Final answer:
The 14th Amendment and the Civil Rights Act share the common purpose of safeguarding African American rights, establishing citizenship, due process, and equal protection under the law, and prohibiting discrimination. They played crucial roles in shaping the legal framework that promotes racial equality in America.
Step-by-step explanation:
The similarities between the 14th Amendment and the Civil Rights Act lie in their shared goal of protecting the rights of African Americans and ensuring equality under the law. The 14th Amendment, one of the Reconstruction Amendments ratified after the Civil War, sought to secure citizenship, due process, and equal protection under the law for African Americans, while the Civil Rights Act aimed to eliminate discrimination and segregation in all forms of public life.
The 14th Amendment focused on establishing citizenship rights and equal protection, which meant that no state could deny any person within its jurisdiction these protections. This amendment was a direct response to issues of citizenship and rights for African Americans, particularly following the Dred Scott decision which denied African Americans citizenship. Similarly, the Civil Rights Act passed during the civil rights movement, was designed to enforce the constitutional rights established by the 14th Amendment by legislating against discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, thereby promoting societal integration and equal opportunity.
Both legal measures were instrumental in advancing the African-American struggle for equality and were pivotal in setting the legal and moral foundation against racial discrimination in the United States.