Following the Civil War, a group of constitutional amendments worked together to establish the beginning of civil rights in America – the abolishment of slavery (13 Amendment), the citizenship of former slaves (14th Amendment), giving all men the right to vote regardless of race (15th Amendment), and giving women the right to vote (19th amendment).
Nonetheless, many states [particularly in the South] used poll taxes, literacy tests and other measures to keep African-Americans disenfranchised from exercising their right to vote and prospectively deny them citizenship. The enforcement of strict segregation was enacted through Jim Crow laws and condoned violence from white supremacist groups like the Ku Klux Klan.
The U.S. Congress did not take the initiative to make improvements for African-Americans for equality or fair treatment under the law. Finally, in 1957, a Civil Rights Division was established in the Justice Department, along with a Commission on Civil Rights to investigate discriminatory conditions. In 1960, Congress provided for court-appointed referees to help African-Americans register to vote. However, these bills were heavily watered down to overcome southern resistance and gain some momentum in the civil rights movement.