The Civil Rights Act of 1866 prohibits racial discrimination in housing under which law?

• A. The Fair Housing Act
• B. The Civil Rights Act of 1866
• C. The Equal Housing Opportunities Act
• D. The Housing Rights Act

Answer: (B)

Racial discrimination in housing is prohibited by a federal statute that guarantees basic property rights to all citizens. The Civil Rights Act of 1866 states that all citizens shall have the same right to inherit, purchase, lease, sell, hold, and convey real property, free from discrimination based on race. This establishes the explicit prohibition against racial discrimination in housing transactions.

While later laws like the Fair Housing Act (1968) also address housing discrimination and expand protections, the direct prohibition in housing transactions under federal law comes from the Civil Rights Act of 1866. The other named acts either refer to broader or different protections and do not single out this foundational housing discrimination prohibition.