What term describes the laws that mandated the separation of public facilities for blacks and whites?

The term that best describes the laws mandating the separation of public facilities for blacks and whites is segregation laws. These laws institutionalized racial discrimination, particularly in the Southern United States, during the late 19th and into the 20th century. They enforced a system of racial separation in various aspects of public life, including schools, transportation, restrooms, and restaurants.

Segregation laws were a crucial part of the Jim Crow era, which aimed to maintain white supremacy and limit the rights of African Americans following the Reconstruction period. These laws stood in stark contrast to civil rights laws that seek to protect the rights of all individuals and ensure equality regardless of race.

The other terms provided refer to different concepts: civil rights laws aim to protect individual rights and prohibit discrimination; public accommodation laws involve regulations guiding the access and services of businesses open to the public; and discrimination laws generally relate to legal frameworks that prohibit unfair treatment based on characteristics such as race, gender, or religion. None of these specifically address the laws that mandated racial segregation in public spaces as accurately as segregation laws do.