In United States history, in which year was the landmark Civil Rights Act passed, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin at the federal level?

Introduction / Context:
The modern civil rights movement in the United States led to several important laws that aimed to end legal segregation and discrimination. One of the most famous of these is the Civil Rights Act, which made it illegal for employers, schools, and public places to discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. This question asks you to identify the year in which this landmark Act was passed by the United States Congress and signed into law.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The focus is on the Civil Rights Act that banned discrimination in employment and public accommodations.
• The time period is the 1960s, a key decade for civil rights legislation.
• The options list four consecutive years: 1964, 1965, 1966, and 1967.
• We assume knowledge of basic civil rights chronology in the United States.

Concept / Approach:
The Civil Rights Act that is often called the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on 2 July 1964. It made racial segregation in public places illegal and outlawed discrimination in employment based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. In 1965, another key law, the Voting Rights Act, focused specifically on protecting the right to vote. Later years saw additional legislation, but the main general civil rights law mentioned in most textbooks is the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Therefore, the correct year is 1964.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that major civil rights protests, such as the March on Washington, took place in the early 1960s.Step 2: Remember that after the assassination of President Kennedy, President Johnson pushed strongly for civil rights legislation.Step 3: The Civil Rights Act banning discrimination in public accommodations and employment was passed and signed in 1964.Step 4: The Voting Rights Act, focused on protecting voting, was passed in 1965, which is a different law.Step 5: Since the question asks about the general Civil Rights Act and not the Voting Rights Act, select 1964.

Verification / Alternative check:
Open any timeline of the civil rights movement and you will see the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 listed as separate entries. The year 1964 is consistently associated with the broad law against discrimination in public facilities and workplaces. Later years like 1966 and 1967 saw continued activism and additional policies but are not linked with the original Civil Rights Act in most basic exam questions.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
1965 corresponds mainly to the Voting Rights Act, which dealt with barriers to voting, not the general ban on discrimination in public accommodations and employment.
1966 and 1967 are years of continued civil rights struggle and other events but do not match the passage of the central Civil Rights Act mentioned in introductory history texts.

Common Pitfalls:
Because many important civil rights laws passed in a short time, learners sometimes mix up the years 1964 and 1965. A useful memory aid is to associate the broader Civil Rights Act with 1964 and the Voting Rights Act, which focuses on elections, with 1965. Keeping this pair in order helps you answer exam questions on civil rights legislation with confidence.

Final Answer:
The landmark Civil Rights Act that banned many forms of discrimination was passed in the year 1964.