The 1968 act was a continuation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which was an improvement on the 14th Amendment that was ratified on July 9, 1868. After the Civil War, America enacted laws to ensure Due Process and Equal Protection to the newly freed slaves. The 14th Amendment gives a definition to citizenship which overturned the Dred Scott case of 1857.

Signed only seven days after the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was shot to death, the Act—which also included an “Indian Bill of Rights” to extend protections to Native Americans—provides for equal housing opportunities regardless of race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, or national origin.