1 gen 1957 anni - 1957 - The Civil Rights Act of 1957 created a civil rights department within the Justice Deparment. It thus began an era during which the executive branch intervened repeatedly in locations where a state level legislature or executive refused to uphold national civil rights legislation. It provided a method by which he national executive could override the local one and ensure compliance with all civil rights laws. This new power was used almost immediately in Little Rock, Arkansas to ensure integration of