Legislation1871
Civil Rights Act of 1871 (Ku Klux Klan Act) Signed
President Ulysses S. Grant signed the Civil Rights Act of 1871, also known as the Ku Klux Klan Act, empowering the federal government to prosecute those who conspired to deprive citizens of their civil rights. The law authorized the use of federal troops against Klan violence.
Why It Matters
This act represented the federal government's commitment to protecting the civil rights of African Americans during Reconstruction and established important precedents for federal enforcement of constitutional rights.