<P> The Fair Housing Act is a federal act in the United States intended to protect the buyer or renter of a dwelling from seller or landlord discrimination . Its primary prohibition makes it unlawful to refuse to sell, rent to, or negotiate with any person because of that person's inclusion in a protected class . The goal is a unitary housing market in which a person's background (as opposed to financial resources) does not arbitrarily restrict access . Calls for open housing were issued early in the twentieth century, but it was not until after World War II that concerted efforts to achieve it were undertaken . </P> <P> The legislation was the culmination of a civil rights campaign against housing discrimination in the United States and was approved by President Lyndon B. Johnson one week after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr . </P> <P> The Fair Housing Act was enacted as Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, and codified at 42 U.S.C. 3601 - 3619, with penalties for violation at 42 U.S.C. 3631 . It is enforced by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development . </P>

Fair housing practices began as a result of which constitutional amendment