The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was a landmark piece of legislation, though its impact was somewhat limited at the time. It was primarily designed to address racial discrimination in voting. One of its key provisions was the establishment of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, which was tasked with investigating and reporting on civil rights violations. Additionally, the Act created a Civil Rights Division within the Justice Department and gave the federal government authority to seek injunctions to protect voting rights.

While it was the first civil rights law passed since the Reconstruction era, its scope was relatively narrow and did not immediately result in significant changes for African Americans, particularly in the South. It did, however, lay the groundwork for more robust civil rights legislation that would follow in the 1960s, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.