Summary

From the late 1950s through the 1960s the federal government worked to create laws that prevented African Americans from being treated as second-class citizens. However, these efforts alone have not been enough to end the legacies of de jure residential racial segregation. Unlike the other civil rights legislation of this time, the problem with the Fair Housing Act of 1968 was the concept and the enormity of the task of moving from an urban apartment to a middle-class suburban house.

Between the end of World War II and 1973, wages for all Americans grew quickly, African Americans saw wage growth, and in some fields even narrowed the wage gap with their white counterparts. However, since 1973 wages have remained stagnant for most Americans. While wages stagnated, home values increased; African Americans, who were unable to buy homes at the same rate as white people in...