Final answer:
The Civil Rights Act of 1866 protected civil rights, affirming citizenship and rights such as making contracts and property ownership, irrespective of race. It predates the Fair Housing Act of 1968 which directly banned discrimination in housing.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Civil Rights Act of 1866
The Civil Rights Act of 1866 was a landmark legislation that aimed to protect the civil rights of all citizens, particularly the newly freed African Americans following the Civil War. This act affirmed that all people born in the United States were citizens, regardless of race or previous condition of servitude, and had the right to make and enforce contracts, sue and be sued, and to inherit, purchase, lease, sell, hold, and convey real and personal property.
It was one of the first steps to ensure the protection of civil rights prior to the adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment. However, it is crucial to understand that the Fair Housing Act of 1968, also known as the Civil Rights Act of 1968, specifically addressed discrimination in housing. This act made it unlawful to refuse to sell or rent a dwelling based on race, religion, national origin or sex, which was a significant advancement in the fight against housing discrimination in the United States.