*Was passed in order to ensure that ALL Americans could vote

*First civil rights legislation passed since reconstruction

*Sought to address practices such as:
-The administration of literacy tests and poll taxes (this effectively disenfranchised many African Americans living in the South)

*Enactment came after African Americans were increasingly targeted with violence

*The law showed a renewed national attention to guaranteeing civil rights to ALL Americans

*Established the Commission On Civil Rights (a federal oversight committee that examined public opinion and state laws regarding civil rights)

Civil Rights Act, 1957