Fair Housing Act

The Fair Housing Act of 1968, also known as the Civil Rights Act, prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, and financial of housing based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, family status, and disability. ​

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This act made it illegal to discriminate in the sale or rental of housing, including against individuals seeking a mortgage or housing assistance, or in other housing-related activities​

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It was approved after one week after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. 

Initially, powers given to enforce the act were weak, but congress asserted its authority to legislate the act under several different parts of the United States Constitution.​

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Pressures to pass the bill was being put on the federal government by. Such organizations as the National Association for Colored People (NAACP), the American GI Forum, and the National Committee Against Discrimination in Housing. ​

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The president at the time, Lyndon B. Johnson, signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1968 after it failing to pass in 1966 and 1967.​Initially, powers given to enforce the act were weak, but congress asserted its authority to legislate the act under several different parts of the United States Constitution.​