Whereas, in the aftermath of the Civil War, the reunified United States of America struggled to reconstruct its war-torn States or establish laws granting newly freed slaves the same rights afforded to White citizens; Whereas the reconstruction of the United States following the conclusion of the Civil War necessarily included the integration of newly emancipated African Americans into broader society, and with it, their receipt of civil and legal protections; Whereas, as a response to the uncertain and unequal status of newly freed slaves, the 13th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified by the States on December 6, 1865, formally abolishing slavery within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction ; Whereas, on April 9, 1866, Congress overrode a Presidential veto to enact the Civil Rights Act of 1866, a law written to protect and clarify the newly bestowed rights of persons of African descent; Whereas the Civil Rights Act of 1866 declared that all persons born in the United States are entitled to be citizens, without regard to race, color, or previous condition of slavery or involuntary servitude; Whereas the Civil Rights Act of 1866 was enacted to accomplish three primary objectives: to establish that all persons born in the United States were to be considered citizens, to clearly define the rights guaranteed by American citizenship, and to make it unlawful for any person to deprive another of these rights on the basis of race; Whereas the Civil Rights Act of 1866 served the role of overriding Black Codes , laws enacted in southern States to restrict African Americans’ freedom and keep formerly enslaved persons from thriving in society; Whereas section 1 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 created an avenue for citizens who fell victim to intentional racial discrimination by allowing them go before a Federal court and allege that he or she was discriminated against while engaging in lawful activity