Final answer:
The first federal action to prohibit employment discrimination was Executive Order 8802, which was signed in 1941 and addressed discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, or national origin in defense industries or government.
Step-by-step explanation:
The first federal government action taken to prohibit employment discrimination was not Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, or the Fair Labor Standards Act. It was, in fact, Executive Order 8802, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941. This executive order was enacted before any federal laws were passed addressing employment discrimination. It was the first federal action to prohibit employment discrimination by declaring that there shall be no discrimination in the employment of workers in defense industries or government because of race, creed, color, or national origin. It laid the groundwork for future anti-discrimination legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Pay Act of 1963.