Law
Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871
Authorized federal intervention against conspiracies that deprived citizens of civil and voting rights, especially Klan violence.
Year
1871
Impact
Positive
Status
Active
Party
Republican Party
Era
Civil War and Reconstruction
Impact Context
Strengthened the federal government’s power to combat racial terror and civil-rights violations.
What This Policy Did
Strengthened the federal government’s power to combat racial terror and civil-rights violations.
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Sources
U.S. Senate • Government
Senate history page describing the 1871 Enforcement Acts, including the expanded federal power used to combat Ku Klux Klan terror and protect African American civil and voting rights.
U.S. Senate • Government
U.S. Senate page hosting the document image for the April 1871 Enforcement Act, commonly associated with the Ku Klux Klan Act.
National Archives • Archive • Nov 8, 2016
National Archives blog noting that President Grant signed the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 as part of efforts to protect African Americans from organized racial terror during Reconstruction.