What federal law prohibits private homeowners from discriminating based on race in real estate transactions?

The Civil Rights Act of 1866 is the correct choice because it specifically prohibits racial discrimination in all real estate transactions and property ownership. This law was one of the earliest civil rights laws in the United States, making it illegal for any private individual, including homeowners, to deny someone the right to purchase, sell, or occupy property based on race.

While the Fair Housing Act, which is also a significant piece of legislation in this area, specifically addresses discrimination in housing transactions, it was enacted later, in 1968, and offers broader protections against discrimination based on several categories, including race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, and disability. However, the Civil Rights Act of 1866 lays the foundation by focusing solely on race and applies more directly to private homeowners without the qualifications or additional categories outlined in later laws.

The Equal Credit Opportunity Act primarily pertains to credit transactions and does not cover homeowners directly in the context of property sales or discrimination in housing. The Americans with Disabilities Act focuses on preventing discrimination against individuals with disabilities, not specifically on racial discrimination in real estate transactions. Thus, the prominence and broad-reaching influence of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 makes it the law that specifically addresses racial discrimination by private