Civil Rights Act of 1866 Law and Legal Definition
The Civil Rights Act of 1866 is a United States federal law that extended the rights of emancipated slaves. It was mainly intended to protect the civil rights of African-Americans, in the wake of the American Civil War.
The Act gave the right:
a. to make contracts;
b. to sue;
c. to appear as witness in court; and
d. to own private property.
The Act declared that all persons born in the U.S. were now citizens, without regard to race, color, or previous condition.
