Civil Rights Act of 1871

E16181
Reconstruction-era legislation United States federal statute civil rights law

The Civil Rights Act of 1871, also known as the Ku Klux Klan Act, is a U.S. federal law that empowers individuals to sue state officials and others for civil rights violations, particularly those involving racial violence and deprivation of constitutional rights.

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Observed surface forms (5)

Surface form Occurrences
Enforcement Act of 1871 3
Ku Klux Klan Act 2
Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 2

Statements (50)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Reconstruction-era legislation ⓘ
United States federal statute ⓘ
civil rights law ⓘ
addresses racially motivated violence ⓘ
terrorism against African Americans in the South ⓘ
aimedAt Ku Klux Klan ⓘ
white supremacist organizations ⓘ
alsoKnownAs Civil Rights Act of 1871 ⓘ
surface form: Enforcement Act of 1871

Civil Rights Act of 1871 ⓘ
surface form: Ku Klux Klan Act
appliesTo persons acting under color of state law ⓘ
state officials ⓘ
codifiedAs 42 U.S.C. § 1983 ⓘ
42 U.S.C. § 1985 ⓘ
42 U.S.C. § 1986 ⓘ
country United States of America ⓘ
surface form: United States
dateEnacted April 20, 1871 ⓘ
empowers federal government to intervene against rights violations ⓘ
individuals to sue state officials for civil rights violations ⓘ
enactedBy United States Congress ⓘ
historicalContext Reconstruction era following the American Civil War ⓘ
legalMechanism civil cause of action for deprivation of rights ⓘ
criminal penalties for conspiracies to violate civil rights ⓘ
longTermImpact foundation of modern civil rights litigation in U.S. federal courts ⓘ
notableProvision civil liability for persons conspiring to deprive others of equal protection ⓘ
creation of a federal cause of action for deprivation of constitutional rights under color of state law ⓘ
duty of federal officials to prevent civil rights violations when possible ⓘ
partOf Reconstruction Acts of 1867 ⓘ
surface form: Reconstruction Acts
presidentAtEnactment Ulysses S. Grant ⓘ
protectsRight due process rights ⓘ
equal protection of the laws ⓘ
privileges and immunities secured by the Constitution ⓘ
purpose to combat racial violence in the post–Civil War South ⓘ
to protect civil and constitutional rights from infringement ⓘ
to provide federal remedies against violations of constitutional rights ⓘ
section Section 1 ⓘ
Section 10 ⓘ
Section 11 ⓘ
Section 12 ⓘ
Section 2 ⓘ
Section 3 ⓘ
Section 4 ⓘ
Section 5 ⓘ
Section 6 ⓘ
Section 7 ⓘ
Section 8 ⓘ
Section 9 ⓘ
signedBy Ulysses S. Grant ⓘ
usedFor lawsuits against police misconduct ⓘ
lawsuits challenging unconstitutional state and local government actions ⓘ
yearEnacted 1871 ⓘ

Referenced by (12)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

42 U.S.C. § 1983 → alsoKnownAs → Civil Rights Act of 1871 ⓘ
this entity surface form: Ku Klux Klan Act civil remedy provision
Civil Rights Act of 1871 → alsoKnownAs → Civil Rights Act of 1871 ⓘ
this entity surface form: Ku Klux Klan Act
Civil Rights Act of 1871 → alsoKnownAs → Civil Rights Act of 1871 ⓘ
this entity surface form: Enforcement Act of 1871
Enforcement Clause → basisFor → Civil Rights Act of 1871 ⓘ
42 U.S.C. § 1983 → codifies → Civil Rights Act of 1871 ⓘ
this entity surface form: Section 1 of the Civil Rights Act of 1871
First Enforcement Act → followedBy → Civil Rights Act of 1871 ⓘ
this entity surface form: Ku Klux Klan Act
Enforcement Acts → hasPart → Civil Rights Act of 1871 ⓘ
this entity surface form: Enforcement Act of 1871
Enforcement Acts → hasPart → Civil Rights Act of 1871 ⓘ
this entity surface form: Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871
41st United States Congress → passed → Civil Rights Act of 1871 ⓘ
this entity surface form: Enforcement Act of 1871
Civil Rights Act of 1866 → precedes → Civil Rights Act of 1871 ⓘ
Civil Rights Act of 1870 → relatedTo → Civil Rights Act of 1871 ⓘ
Civil Rights Act of 1870 → relatedTo → Civil Rights Act of 1871 ⓘ
this entity surface form: Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871