The Post & Courier
After Congress had rejected two earlier versions of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, commonly known as the Fair Housing Act, the third version appeared to be going nowhere prior to the April 4th 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. It was that crystalizing moment and the resulting civil unrest that spread across the country, which led to President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Fair Housing Act into law on April 11, 1968. It was the first time that Congress declared it illegal for private individuals to discriminate on the basis of race in the sale or rental of housing.