Civil Rights Act of 1866 The first page of a manuscript copy of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, the first federal civil rights bill in U.S. history. (more) Civil Rights Act of 1866 federal statute, primary source Ask the Chatbot a Question Ask the Chatbot a Question Also known as: Public Law 39-26, 14 STAT 27 Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Nov 26, 2024 • Article History Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask the Chatbot a Question (Show more) In early January 1866 U.S. Senate Judiciary Chairman Lyman Trumbull from Illinois introduced the first federal civil rights bill in American history, as part of a Republican legislative program designed to shore up the objectives of the Freedmen’s Bureau Bill (passed in March 1865) and implement the intentions of the Thirteenth Amendment (ratified in December 1865). The act formally equated the rights of free people (guaranteed to all Americans with the abolition of slavery) with the natural rights of citizens and provided for the federal protection of those rights. In his introduction of the bill, Sen. Trumbull described its objectives: ...(100 of 2656 words)

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