These two pieces of legislation are considered the landmark achievements of the Civil Rights Movement.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was the most comprehensive civil rights law since Reconstruction.

It outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

The act banned segregation in public accommodations, such as hotels, restaurants, and theaters, and ended unequal application of voter registration requirements.

Despite its passage, obstacles to African American voting, such as literacy tests and poll taxes, persisted in the South.

The protest march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965 highlighted this issue and spurred action on voting rights.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson.

It banned the use of literacy tests and provided for federal oversight of voter registration in areas with a history of discrimination.

The act had an immediate and dramatic impact, leading to a massive increase in African American voter registration and participation.

Together, these two laws dismantled the entire legal structure of Jim Crow segregation in the United States.