On April 20, 1871, the U.S. Congress passed the Third Enforcement Act, also known as the Ku Klux Klan Act, in response to widespread racial terrorism in the post-Civil War South. The act defined Klan violence as a rebellion against the federal government and granted President Ulysses S. Grant sweeping powers to protect Black citizens and suppress white supremacist groups. For the first time, the president could suspend the writ of habeas corpus, declare martial law, and use federal troops in areas deemed insurrectionist. The legislation marked a bold assertion of federal authority during Reconstruction and was instrumental in temporarily dismantling Klan influence—though its effects were tragically short-lived.
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