In 1875, Congress attempted to establish a semblance of racial equality by enacting a law that made it illegal to deprive another person of the full and equal enjoyment of the accommodations, advantages, facilities, and privileges of inns, public conveyance, and other places of public amusement on account of race. In a number of cases, the Supreme Court ruled that the Fourteenth Amendment did not authorize Congress to legislate against discriminatory state action, while disregarding discrimination by private individuals, including the owners of restaurants. This point led to an end of federal efforts to protect the civil rights of African Americans until the mid-twentieth century.
