The Civil Rights Act of 1964 primarily protected from discrimination which area?

• A. Public accommodations only
• B. Employment only
• C. Public accommodations and employment
• D. Housing and transportation

Answer: (C)

This question tests what areas the Civil Rights Act of 1964 targeted for anti-discrimination. The act’s main provisions address two broad realms where segregation and bias were most visible: public life and the workplace. In public life, it outlawed discrimination in places that serve the public—hotels, restaurants, theaters, and other venues—so people could access goods and services without being treated differently because of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. In the workplace, it barred employers from discriminating in hiring, firing, pay, or promotions on those same protected characteristics, establishing federal enforcement through mechanisms like the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Housing discrimination, while addressed later by the Fair Housing Act of 1968, wasn’t the primary focus of the 1964 legislation. Transportation protections aren’t singled out as the central categories in the 1964 act either, though public accommodations can intersect with transportation access.

So the best answer reflects the two major areas the act targeted: public accommodations and employment.