Civil Rights Act of 1875 facts for kids
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| Long title | An act to protect all citizens in their civil and legal rights. |
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| Acronyms (colloquial) | CRA 1875 |
| Nicknames | Enforcement Act, Force Act, and Sumner Civil Rights Bill |
| Enacted by | the 43rd United States Congress |
| Citations | |
| Statutes at Large | USStat 18 335-337 |
| Legislative history | |
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| United States Supreme Court cases | |
| The Civil Rights Cases (1883) | |
The Civil Rights Act of 1875 (18 Stat. 335–337) was an important U.S. federal law. It was passed during the Reconstruction era. This law aimed to give African Americans equal treatment. It focused on places like public accommodations (hotels, theaters) and public transportation. It also worked to stop people from being kept off jury duty.
The 43rd U.S. Congress passed this bill. President Ulysses S. Grant signed it into law on March 1, 1875. However, a few years later, the Supreme Court made a big decision. In the Civil Rights Cases (1883), they said parts of the act were unconstitutional.
Contents
History of the Civil Rights Act of 1875
How the Law Was Made
The idea for this law came from Senator Charles Sumner. He started working on the bill in early 1870. He got help from John Mercer Langston, a well-known African-American leader. Langston had even started the law department at Howard University.
Senator Sumner, a Republican from Massachusetts, proposed the bill. Representative Benjamin F. Butler, also a Republican from Massachusetts, helped support it. The bill finally passed in February 1875. President Ulysses S. Grant signed it into law on March 1, 1875.
The Supreme Court Challenge
On October 15, 1883, the Supreme Court made a major ruling. They decided, by an 8-to-1 vote, that the Civil Rights Act of 1875 was unconstitutional. Justice John Marshall Harlan was the only one who disagreed.
The Court said that the Fourteenth Amendment stops state and local governments from discriminating. But it does not give the federal government power to stop private people or groups from discriminating. They also said the Thirteenth Amendment was about ending slavery itself. It was not meant to stop racial discrimination in public places. The Civil Rights Act of 1875 was the last major civil rights law passed until 1957.
Why This Law Was Important
The Civil Rights Act of 1875 is a key part of Reconstruction history. It was one of several important laws passed by Congress after the American Civil War. Other important laws included the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and the Reconstruction Acts. There were also the Enforcement Acts and three Constitutional Amendments.
Even though parts of the 1875 Act were struck down, its ideas lived on. Many of its goals were later included in new laws. These new laws were passed during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. Examples include the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Civil Rights Act of 1968. These later laws used a different part of the U.S. Constitution. They used the Commerce Clause to make sure they were constitutional.
