Final answer:
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was the legislation proposed to prohibit segregation in all public accommodations, effectively ending Jim Crow laws and banning discrimination in employment and public facilities.
Step-by-step explanation:
Legislation to prohibit segregation in all public accommodations was proposed during the Civil Rights Movement. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark piece of legislation in US history, pivotal in bringing an end to the Jim Crow era.
It banned discrimination based on "race, color, religion, or national origin" in both employment practices and public accommodations, and addressed issues such as voter registration requirements, racial segregation in schools, the workplace, and facilities serving the general public.
Earlier attempts to curtail segregation through legislation, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1875, had been invalidated by the Supreme Court in 1883.
This decision allowed states, especially in the South, to enact a series of segregation laws known as 'Jim Crow laws', which mandated the separation of the races in all aspects of public life.
It wasn't until the 20th century that these oppressive laws faced challenges and ultimately began to be overturned via Supreme Court decisions and federal legislation, culminating in the 1964 Act that changed the social and legal landscape of the United States.