Final answer:
The Civil Rights Act of 1991 strengthened civil rights laws and provided for damages in cases of intentional employment discrimination, building upon the foundation laid by the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Step-by-step explanation:
Proponents of the 1964 civil rights legislation banded together to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1991. The Act strengthened existing civil rights laws and provided for damages in cases of intentional employment discrimination. Building on the momentum of the civil rights movement and the successes of earlier legislation, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the 1991 Act also responded to Supreme Court decisions that had made it difficult for individuals to win discrimination lawsuits. The 1964 Act had a profound impact on American society, banning discrimination in public accommodations and employment, and creating the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to help enforce its provisions. It justified its provisions on private businesses not by the Fourteenth Amendment, but by Congress' power to regulate interstate commerce.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964, enacted on July 2, 1964, was a landmark civil rights and labor law in the United States. It banned discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin and had wide-ranging effects on US society. The Act outlawed government discrimination and the unequal application of voting qualifications by race, and it also outlawed segregation and other forms of discrimination by most businesses that were open to the public. Additionally, the Act created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to monitor employment discrimination claims and help enforce this provision of the law.