The Civil Rights Act of 1964 primarily aimed to address what issue?

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 primarily aimed to address the issue of desegregation of public spaces, making it a landmark piece of legislation in the movement for civil rights in the United States. It was designed to eliminate discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. One of the key provisions of the Act was to prohibit discrimination in public accommodations, such as restaurants, hotels, and theaters, which had previously been segregated by race.

The Act also sought to protect the right to equal employment opportunities and aimed to prevent discrimination in federally funded programs. This comprehensive approach to civil rights legislation made significant strides toward ensuring that all individuals, regardless of their background, had the right to access public spaces and services equally. It marked a critical turning point in the struggle for civil rights, as it provided the federal government with the authority to enforce desegregation and combat discrimination actively.

The other options, while related to broader civil rights issues, do not accurately capture the primary focus of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. For instance, voting rights for women and housing market regulations involve different waves of civil rights advocacy that came later, while trade agreements fall outside the purview of civil rights legislation.