First Enforcement Act
E90375
The First Enforcement Act was a Reconstruction-era U.S. federal law designed to protect African Americans’ voting rights and curb racial violence and intimidation in the post–Civil War South.
Statements (44)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Reconstruction-era legislation
ⓘ
United States federal statute ⓘ |
| aimedToProtect |
African American voting rights
ⓘ
rights of newly enfranchised Black citizens ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs |
Civil Rights Act of 1870
ⓘ
Civil Rights Act of 1870 ⓘ
surface form:
Enforcement Act of 1870
|
| appliesTo |
private individuals
ⓘ
state officials ⓘ |
| appliesToJurisdiction |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| country |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| followedBy |
Civil Rights Act of 1871
ⓘ
surface form:
Ku Klux Klan Act
Second Enforcement Act ⓘ |
| hasLongTermImpactOn |
development of federal election law
ⓘ
federal civil rights enforcement ⓘ protection of minority voting rights ⓘ |
| historicalPeriod | Reconstruction era ⓘ |
| historicalSignificance |
early federal assertion of power to protect individual civil rights
ⓘ
foundation for later federal civil rights statutes ⓘ |
| inspiredBy |
attempts by Southern states to circumvent the Fifteenth Amendment
ⓘ
post–Civil War racial violence ⓘ |
| legalBasis |
Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
ⓘ
Fourteenth Amendment ⓘ
surface form:
Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
|
| legislativeBody | United States Congress ⓘ |
| locationOfFocus | Southern United States ⓘ |
| mainPurpose |
to curb racial violence and intimidation in the post–Civil War South
ⓘ
to enforce the Fifteenth Amendment ⓘ to protect the right to vote from interference by individuals and state officials ⓘ |
| partOf | Enforcement Acts ⓘ |
| presidentDuringEnactment | Ulysses S. Grant ⓘ |
| protectedRight |
right to equal protection of the laws in voting
ⓘ
right to vote in federal elections ⓘ |
| providedFor |
civil remedies for persons whose rights were violated
ⓘ
criminal penalties for depriving citizens of civil rights under color of law ⓘ federal oversight of elections ⓘ federal prosecution of individuals who interfered with voting rights ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
Ku Klux Klan
ⓘ
surface form:
Ku Klux Klan violence
Reconstruction civil rights legislation ⓘ |
| signedBy | Ulysses S. Grant ⓘ |
| subjectOf | United States Supreme Court interpretation ⓘ |
| targetedProblem |
interference with federal elections
ⓘ
racial intimidation of voters ⓘ violence against Black voters ⓘ |
| typeOfSanction |
civil penalties
ⓘ
criminal penalties ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.