Civil Rights Act of 1866
Civil Rights Act of 1866
Passed after the Civil War, this Act declared that all persons born in the
United States were citizens of the United States without regard to race,color,or previous condition of servitude.All citizens were entitled to enter into and enforce contracts,and to buy,sell,lease,inherit, and pass by inheritance real and personal property. It prohibited discrimination in housing, but provided no enforcement mechanism other than private lawsuits. It was not until 102 years later, with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, that antidiscrimination laws could be truly enforced through federal actions.