Saturday, October 15, 2022
On this date in 1883, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Civil Rights Act of 1875, forbidding discrimination in hotels, trains, and other public spaces, was unconstitutional and not authorized by the 13th or 14th Amendments of the Constitution. African Americans would have to wait until 1964 before Congress would again pass a civil-rights law, this time constitutionally acceptable, that would forbid discrimination in public accommodations, employment, and unions.
- Zinn Education Project article Oct. 15, 1883: Civil Rights Act of 1875 Declared Unconstitutional
- New York Almanack’s article The 1883 Civil Rights Cases, the 14th Amendment, and Jim Crow New York