The Civil Rights Act of 1875 was a significant piece of legislation in Black history that aimed to protect the civil rights of African Americans in the United States during the Reconstruction era. The Act was passed by the U.S. Congress on March 1, 1875, and was also known as the Enforcement Act or the Force Act.

The Civil Rights Act of 1875 prohibited discrimination based on race in public accommodations, transportation, and jury service. It was the last major piece of civil rights legislation enacted by the federal government during Reconstruction, a period following the Civil War when the rights and freedoms of formerly enslaved individuals were being established and protected.

Despite its noble intentions, the Civil Rights Act of 1875 faced significant opposition and backlash from white supremacist groups and Southern Democrats. In 1883, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the case of Civil Rights Cases that certain provisions of the Act were unconstitutional, effectively gutting its enforcement and paving the way for segregation and discrimination to persist in the United States for decades to come.

While the Civil Rights Act of 1875 ultimately had limited impact in achieving its goals, it nonetheless represented an important early effort to secure equal rights and protection under the law for African Americans in the post-Civil War era. Subsequent civil rights movements would continue the fight for racial equality and justice in the United States.