Yes, federal civil rights statutes are extremely important, even in modern society. For example, the Church Arson Prevention Act on 1996 (Title 18, U.S.C., Section 247) prevents "intentional defacement, damage, or destruction of any religious real property, because of the religious, racial, or ethnic characteristics of that property, or intentional obstruction by force or threat of force, or attempts to obstruct any person in the enjoyment of that person's free exercise of religious beliefs." Essentially, what this means is that you're not allowed to deface or destroy a religious center, and you're not allowed to stop someone from visiting this center or practicing their religious belief. Another example is the Civil Rights Act of 1866 which legally ended slavery, which gave more depth to the 13th amendment which was passed by the Senate two years prior and ratified in 1865.
