History

• The American civil rights movement of the 1960s occurred in response to long-standing social and legal prejudice against black Americans and other minority groups. By appealing to the Constitutional promise of equality, civil rights activists made significant progress toward equal legal protection for all citizens.
  
  

Features

• According to the National Archives, the 1964 Civil Rights Act made it illegal for employers to discriminate based on race, ethnicity, gender or religion "in hiring, promoting or firing." In 1965, the Voting Rights Act made it illegal to deny the right to vote based on literacy tests, which had previously been used to prevent black Americans from voting.
  
  

Significance

• The Civil Rights Act led to the nationwide practice of affirmative action, not only in the workplace but also in higher education. It also paved the way for 1980s anti-discrimination laws related to disability and age. The Voting Rights Act created a precedent for examining and ending any attempts to abridge black Americans' right or ability to vote.