The civil rights acts of 1866 and 1875 were passed by the US Congress in an effort to make full citizens of and guarantee the rights of the slaves, freed from the passage of the 13th amendment to the Constitution. Congress was faced with the struggle to enfranchise this population of freed men and women who found themselves the victims of a fight that neither side knew how to control. The act in 1866 stated that states couldn't infringe on the rights of their citizens. Shortly after it was passed, the 14th amendment to the Constitution was written and passed guaranteeing that all laws applied equally to all citizens. The Act of 1875, passed by Congress, aimed to protect all citizens from discrimination in places of public accommodation. The legislation was struck down by the US Supreme Court as unconstitutional which stated that "Congress doesn't have the authority to regulate the prevalent social mores of any state".
The Civil Rights Act of 1957 set up a 6 member Civil Rights Commission to gather information on deprivation of citizens voting rights based on color, race, religion, or national origin. The Civil Rights Act of 1960 addressed the shortcomings of 1957's version by giving federal judges power to protect those rights.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964, almost a hundred years later, was passed despite vociferous argument that the bill would require racial quotas brought about by public means. The Act barred unequal application of voter registration requirements; outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, or national origin; prohibited state and municipal governments from denying access to public facilities on those same grounds; Encouraged the desegregation of public schools and authorized the US Attorney General to file suit to enforce such; expanded the Civil Rights Commission with additional powers; prevented discrimination by government agencies; made it easier to move civil rights cases from state courts to federal courts; and certain amendments to follow gave agencies power to enforce these edicts.
Most of you are aware of the growth of the Civil Rights movement led by such leaders as Reverend Martin Luther King and the exponential growth of the states fight to deny access to those it deemed "less than". All of the above laws were passed to try and rectify the horrors that were perpetrated on Americans. It was a struggle that did more than tarnish the reputation of the US as a beacon of freedom to those who were watching, but much water has flowed under the Edmund Pettis Bridge on highway 80 in Selma Alabama, and it seems now that the water has been tainted. I read what has become the title of this column this past week in a column on the internet. It was given in explanation to the furor to tie all rights to civil rights and that they were envious of what went before. After spending almost 8 years in office, and a rush to leave a legacy, it seems that everything germane to the majority of beliefs of the country are under attack by the administration using every possible means. To admit that there isn't still a struggle in this country over rights is to be disingenuous but to try and force a belief system, one that admittedly has no belief in anything, upon its people in the name of a horror show that is best left undisturbed is a disgrace to those who fought, were bloodied, and died for rights. I can't believe that there is anyone left who doesn't see that this agenda will lead to our destruction. Until next week. ags
