<P> Ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment was completed in 1868 . Two years later, the 1866 Act was reenacted, as Section 18 of the Enforcement Act of 1870 . </P> <P> The activities of terrorist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) undermined the act; and it failed to immediately secure the civil rights of African Americans . Since 1866 it has been illegal in the U.S. to discriminate in jobs and housing on the basis of race . However, federal penalties were not provided for, so that remedies were left to the individuals involved . Because those being discriminated against had limited access to legal help, this left many victims of discrimination without recourse . Since the latter half of the 20th century and passage of related civil rights legislation, there have been an increasing number of remedies provided under this act, including the landmark Jones v. Mayer and Sullivan v. Little Hunting Park, Inc. decisions in 1968 . </P>

Who was responsible for enforcing the civil rights act of 1866