Second Enforcement Act Explained

Enforcement Act of 1871
Fullname:An Act to amend an Act approved May thirty-one, eighteen hundred and seventy, entitled "An Act to enforce the Rights of Citizens of the United States to vote in several States of this Union, and for other Purposes."
Nickname:Civil Rights Act of 1871, Second Ku Klux Klan Act
Enacted By:41st
Cite Statutes At Large:–440
Acts Amended:Enforcement Act of 1870
Introducedin:House
Introducedbill:H.R. 2634
Introducedby:John C. Churchill (R–NY)
Introduceddate:January 9, 1871
Committees:House Judiciary
Passedbody1:House
Passeddate1:February 15, 1871
Passedvote1:144 - 64[1]
Passedbody2:Senate
Passeddate2:February 24, 1871
Passedvote2:39 - 10[2]
Signedpresident:Ulysses S. Grant
Signeddate:February 28, 1871

The Second Enforcement Act of 1871, sometimes called the Civil Rights Act of 1871 or the Second Ku Klux Klan Act, was a United States federal law. The act was the second of three Enforcement Acts passed by the United States Congress from 1870 to 1871 during the Reconstruction Era to combat attacks on the voting rights of African Americans from groups like the Ku Klux Klan.

Legislative history

Republican Representative John C. Churchill from New York introduced his bill H.R. 2634 in the 41st United States Congress. The bill was passed by Congress in February 1871 and signed into law by United States President Ulysses S. Grant on February 28, 1871.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Congressional Globe, 41st Congress, 3 session, page 1285 . Library of Congress . November 16, 2012.
  2. Web site: Congressional Globe, 41st Congress, 3 session, page 1655 . Library of Congress . November 16, 2012.