Final answer:
Restrictive covenants were legal measures used to limit the geographic distribution of certain ethnic groups in the United States. Although they had no effect on the conveyance of property, they were unenforceable.
Step-by-step explanation:
Restrictive covenants were legal measures used to limit the geographic distribution of certain ethnic groups in the United States, including African Americans, Jews, Catholics, and Chinese, among others. These covenants were written into the deeds of sale for many homes during the mid-20th century. They prohibited owners from doing ordinary things like building garages or fences, but they also forbade the sale of the house to specific ethnicities. Although these covenants had no effect on the actual conveyance of the property, they were unenforceable due to their discriminatory nature.