Segregation was a prevailing component in the act of slavery. African Americans were considered property. Many previously enslaved individuals fought for foundational rights. This fight provided the right to vote. However, these people experienced Gerrymandering: an act of removing one’s votes and reducing its, or their, power. Their right to vote was diminished. As a result, the Jim Crow Laws were passed, producing an increased separation between African Americans and others. Segregation created a system in which inequalities, regarding limited social mobility, caused cycles of poverty. The Civil Rights Movement emerged, leading to many fundamental changes. For example, the right to vote, earn more job opportunities, or to feel, justifiably, socially accepted. The Civil Rights Act provided the largest number of votes in American history.