Introduction

Modern civil rights law began in 1964, with the passage of the Civil Rights Act. The federal law and legislation that followed, namely the Civil Rights Act of 1991, have changed the treatment of individuals based on their race, color, age, religion, sex or national origin. Discrimination on the basis of any of those factors in employment, education, housing, medical care and all other facets of public life is prohibited under these federal laws and the state laws that have followed suit.