Before the Civil Rights Act of 1957 was passed, the African Americans in the United States of America were treated unfairly even though the Reconstruction Acts of 1867 had begun the process of bringing equality to all citizens. The primary reason that this occurred is that the rights of the African Americans were not legally addressed during this period of nearly a century. Instead, even though the former slaves had been given their freedom, they continued to be treated as if they were inferior to the white citizens and often faced opposition when they attempted to do basic things such as eating, going to school, or wanting to vote for their representation in the government offices. This opposition often led to violence and the government continued to allow segregation to maintain the focus on the differences between the white Americans and the African Americans.

The Civil Rights Act of 1957 specifically addressed the conditions that had prevented the African Americans from exercising their right to vote. Before the law was passed, the African Americans would have to take literacy tests or pay high taxes in order to vote. As the education of the African Americans was not equal to the education provided to the white Americans, these tests were often impossible to pass. Additionally, as the income of the African Americans was lower, then the poll taxes were not affordable. The Civil Rights Act of 1957 removed such obstacles that were intended to prevent the African Americans from having a voice in their government by voting for their representatives.

Not only did the Civil Rights Act of 1957 protect the right to vote for all citizens, it all allowed the federal government to form a board that would investigate areas of discrimination across the nation. While many of the states believed that this gave the government too much power, the federal Civil Rights Commission was eventually formed. During the Civil Rights Movement, this board was able to be approached about issues such as the segregation of interstate transportation terminals and even the segregation of seating on the buses. Each area that was brought to the attention of the federal government could then be approached through the United States Constitution and the rights of the citizens could be protected accordingly.

Of course, this was not the end of discrimination nor segregation at that point as the African Americans continued to fight for equal rights into the current century. However, had it not been for the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the progress in society would not have been possible. In fact, the Civil Rights Act of 1957 laid the foundation for adaptations to the law and continued evaluation of potential areas of discrimination that relate to not only to the African Americans but rather to all United States citizens. For instance, in modern times, the rights of legal immigrants, same sex couples, and transgender people are addressed through the federal Civil Rights Commission. This means that no independent state can have laws that have been found to be unconstitutional following a review of the situation by the federal Civil Rights Commission.

In closing, the Civil Rights Act of 1957 came in response to the unfair treatment of African Americans who were seeking to exercise their right to vote. This led to the formation of the federal Civil Rights Commission which was critical during the Civil Rights Movement. Today, the federal Civil Rights Commission continues to be the voice for those who are discriminated against despite the idea that the states often reject the authority of the United States federal government.