While initially, the civil rights
act of 1964 gave legal protection from discrimination based on race, color,
religion, sex or national origin. Later amendments to the act (made in 1957 and
1960) extended the protection to disabled Americans, women in collegiate
athletics and the elderly.
It extended the number of hours in the day when people could work and play.
<span>Throughout the Middle Ages, religion was a strong, pervasive force in society. Most individuals were more concerned with God and the possibility of the afterlife than they were with current human affairs, says Encylopedia Britannica. By the time the Renaissance occurred, this social attitude was beginning to change. Religion was still practiced, but people began to be more focused on secular or humanist values, rather than spirituality, at this time.</span>
The Constitutional Convention of 1787 was called to revise the ailing Articles of Confederation. However, the Convention soon abandoned the Articles, drafting a new Constitution with a much stronger national government. Nine states had to approve the Constitution before it could go into effect.