Under the Civil Rights Act of 1866, what form of discrimination is explicitly prohibited by federal law?

The Civil Rights Act of 1866 explicitly prohibits discrimination based on race in the context of buying, selling, or leasing property. This landmark legislation was one of the first federal laws to provide a broad statutory guarantee of civil rights, specifically aimed at ensuring that all citizens have equal rights in the ownership and transfer of property, regardless of their race or color.

The law was enacted in the wake of the Civil War and aimed to counteract the systemic discrimination that African Americans faced during Reconstruction. Its provisions emphasize that no person shall be denied the right to purchase or sell property based on their race, which establishes a crucial legal foundation for racial equality in real estate practices.

While the other forms of discrimination mentioned—gender, age, and sexual orientation—are important issues in contemporary discussions of civil rights, they are not covered under the Civil Rights Act of 1866. Subsequent legislation, such as the Fair Housing Act of 1968 and various state laws, has addressed these other forms of discrimination, but the Civil Rights Act of 1866 is specifically focused on racial discrimination in property rights.