While the American Declaration of Independence stated that all men were created equal, the long and continuing history of the struggle to attain civil rights in the United States seems to prove otherwise. From the slavery period, which led to a civil war, to the Reconstruction period which saw stunning advancements and reversals in civil rights, to the civil rights era of the mid-to late-20th century, which brought civil rights legislation in fits and starts, this reference guide details the most critical civil rights laws in U.S. history. Each period is introduced in an overview essay, and 36 individual laws are examined in essays that place the bills in their historical contexts. Each law is then presented in an edited, and when appropriate, annotated form so students can read and understand the actual words of the law. Many of the most notable and notorious laws in U.S. legislative history have come in the area of civil rights. Among these are the Fugitive Slave Act; The Missouri Compromise; The Emancipation Proclamation; The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments; the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Acts of 1965. All of these and many others are thoroughly covered in this uncommonly helpful guide to U.S. civil rights legislation. Timelines, a bibliography, and an index round out the package.