Law
Civil Rights Act of 1957
Created the Civil Rights Division in the Justice Department and the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, with limited voting-rights enforcement provisions.
Year
1957
Impact
Mixed
Status
Active
Party
Republican Party
Era
Civil Rights Era
Impact Context
First federal civil-rights law since Reconstruction, though weaker than later measures.
What This Policy Did
First federal civil-rights law since Reconstruction, though weaker than later measures.
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Sources
U.S. Department of Justice • Government
DOJ Civil Rights Division page stating that the Division was created in 1957 by enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1957.
U.S. Department of Justice • Government
DOJ organizational history explaining that the Civil Rights Act of 1957 created the Civil Rights Division and the Office of the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights.
U.S. Department of Justice • Government • Sep 6, 2017
DOJ anniversary statement describing the 1957 Act as the first civil rights law passed since Reconstruction and an early step toward later major civil rights statutes.