Rights Act of 1964The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark piece of legislation in the United States that outlawed major forms of discrimination against African Americans and women, including racial segregation...
, prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin by federal and state governments as well as some public places - Civil Rights Act of 1968Civil Rights Act of 1968On April 11, 1968 U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, also known as the Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968. Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 is commonly known as the Fair Housing Act, or as CRA '68, and was meant as a follow-up to the Civil Rights Act of 1964...
, also known as the Fair Housing Act - Civil Rights Act of 1991Civil Rights Act of 1991The Civil Rights Act of 1991 is a United States statute that was passed in response to a series of United States Supreme Court decisions which limited the rights of employees who had sued their employers for discrimination...
, providing the right to trial by jury on discrimination claims and introducing the possibility of emotional distress damages, while limiting the amount that a jury could award
State legislation
- CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
: Unruh Civil Rights ActUnruh Civil Rights ActThe Unruh Civil Rights Act is a piece of California legislation that specifically outlaws discrimination based on age, sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, medical condition, marital status, or sexual orientation...
, prohibiting discrimination in housing