HONOR 3474 - Title VII of the Civil Rights Act

Short of physical harm, the United States Constitution allows individuals in their private lives to discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion or any other reason. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, however, prohibits workplace discrimination based on these same characteristics or any other "protected class" and requires an employer to protect employees from sexual and other types of harassment. Recently the Act has been expanded to include the American's with Disabilities Act and Pregnancy Discrimination Act, among others. How can the Federal Government reach into the workplace and require employees to treat each other in a certain manner, and what has been the economic and cultural impact of the law? What are the social justice implications of the Federal Government's long-arm reach, and how has the law changed the landscape of the American workplace? What were the controversial circumstances that led to the passage of the Act, including how gender became part of the Act? Why are some characteristics, like age, protected under the Act, while others, like sexual orientation, are not? What is the future of Title VII?