Final answer:
The legal action among the options provided is refusing to sell a house to a person with a history of mental illness, provided the refusal is not based on the mental illness itself. Other options represent illegal discrimination under the Fair Housing Act. Housing discrimination historically included practices like racial covenants and redlining, impacting minorities' access to housing and employment.
Step-by-step explanation:
The only legal action among the options provided would be Refusing to sell a house to a person who has a history of mental illness, provided the refusal is based on legitimate business considerations such as a potential buyer's financial qualifications and not on the history of mental illness itself. Actions A), B), and C) involve discrimination on the basis of familial status, disability, and race respectively. These practices are illegal under the Fair Housing Act which prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin, and disability.
Historically, the housing market has seen various forms of discrimination. Discrimination based on race was legally sanctioned in the United States prior to the Civil Rights Movement. In the post-war era, racial covenants were used to prevent the sale of homes in certain neighborhoods to non-whites.
These practices, as well as redlining and discriminatory lending policies, created segregated communities and perpetuated economic disparities that persist today. Modern discrimination may be less overt but can still impact access to housing, which in turn affects employment opportunities due to the interconnectedness of where people live and where they can work. Good schools and job markets are often located in areas with less accessible housing for minorities.